Dan Michaelson's deep rumble of a voice, and his wry lyrics are they key to Absentee. With their slacker rock sensibilities, and their seemingly unending passion for the pure pop cover version (Live shows often see them wedge bits of the musical ‘Grease’ into the mix, as a well as recently offering a free download of their take on Queen classic ‘I Want To Break Free’) they have a lot that seems to indicate that they would win plenty of praise here at TLOBF. Ultimately however, whether you are one over by their numerous charms may well hang on your feelings towards the low rumbling delivery of their frontman.

For its part ‘Victory Shorts’ pretty much carries on where 2006’s ‘Shmootime’ left off, Michaelson’s dry with ably backed up by the supporting cast of players that make up Absentee, as they breeze knowingly through life and every day tasks, delivering tales of love life and losing along the way. ‘Boy, Did She Teach You Nothing’ charges out of the speakers at great pace, running on it’s insistent guitar riff and pumping bassline before breaking into a killer chiming chorus that many a mainstream pop act would give their right arm for. Elsewhere, ‘They Do It These Days’ could have been lifted from ‘Bugsy Malone’, with it’s jaunty piano line and gang vocals, before roping in the horn section for the chorus.

Throughout ‘Victory Shorts’ Absentee come on like a UK answer to the Silver Jews, all be it with more power pop leanings at times. Although littered with wry observation, and some pretty melodies, like Silver Jews they can at times lose their way: ‘Spitting Feathers’ and ‘We Smash Plates’ plod along prettily enough , but never really hit the heights of their more driving, pop material. While a whole album of tracks like album highlights ‘Pips’ or ‘Bitchstealer’ may be to much, both tracks show where Absentee’s true strengths lie.

While ‘Victory Shorts’ is a well crafted follow up you can’t help but feel there is more to come from Absentee, and while there are a couple of cracking moments here, I can’t help but feel there is more to be done before they release the truly great record I hope they are capable of making.