Suburban Legends Rump Shaker (2003) Suburban Legends

Some people say that ska is dead. Some say it is dormant. I simply say it's not "the thing to be anymore." Gone are the days when you heard No Doubt, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mustard Plug, etc. on the radio. They've either dropped the two-tone and kept the horns (Less Than Jake, Cheer Up! from Reel Big Fish, the Aquabats, Five Iron Frenzy) or they've kept to it and not gotten the fame some of them deserved (RX Bandits, Mustard Plug, MU330, Mad Caddies). But is that so bad? Ska is back into the underground and it's doing fine. Lots of new bands are taking the black and white checkered banner again, and one of them is the Suburban Legends.

When I first heard the Suburban Legends, I thought it was Reel Big Fish. And that's logical. They're kind of a good mix of pre-Cheer Up! RBF and the album after it. And it sounds great! Maybe too poppy for some of the traditionalists, but the melodies do sure get stuck into the back of your mind for the remainder of your skanking minds.

Now to the CD. From the first seconds of the first single "High Fives," your feet start to move or your head starts bopping. This is poppy, but the ska rhythm still's there and makes it a great CD starter. The double lyrics are great too, and make it all the more admirable. Other standout tracks include "All The Nights" (you just can't stop your hands coming together and clapping along with the song), "Autumn In The Park" (with some great horn work), "Last Dance" (slow start and then goes on faster and faster), "Up All Night" (simply awesome with a great brass sound and a brilliant sing-along chorus) and the best of them all (in my humble opinion): "Bright Spring Morning," with an awsome play between the double guitars and the two-tone.

All the songs rock and this CD is simply put, really good. If you like ska, this is a must-have. If you don't, this could maybe get you interested into the genre. Just try it!

(pasha)