Donde esta la Libertad?,
J*A*N Feat. U.D.S.S.RCall me cynical or pessimistic but, as of late, it very rare for me to get blown away by a band I’ve never heard of before. The interestingly named band, of whom I’m not familiar with, have created this 4-track E.P. and thus, have succeeded in creating a fantastic release which I really like. Honestly if only all ska-punk sounded this good.
Whilst it seems that ska bands are trying to hide the fact they’re a ska band by throwing in some other sub-genre hybrids to distinguish themselves, this isn’t apparent on this E.P. and it has paid off big time. It is basically ska, infused with some NOFX styled skate punk but sounds better and more complex than it reads. Firstly the production sounds fantastic, everything is really tight and the horn section sounds especially spot on. The excellent use of two guitars provides endless riffery going on under thoughtful yet powerful vocals.
While the first track is more skate punky, the second track ‘Soilent Green’ is a more chilled affair with an opening horn line coming in after a metallic intro that will instantly put a smile on the most emo of faces. It reminds me of the joyous glory days of REEL BIG FISH in that it is so damn happy sounding. But what is the most defining feature of this release is the diversity present; it can go from bouncy ska to melodic hardcore in seconds with THRICE-esque guitar runs popping up every now and then but what’s even better is that it works so well and sounds so natural. To throw you even more, the E.P. finishes with an acoustic number. Even this sounds really good, the way the lead guitar weaves in and out is not only very clever but stunningly effective.
It seems the main fault with this is that it is too short in that it’s only got four tracks, I’d love to see what these guys and gals can do across a full length; I will have to investigate them further. What is stopping it from scoring higher is that there just isn’t a song which completely bowls you over again and again. But while this release is consistently great, it does lack that ‘oh my God, wow’ element. Still, I can safely say this is the best band I’ve discovered in a long time.
Mike
