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Third wave ska? Seriously, there's a "third wave ska"?
I didn't even know there was a first or a second. I just thought
there was ska. But in my research on the band Reel Big Fish,
I found myself reading an article on Third Wave Ska. Ok, so third
wave ska is basically a music genre derived from the fusion of
Jamaican ska with various American and British styles of music,
like rock, punk, and jazz. It's usually used to refer to all ska
bands formed in the 1980s or later. Other bands in this "wave"
include The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sublime and
Less Than Jake. Now, the ska movement isn't quite as prominent
as it was about a decade ago, however the fans are still there.
And with RBF's latest album, they've managed to keep the genre
alive and kicking (literally).
Monkeys For Nothin' And The Chimps For Free is possibly
the best album title ever. A title like this could have only come
out of the heads of Aaron, Scott, Derek,
Dan, Ryland, and John. This newest masterpiece
follows nicely in line with the creative flow that the band has
developed. In the true form of an American ska band the album
includes songs that invoke many emotions; Like anger in "Another
F.U. Song", or philosophical in "Will The Revolution
Come?" and even happiness in "Everybody's Drunk."
This is one of those albums that doesn't really have a point.
And that's the beauty of it. It's music that you can dance to
and not have to worry about the "hidden meaning" or
what Aaron (vocals) was trying to say when he wrote "F you,
F me"? The strength of the album and the music lies in the
brass... the brass instruments to be exact. Trumpet, trombone
and saxophone make every song so powerful, you'd think they were
going to jump out of your stereo. This album isn't much different
than their previous works, but that is what makes it so great.
Reel Big Fish fans don't want the music to change; the less it
does, the more they'll buy. There is one random bit that's thrown
into the mix, the song "Another Day In Paradise." Which
if you haven't figured it out already, is a cover of a Phil
Collins song. But if the lighter, possibly poppy songs are
what you're looking for then turn to "The New Version Of
You" and "Call You" for that warm fuzzy feeling.
For old school RBF sound, i.e. the extremely crazy tempo and basic
lyrics, listen to "Another F.U. Song" or "My Imaginary
Friend," which is also good for moshing.
With this being the band's first album on their own [since leaving
their label], they were able to do things their own way... and
their way is taking the music back to the style from the beginning,
from their first albums. Therefore, if you're a fan of Turn
The Radio Off or simply looking for an excuse to kick your
feet out in front of you (a.k.a. ska), then this album is definitely
worth the money. Besides, the Monkeys are for Nothin'.
-Rachel Fredrickson
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