Author: David Robison

Album: The Bruce Lee band 

Artist: The Bruce Lee band 

Released: 1996; Asian Man Records 

There has been a lack of new releases coming across my metaphorical desk this week; so, while we wait for a few new records to drop later this month, I thought I would share with y’all a record from my youth that I think is pretty good. Back in the early 00s, the internet was still relatively new and music discovery was still done the old fashion way by knowing a guy that knows a guy. In the case of this particular album, my love of it began by liking the band Less Than Jake because they played them on the radio in the college town I used to live in before moving to rural Ohio and then finding out that they stood in as the studio band that helped record this album. That was my whole motivation for mail ordering (that is the way you got music back in the day when you lived in the middle of nowhere) this cd. What I got was something that was truly amazing. 

I guess that we will start with my favorite song on the album. It is called “Don’t Sit Next To Me Just Because I’m Asian”. It is a very tongue in cheek song that tells a story of the time a student attempted to copy off of Mike Park’s graduation test and him, knowing what the person was up to, answered all the questions wrong and waited for him to leave, then changed the answers, causing the other student to fail that test. The song also talks about how it is upsetting to Mike that he feels that people only act like they care about him because they think he is smart solely because he is Asian and how he feels they don’t actually care about who he is as an individual. The song is great because of the aspects of outsmarting the ‘villain’ in the story but more importantly, it is a very earnest portrayal of how racial stereotypes can be harmful even when they are generally perceived as positive. As you can imagine, living in rural Ohio where the population is easily 90% white, no one was really talking about racism, especially not in a way that resonated with me the way this song always had. I could easily credit this song for starting setting me on the political path I walk today.  

“Proud” is another noteworthy song for me. It is pure 90’s ska punk distilled into what I consider a classic DIY anthem. The horns just go absolutely hard and the ska guitar is fast and infectious. The song is about being proud of the work and effort put into creating music and about not caring about fame or fortune. When I think of 3rd wave DIY ska, this is one of the songs that plays in my head. 

Another song that I think captures more of the tongue and cheek nature of the album is “Going Insane”. It’s a real bop that features extremely surreal lyrics. It’s just fun and endlessly re-listenable. 

Lastly, I want to talk about some of the quirky parts of the album that I absolutely love. Four songs on the album either make reference to classic TV shows, or are just the actual theme song of a show. It’s more accurate to say they were classics when the album was originally released by Gen Z standards; they would be considered ancient television. I just thought this was cool when I was a nerdy kid, and frankly still do. Next, 2 songs are sung in Korean. This was my first introduction to the Korean language and was just a really cool thing for me growing up. While it didn’t inspire me to learn the language, I think that exposure to different things like language and culture makes people more tolerant of others. Lastly, the song “Gerry Is Strong” is just an absolutely fun sing along song that is about Mike and his friend dealing with fender bender misadventure. Seriously, I would sing this to my wife back when we were in High School just to get a rise out of her.   

This album played a part in shaping the way I perceive the world and who I am. It means a lot to me. So much so that I have chosen to write about it almost 30 years after its release. I think you should check it out if you have never listened to it. If you have, I think now is a great time to give it another spin. This album is pure nostalgia for me and I hope you all enjoy it as well. 

If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase The Bruce Lee Band by The Bruce Lee Band digitally via Amazon Music

Album: Death of the Party 

Artist: Space Monkey Mafia 

Released: August 14, 2025; Jump Up Records 

Space Monkey Mafia hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. While, they have been putting out music since 2018; they first jumped onto my radar with the release of “Salvage” back in July. It was high energy, with a message of solidarity and compassion that instantly sold me on the band. It didn’t take long, but ever since, I have been sitting here patiently waiting for this their newest album to drop. 

I think the best place to begin and really give you an idea about what type of album “Death of the Party” is, is to start with the title track. When I first heard the name and saw the album art, I expected this to be a song about being a drag at a party. Death of the party being the exact opposite of life of the party….. in theory. Oh my, was I mistaken. This song opens up like vaudeville musical. It’s fantastically cinematic, steeped in dark humor, and catchy as all get out. The opening notes of Dente Leyva’s vocals are outrageously good in a way that steals my breath a little. I’m not going to do a break down of this song here because, if you haven’t heard it yet, I do not want to rob you of the oh shit moment that I had when I figured out what its actually about. 

Next, I was really not expecting a song where the Property Brothers are the ‘face’ villains. With “Malas Raíces”, that is what you get. It’s about how liberal types acknowledge and pay respect to autarchies of the past while perpetuating modern versions of the same problems. The opening guitar is smooth, as are the horns. As the song plays out, its an indictment of the system. This eventually culminates in a verse where the energy turns angry and the lyrics become defiant. This part is in Spanish and I think that if you don’t speak the language, you should translate it, as it is the emotional anchor of the song. While the song isn’t specifically about the Property Brothers per-say, those two have never set right with me. Listening to them get roasted as proxies for the rich: exploiting, for profit, everyone’s need to have access to the land and homes, warms my heart a little.

Now is the part of the review where I gotta tell y’all about the song I like most on the album. And let me tell you this folks, this is going to be a hard task. Every song on this album is a banger. I was going to take the cop out route and not pick one, but I did that last week with the JER album, and I don’t want to start making that a habit. At first I was going to go with “Cult of Idiocracy” because I love its political commentary and frankly it’s a bop. Ultimately, I’m going to have to go with “Linear Time”. On a surface level you could call it a fun song. It’s got an upbeat tempo, horns that hit for days, and a chorus that just goes hard. However, on closer reflection you quickly discover that it really deals with the loss of a loved one and the feeling that your stuck here as time grinds forward pulling you further away from the one you lost. The thing that I think is really beautiful is the idea that the people you lose aren’t really gone; instead they found the freedom to travel through space time and in a way we’re the ones trapped here. There is a lot of symbolism packed in this song and it manages to be sad, sweet, and optimistic all at the same time. Actually at this point, I am glad I forced myself to pick a favorite cause this legitimately is it and if I hadn’t took a closer look in my mind, this might have remained the ‘fun’ song at the end of the record. That would have been a real shame. 

“Death of the Party” is everything I want in a modern ska album. It critiques power. It has got a positive outlook on life, calls to action and it is absolutely stuffed full of raging horn lines. My only real regret about this, the 4th [album released by Space Monkey Mafia, is that I wasn’t aware of them 3 albums ago. Luckily, I’ve got plenty of time to catch up. If you aren’t already down with Space Monkey Mafia, I think you should join this party now, so you don’t end up regretting it like me.   

If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase Death of the Party by Space Monkey Mafia digitally via Amazon Music