Grim Luck - Alexandra Volume 2: The Dread (2011)

Grim Luck formed in San Diego, California sometime between 2004-6; legends and internet rumors vary. Standing head and shoulders above the rest, Grim Luck has led the San Diego ska scene for several years with their unique sound which blends dark, minor tonality ska with folk, hardcore and anything else they can mesh together using their markedly varied instrumentation. In their first three albums, Grim Luck wrote songs that pushed the boundaries of 3rd Wave ska, albeit in the dark sounding and calculatingly paced direction that Streetlight Manifesto pioneered. However, with Alexandra Vol. 2: The Dread, Grim Luck breaks nearly all of their ties to the bright, crisp melodies of the 90’s and forges their own identity without losing any of their hectic energy, unique song writing and fiercely underground ethos.

In place of bright, clean and simple riffs and melodies, a la 90’s 3rd Wave Ska, Grim Luck crafts a dark, hectic (always on the verge of sloppy) and layered sounding ska blended with folk and hardcore. The horn section usually carries the melody and engages the listener with interesting melodies, both new and familiar. Unique instrumentation (cello, accordion and banjo) add depth and variety to songs but sometimes verge one gimmicky. Grim Luck hits their stride when their massive horn section pumps out brooding melodies through songs like “Odessa!!” and “Monarchs Can’t Dance!!” Vocally, Rob and Erich bare their souls belting out authentically inane lyrics oddly focused on vintage nautical imagery. Wisely, they keep their lyrics out of the overly “zany” and “wacky” territory of the 3rd wave. Vol. 2 has much tighter and more together sound than the often loose and sloppy Vol. 1. This strips away some of Grim Luck’s “small time” charm, but, ultimately, greatly improves the band’s sound overall.

Grim Luck’s maturation as a band and movement away from the formulaic sound of 3rd Wave Ska does come at a price, however. The increased presence of the horn section largely eliminates the catchy choruses of yore, to the album’s detriment. Only “The Dread...” evokes the sing-along choruses of “Bouquet of Lillies” and “College/Going to Santa Barbara”. Also, the band’s massive ensemble leads to a lot of instruments doubling up on parts. The bari-sax, cello and bass often follow the same bass line (and occasionally needlessly clutter it) while the horns almost always play in unison on the melody. A more layered approach that has the horns playing off of and against each other (polyphony) would really step things up an notch. Borrowing some plays from Keasbey Nights would be a great start.

If Reel Big Fish is “Green Day with horns,” then (very approximately) Grim Luck is Gogol Bordello with horns- plus a cello, accordion and banjo. At times, the sheer size of Grim Luck’s ensemble seems paradoxically cluttered and minimalist while pushing aside the infectious choruses of older albums. However, Grim Luck manages to craft a truly unique and engaging sound from a largely stagnant genre with impressive results. They have quite possibly created the most unique recording to ever with the words punk or ska attached. Anyone looking for a wonderfully original and truely engaging sound will love Alexandra Volume 2: The Dread.

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NOFX - Punk in Drublic (1994)

In 1994, Californian post-hardcore punk rock broke into the American musical mainstream. Rancid had a radio single and major label offers, Green Day had MTV music videos and The Offspring's Smash went multi-platinum. NOFX's Punk in Drublic may have failed to meet the commercial success of the other '94 punk albums, but it is without a doubt one of the tightest, well written and "punkest" albums ever recorded.

NOFX, veterans of Epitaph Records since 1989, had spent the better part of a decade touring, recording and honing their sound when they finally cut their magnum opus in '94. It's tight, fast, refreshingly witty; in a word, it's punk. Songs like "Linoleum" and "Happy Guy" show their hardcore roots with high tempos, deep hooks and short track times while "Reeko" and "My Heat is Yearning"expand the group's approach without slowing down the overall flow of the album. "Get in, get out" may be too traditional for some bands, but NOFX really makes 17 tracks in 39 minutes work here. Lyrically, singer Fat Mike aptly criticizes American society and government, lampoons the commercialization of the punk scene and even takes time to defend the homeless and "adult actresses" without getting preachy or heavy handed. It's fast, clever, insightful and simply a fun album to listen to. With a history of writing anti-commercial songs, it almost seems as if NOFX did everything they could to write an amazing punk album that could stay off the radio at a time when DJ's scoured the nation for the next Green Day.

Punk in Drublic failed where other similar release succeeded not because it's a bad record, but because it doesn't have any singles or anthems. It has the punk attack, snarkyness and oozin' ahs that mark the breakout records, but lacks the catchy sing-along tracks that got MTV airtime. Regardless, if you like punk, you'll love Punk in Drublic. For the uninitiated, it's also a great place to start, especially if you think that "Longview" is edgy.

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Read the expanded review, complete with looks at the histories of NOFX and '90s punk rock, at *Wrestlemania*!!

Bad Religion - No Control (1989)

After reforming in 1987, Bad Religion released an astonishing three albums in just three years, Suffer (1988) No Control (1989) and Against the Grain (1990), collectively known to fans as the "Holy Trinity." As and a hardcore punk release from almost 21 years ago, listeners might wonder how No Control could possibly be relevant in the 21st Century. Well, through No Control (and the rest of the "Trinity"), not only did Bad Religion keep punk alive and evolving for the 90's, but they also had an incalculable influence on the entire 90's alternative scene from Nirvana all the way down to Blink-182. History aside though, No Control is simply a great album and a sonic treat for anyone willing to listen.

