It’s fairly common knowledge that after the late-nineties boom, ska punk has undergone a drastic downturn in fortunes. It is now considered the bitch of punk rock, written off as kiddies music designed for pre-teens desperate for an image and a lifestyle accessory. After the 90s, ska kids swapped their skinny ties for flesh tunnels and black hair dye to jump on the latest bandwagon and bands discovered that whacking out some substandard pop punk with a few horns laid over the top was no longer a fast route to success. Now promoters across the country turn their noses up at ska bands while filling their bills with FFAF clone after FFAF clone meaning that most ska punk bands that were prevalent a couple of years ago have slowly faded into the background.
But now look at where we are: Less Than Jake are reaching more people than ever before on a major and bands like No Comply, Sonic Boom Six, Adequate 7 and Howard’s Alias are redefining the very definitions of ska. And now the UK’s brightest hopes over the last year or so have emerged from a marathon recording session with their first album for MoonSka Europe which goes by the name of Island Fire and I can tell you straight off that it’s excellent.
As much as I loved Solabeat’s old material it sometimes gave the impression of being ska punk with horns overlaid – the most striking feature of Island Fire is that almost every song sounds organic, a product of a well-functioning group of individuals. Where they struggled in the past with slower, more reggae-influenced tracks SA now demonstrate an impressive level of competency. ‘Dusk Till Dawn’, first unveiled on the Over The Moon tour last year is all languid Jamaican rhythms anchored by Paul’s understated guitar and Dan’s funky bassline while the horn section serves to augment the melodic motifs, picking out Tim’s vocal harmonies with ease. ‘People Of The World’ takes a more rootsy approach as Phil Johnstone’s exemplary production reaches the exact balance between the epic choruses and more intimate verses. What’s important is that where before it slightly felt as if Solabeat were doing a slower song because they felt it was a bit more ska, now it genuinely feels like an integral part of their sound. ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ is as much of a quintessentially SA-sounding song as is ‘Tongue Tied’, and that’s a hella big compliment.
‘Blindside’ strikes an interesting balance between more traditional ska and the third wave of ska punk even though it’s not the most immediately striking of songs. I know not many ska punk songs are anything even remotely resembling “complex†or “complicated†but it takes a few listens before the infectious hooks and melodies take up residence inside your skull. The euphoric ‘Another Day’ follows the same route, as Jeremy, Rick and John’s brass lines aren’t simply bolted on but rather they sit flush with the guitar lines in that fantastically summery way that is the trademark of all good ska bands. Island Fire is dripping with positive energy, from the live favourite ‘Set It Off’ from the Rise On Up EP released last year to the exuberant ‘Heroes’, which perhaps strays too close to predictability.
There’s still the faster tracks on here that have already been assimilated into the live show, like ‘All Or Nothing’ which has the best middle eight I’ve heard in ages. Maybe it is a touch indulgent with the vocal layers and reverb-drenched horns but the fact remains that there are very few other bands around right now who play ska punk this competently or this enthusiastically. With guitar work that innovates and impresses with metal licks flicking over dub-style bass and the brass section supplementing the most crucial moments (like on ‘All Or Nothing’, triumphantly soaring in the mix), the end result is vastly impressive.
It’s not the most immediate of ska punk albums, but it is the most assured and confident record that the band have released. The fact that it requires a few listens is testament to the fact that Solabeat Alliance are not taking the easy road of cut and paste ska punk anthems and are instead focussing on creating and nurturing their sound. On Island Fire it would seem that they’re within touching distance of it, and have succeeded in making that rarest of things, an ornate ska punk album that is as bold as it is catchy. Fanfuckingtastic.
Ben
www.moonskaeurope.com
www.solabeat.com