Compiling the last sessions recorded by the classic U.K.

Subs lineup of Charlie Harper, Nicky Garratt, and Alvin Gibbs, A.W.O.L.

sounds less like a patchwork recording than it should.

Despite the presence of no less than three drummers, the album holds together because the band works as a cohesive unit.

The tracks veer from the all-out fury of "Police State" to the darker, murkier "Enemy Awaits," displaying more growth in the band's songwriting skills.

"Keep On Running" even incorporates new wave-style keyboards -- an unthinkable move on previous albums.

Unfortunately, after these sessions, the band's classic lineup broke up, and afterward the U.K.

Subs became little more than a collection of sidemen assembled by frontman Harper.

Only the album's brevity keeps it from being a definitive recording on par with the seminal early albums.

Still, for a last shot of the classic Subs, this album is definitely worth tracking down.