From the opening drum count-off to the final ring of electric guitars, No Control refuses to stop. Bad Religion's punk attack is nothing short of vicious and present in the raging drumming and blisteringly fast guitar work, especially on tracks like "You," "No Control" and "I Want to Conquer the World." Not wasting any time on overdrawn intros or repeated choruses, songs start and stop on a dime and cram massive amounts of music into compact spaces; only one track on the entire album passes the 2:30 mark. Singer Greg Graffin belts out themes on the the bleakness of the future with passion and conviction that inspires the listener to action, and backing vocals provide just enough harmony a la the band's trademark "Oozin' Ahhs" (see "Sanity") to make it accessible. Lyrically, Graffin crafts his trademark intelligent and meaningful verses that don't get too bogged down by SAT vocabulary as much as later albums.

The criticism of No Control are the ones that critics apply to BR's whole discography and punk in general. If you think that all BR songs sound the same, then some tracks (the last few) will seem to blend together. Some will also argue that the sub-1 minute songs take punk simplicity too far to a fault, and they're probably right. And while it isn't as bad here as on later albums, esoteric lyrics like "Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure" are nothing more than Graffin's intellectual flexing. However, taken as a whole, No Control is punk at its best. The fact that a solid third of the album makes it to the "Greatest Hits" compilation All Ages (with the notable exception of fan-favorite "You") illustrates the shear consistency and depth of the album if nothing else. Fans of punk and Bad Religion will instantly fall in love with the No Control and newcomers should absolutely take the time to listen to 26 minutes of some of the most passionate and inspiring punk ever written.

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God Is an Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright (2005)

Sitting here, working on my blog debut while being a wee bit depressed, realizing that I was granted privileges to write here like... 9 months ago, and I am only just now finding my dirt covered, filth encrusted gem.

A pretty pathetic accomplishment, but nonetheless I'm going to put this shit to the pen. It simply deserves it.

God Is An Astronaut is an instrumental band. As such, it relies on the craftsmanship of said instrument's owners. While unfortunately I can't speak from practical experience, (I can't even whistle properly) I can tell you of what I have heard. And God Is An Astronaut does nothing instrumentally that I haven't heard before.

The drumming has been done before, the guitar isn't doing any sort of mind-melting stuff, a piano is a piano, and the bass is thumping away like basses all over the world have ever done. This is standard post-rock; break it down to the component, compare it to its peers and you're probably looking at something generic and bland. So why in god's name am I calling this a gem?

Well, behind the pretentious band name hides what most bands strive to achieve. What it is, I don't know. But it is that one thing that weaves together some of the most enticingly emotional melodies with some roller coaster drumming. It naturally overtakes your mind, messing with your fantasy to experience something new.

The ride starts of soft and slow, luring you into its lair. Finally there, it then alternates between beating you down and lifting you up, finishing in an epic crescendo, followed by some weird electronic sounds that leaves you wondering what the hell just happened. As you sit there, bombarded by new-old feelings, the real mystery is how they did it, since I personally was emotionally juxtaposed when finally realizing it's math class and I haven't got a clue what's up there on the board.

So my word of advice: don't prepare yourself for this, because then you might spoil what lies in store. I was utterly blown away listening to this while lying in bed, reading. Since then I have listened to this many a times, still being blown away time and time again. But i'm a impressionable, soft guy. So it might not happen to you. But it should.

- Eric the Swede (sorry for making it so long, im a hopeless first timer)

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Big D and the Kids Table - Fluent in Stroll (2009)

Rude boys need not apply because this isn't ska- it's "stroll." In a departure from their traditionally uber-hyper punk-ska, Big D & the Kids Table claims to have fused reggae, dub, ska, soul and a myriad of other genres into the new sound called "stroll" on Fluent in Stroll. As a huge fan of Big D, I'm personally offended that they could completely throw out their signature sound and betray their fan base. However, it's pretty unfair to judge an album on what it doesn't do, so let's try and keep this focused on what it actually does do. Ska or not, Fluent in Stroll is still mediocre at best. This is a flat and uninspired album that drags on for fifty minutes, but does show some promise for all of the "strollers" out there.

Lyrically it's a mixed bag; sometimes David McWane crafts thoughtful lyrics, and other times he pours out sappy love themes. Worse though are the painfully stupid nonsense lyrics straight out of Grease's "We Go Together" that pepper tracks. The title track opens with a shrill and piercing vocals, akin to nails on a chalkboard, vamping "Chin-chin, chadda-wadda-wa he." Speaking of vocals, the guest backing vocals provided by The Doped up Dollies does everything but tank the opening and title tracks in my opinion. Most songs plod along at slow tempos vamping ad nausea, but occasionally the group will ramp up to a faster rock'n'roll tempo for old times sake. And why bother keeping around three horn players if you're going to keep them inconspicuously in the background except for the occasional riff? But it's not all bad and high points include the Strictly Rude style "Been Wishing On" and "Chin Up, Boy!", and the surprisingly catchy "Not Fucking Around."

Judged on its own merits, Fluent in Stroll would probably a promising, but ultimately mediocre, début attempt by an up and coming band experimenting in a "new" genre. It really isn't a terrible album if you cut it some slack for being the first entry in the "stroll" cannon. However, long time fans of Big D's distinct Third Wave sound will mourn this as the band's complete abandonment of their punk-ska roots.

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