This is more like it, fun, bouncy, ska-punk. And above all, it's British. It's more than likely that you will have bumped into this lot on one of their many tours in the last year or two. They're gigging whores y'see. But it's brought them into the limelight with some cracking songs. Unfortunately, they've not managed to make a cracking album. It's good though, and shows plenty of promise.
What goes in spunge's favour, is that they sound nothing like the myriad of ska-punk bands that seem to be flooding the scene from America. They have their own happy and bouncy style, and this certainly makes them sound fresh. 'Lyrical Content' kicks things off as they mean to go on, and 'Idols' is classic spunge. Almost anthemic, and definetly something that you skank like a deranged rabbit to.
'Kicking Pigeons' is even better, and is perhaps the bands most well-known effort so far. Imagine a less polished Less Than Jake with a cheeky young British scamp as a singer. Then you won't be that far wide of the mark.
Unfortunately, the album never quite reaches these high points again, which is a big disappointment. Instead, each song just moulds into the others that are on offer here, and whilst none of them are exceptionally bad, it just loses its shine, and just disintegrates into a poor album.
'Roving Eye' loses the ska for a more beefed up sound, 'Angel With A Pint Glass' is more reggae influenced, before the ska tinge returns with 'Make Me Happy.' 'Ode To Slimy Bassless' is again pure ska-punk, but isn't particularly memorable, but 'Have Another Go' most certainly is, sounding a lot like the now defunct Symposium.
'Whitehouse' is ok too, but again it isn't anything special. Ditto 'Kiss My Face' and the poor 'Sleazoid.' On the other hand, 'Freak' is better, without being that good. And album finale 'Whinger' reminds me of old-skool 80's ska, sort of like Madness crossed with the Specials, but given a 90's twist.
spunge aren't far off being Britain's biggest hope in cracking the US ska scene. There are some cracking tunes here, and with a little bit more effort, and a dose of good luck, they will come back with another album even better than this. The ingriedients are here, they just don't quite seem to mesh that well just yet.
Paul Savage
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