The Mongoose has only been listening to Lifetime for about 6 months now. He wanted to see what all the hype was about, so he bought Hello Bastards and Jersey's Best Dancers. The Mongoose was very impressed.

Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey is a double-CD compilation of early material, covers, demos, live tracks, and two complete versions of their out-of-print 1993 debut, Background. The first version of Background has been remixed and the second version is the remastered original.

The self-titled opening track is the Mongoose's favorite song on the entire album. It reminds him of everything he loves about punk rock. It's catchy, it's heavy, and most importantly, it's fast. In fact, the entire first CD is like that. Other standout tracks from the first CD include: "Starsixtynine," "Young, Loud, and Scotty," and the cover of Billy Bragg's "New England."

It's the second CD that the Mongoose has a problem with. You see, the Mongoose doesn't understand the point of having two versions of one album. He doesn't care that one has been "remixed" and one has been "remastered." To be honest, the Mongoose can't even tell a difference between the two. The second disc does, however, contain some good live tracks, but the Mongoose doesn't care much for live music on CDs. He would much rather be there himself.

If you're new to Lifetime, then the Mongoose would suggest that you pick up Jersey's Best Dancers first. Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey is a very good compilation, but it's probably not the best album to start with. The Mongoose recommends Lifetime to fans of hardcore bands like Kid Dynamite, Gorilla Biscuits, and Youth of Today. The Mongoose would also like to point out that he wrote this shitty review without once making reference to Dr. Dan Yemin. Except just now.

The Mongoose gives the first CD a 9/10 and the second CD a 6/10.