Name: Committing to the Bit
Brand: The Great American Novel

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

TGAN 001

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Tape

Limited edition

Release date

2020-03-06

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Consi­gnmen­t

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

1 / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / Tape

Artist

The Great American Novel

Genre US

Rock-Pop

Label US

Layne Montgomery's still wearing his heart on his sleeve. No news there. Still straining to sing a bit about his natural range. Aidan Shepherd still mans the drums, as savvy and subtle a stickslinger as there abides in New York City. Steve Shaw and Ian Grey have joined the band on bass and lead guitar on the "Committing To The Bit" EP. It followed the three digital singles that GAN released in 2019, with slightly different lineups. All of it was produced by Billy Aukstik at Hive Mind Recording. Taken together, you've got close to a damn fine album. Montgomery's songwriting more and more resembles his hero Bob Pollard, with strong riffs but even stronger lyrics. My favorite is "Whiff," in which Layne takes pity on a bully at work ("being you must get pretty rough.") "Committing To The Bit" sounds like something a horse does when it accepts its lot in life, and the song certainly has a fatalistic air (Layne, always post your lyrics on Bandcamp!). But given that the dude's mom is a standup comic, I suspect the song means sticking to your shtick through thick and thin. "Good Bad Company" kicks off with a killer Seventies rock riff (get it? it's good Bad Company,) while "It's A Living" has an awesome call and response chorus. Instead of mooning about girls who don't look at him, Layne's got more on his mind on these tracks. They're all about perseverance, commitment, endurance; turning the struggles of a musician (or a working stiff, or a boyfriend) into a metaphor for how fucked up life has become for all of us in 2019, and how the only answer is to keep plugging away. I like these songs more every time I listen to them. You will too. 

Committing to the Bit

Music US