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Category: Album Review

  • Addictive Little Sounds by Voluntary Hazing

    Addictive Little Sounds by Voluntary Hazing

    Artist: Voluntary Hazing

    Album: Addictive Little Sounds

    Released: July 29, 2024; Self Release

    Voluntary Hazing from The Bay Area of California* is a 12 piece ska pop-punk band that I have been following for several years now. The wait for their debut album has been a long but exciting one. Each single released made me more and more stoked. I waited with bated breath for their first full album released and earlier this year they delivered big time.

    The album as a whole does a really good job showcasing the quirky humor and often eclectic sound of the band. If I had to pick one single song that embodies this, I would have to go with, “You Maybe Entitled to Compensation”. It has one of the most meta intros to a song I have ever heard. Seriously, it’s hard not to smile whenever it comes on. Then, the rest of the song is an instrumental piece that really lets you know that this band can rip on their tools of the trade. You name it, this song probably has it. Killer bass line? Check. Horns that somehow manage to sound swanky and imposing at different parts of the song? Check. An absolutely insane guitar bit that does things with a Wah-Wah pedal that seem inhuman to me? Check. Seriously, I’m in awe. Then to cap it all off you have a voice over outro that lamps shades the joke that is the band’s name in a cheeky way.

    “Phone Tag” is a horn driven anthem for those of us who have ever had to ghost that one person in our lives that just could not take the hint. It doesn’t have the angry break-up energy of a certain famous phone tag themed 90s ska hit, but instead, offers up vibes of exasperation and near exhaustion, which is just so relatable in this day and age.

    Then there is “Professional Offended” an in your face rock bop with jazzy elements that is a critique of social media and the grifters that frequently stir up controversy for fun and profit. I really like the message of the song and choosing to write lyrics from the POV of a grifter is a fun choice that allows them to showcase how little these types of people care about the things they claim. It’s a great song.

    Last, is my personal favorite song on the album,“Literal Rockstar”. This song comes packing the Doo-Wop sound and vibes so hard that when I first heard the intro, I said out loud while alone in my car- Oh shit someone is gonna die by the end of this song. The song is about lead singer’s Kayla’s mother who has passed and how she always loved and supported Kayla no matter what. It is a deeply personal and incredibly beautiful song full of love and appreciation. It makes me feel things, like about half way through, Kayla mentions finding a lost voicemail from her mom then at the end it samples what I assume is a piece of the voicemail. I get all weepy every single time and think- this has to be what it feels like to have amazing parents. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little jealous. The flute (or maybe its a clarinet) that plays through out the song really punctuates everything to solidify the beauty and sweetness of the song. A top notch addition even if it is an unexpected one.

    Good things come to those who wait. So, if like me, you’ve been waiting for a full release from Voluntary Hazing, you got everything you hoped for and more. If this is your introduction to Voluntary Hazing, you are in for a treat. You are getting an album that is a showcase of so much talent it’s absurd. It seems that when a literal platoon of band geeks get together, all they need is a little time to produce something truly magical.

    *Correction Issued: As originally published this article claimed that Voluntary Hazing was from Southern California. They are from San Jose. Which the author knew but for some reason thought that San Jose was in Southern California and not The Bay Area. Apologies to any trouble this may have caused anyone.

    This Review was original post on November 22, 2024 on the former LFDH substack.

    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 Addictive Little Sounds by Voluntary Hazing digitally via Amazon Music

  • Diminishing Returns by Runaway Ricochet

    Diminishing Returns by Runaway Ricochet

    Album: Diminishing Returns

    Artist: Runaway Ricochet

    Release: April 30, 2024; Ska Punk International

    I have no idea if this is actually true, but someone once told me that when recording an album, Coheed and Cambria maps each song out on a giant white board, painstakingly planning out each part of the song in intimate detail. With the release of “Diminishing Returns” by Minneapolis Ska Punk Band, Runaway Ricochet, you can not convince me that they didn’t also do this.

    Don’t believe me? Take “Anchor” for example, it starts out as a very ska punk styled song. By the end, you have gone through a wild ride that includes a horn part that is absolutely amazing and a part that I can only describe as a jazzy synth piano. This musical romp, coupled with the lyrics that speak to the dealing with the struggles of life and learning to make the best of it rather than trying to wait them out, set high expectations for the rest of the album. By far one of the strongest album openers, I have heard in a long time. The vocal performance in the songs: “Make it Out” and “Faint Love Song” are both exceptional. The delivery of the hooky bits of the choruses is where they really shine for me. They are gold tier ear worms. I kid you not, there was a point while I was writing this review that my wife threatened to move out if she heard me sing, “This baby bird hasn’t learned to fly” one more time. Frankly, I don’t blame her either it was stuck in my head bad, and I wasn’t doing those lyrics any justice at all as I am a terrible singer. “Chorale of the Grove” is an instrumental horn piece that was an unexpected, but very welcomed inclusion on the album. It’s smooth and upbeat with a little bit of vague nostalgia mixed in. Dare I say it is rather beautiful. My only criticism of it is that it is not long enough. Hopefully Runaway Ricochet will have more of this type of song in store for us in the future.

    This album has so much good stuff going on that even though I have almost exclusively been listening to it while writing this review, a countless number of times, I don’t really feel like a have completely “heard” everything the album has to offer. It is an incredibly detailed, intricately constructed work of art. I honestly struggle to come up with the words to describe it. I think the best I can do is this analogy: Prog Rock, Ska, Punk and Jazz started a polycule then they all decided to collectively raise Ska Punk’s child. That kid grew up to become Diminishing Returns by Runaway Ricochet.

    This review was originally posted on June 13, 2024 on the Lonely Ghost Records Community Blog.

    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 Diminishing Returns by Runaway Ricochet digitally via Amazon Music