When an album is entitled ‘Rave To The Grave’ it gives you that horrible feeling that its going to turn out to be some horrendous ‘crunkcore’ mess that any neon-paint-covered-head-band-wearing idiot will lap up. Even worse it could be construed to being the soundtrack to some ‘Carnage-esque’ bar crawl. In truth though, the debut album from CHINA SHOP BULL is neither of these things, it’s ska. Of course nowadays ska isn’t just ska. It’s some weird melting pot of everything you can fit into a 7-piece band throwing in rap, d’n’b and – oddly – rock ‘n’ roll.
The initial pessimism met with the album title is not dispelled through the rest of the record. China Shop Bull get off to a bad start and never recover. ‘Brain In A Jar’ is essentially ska by numbers and then the truly shambolic ‘Sandblaster’ manages to not only drag incessantly but provides some of the worst lyrics heard in a long while. Is it time we can just stop writing songs about smoking weed? It’s not been relevant for about fifteen years. The theme that runs right through this record is that all the songs manage to drag on for at least two minutes too long summed up by the 24 – yes 24 – minute-long title track. Just at the point where you think the music is slightly pulling itself back, you’re met with yet more terrible rapping.
In all fairness if ‘Rave To The Grave’ had turned out to be some ‘crunkcore’ sham of an album it may have actually been more relevant than the frankly outdated ska effort this was.
TOM WALSH