“In summer 2007, UK underground punk favorites THE FILAMENTS reformed to record an album expressing their love of 2-tone era ska and heavy dub reggae. Joined by dancehall sensation MAJAH TUNDER and one-luv gangsta folk pioneer BABAR LUCK, the result was an exciting clash of sounds filling the gap between the Specials and Rancid, Symarip and The Clash. That sound is the BABYLON WHACKERS. With its positive message of love, hope and unification, debut album ‘Happy Days With….’ maintains an energetic old-school sound that has had people talking all across Europe. Effortlessly blending, ska, soul, funk, reggae, dub and more – and featuring guest appearances from members of THE KING BLUES and SUICIDE BID, these heavy heavy sounds have been set for release in early 2008.”
Yes, I know I’m lazy but sometimes press and PR people actually do their jobs properly and describe a band and their history perfectly. Sometimes, I think, a copy and paste is justified. Anyway, this record is out on SB6’s Rebel Alliance label and I am sure if you are a fan of any of the bands mentioned then you will equally love this album. Me, well I’m a bit indifferent to it. I’ll be honest and state that it’s not really my thing and over the course of the whole record I got a little bit fed up – it’s not that this record is bad, because it’s not, I just got a bit bored of it. It’s simply not my thing.
There’s a funk and dub aspect to this record as well as the obvious ska links. It reminded me of a much more laid back and funky Rx Bandits actually. ‘Farewell‘, Rudeboy’ and the very catchy ‘No Compromise‘ are good tracks, but I found a fair bit of this album managed to blend in with the previous track. If you’re a fan of any of the aforementioned bands I would imagine this would be a fantastic purchase, but I found it a little hard work.