MoonSka Europe have seen fit to release this collection of Toasters rarities over here – perhaps to show Hypo ‘fucking’ Psycho how to do it? – after finding loads of old B-Sides and other versions of Toasters songs originally destined for an EP. They found so many that they decided to make the ten tracks into this album right here, bursting with classic Third Wave ska crazyness (anyone who wants to challenge this, or any definition of ska should consult www.genrescansuckmycockandsocanyouifyoucarethatmuchyouposer.com).
Faster, more upbeat tracks like ‘I’m Running Right Through The World’ and ‘Davina (What You Doin’ To Me?)’ are perfect examples of what ska used to sound like (and that’s not meant to denigrate today’s ska scene or yesterday’s – it’s just a fact!), all summery horn lines subtitling the catchy vocal lines and off-beat guitar upstrokes. I know how much some people positively detest this kind of music and fair enough, it’s not everyone’s favourite but if you even slightly like ska you’ll probably be beaming from ear to ear during Rare As Toast.
The live version of ‘East Side Beat’ is fantastically energetic and I defy anyone not to at least nod their head a bit when listening to it, and the Latin groove of ‘Don’t Blame Me’ shows a diverse side of the band that provides at least light respite from the constant ska sound on offer here. On these tracks they’re on top form, and don’t display any of the repetitiveness that sometimes dogs this kind of ska, but when they slow things down problems arise.
It’s the more relaxing, reggae-inflected stuff that handicaps The Toasters. ‘One Track Mind’ and ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’ drag and run on a bit too long and there’s virtually the same guitar sound throughout the entire album. The momentum of faster tracks like ‘Social Security’ is engulfed by the sense that a lot of Rare As Toast could be considered to be background music, albeit very good background music.
I suppose, just as with the recent new album from The Selecter, you know already whether or not you’re going to enjoy this offering. It doesn’t do anything particularly new but that’s one of the selling points – you don’t listen to The Toasters for gigantic steps forward in terms of genre, you listen to them for a chilled out ska album that’s got a few fast ones and a few slow ones. It’s just a shame that it’s during the slow ones that you’ll probably nip down the 24 hour garage from some munchies because they’re not bad tracks at all, just that they don’t hold the attention that successfully.
Ben