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Tag: Ska

  • 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.

  • Talk Is Killing Me by Half Past Two

    Talk Is Killing Me by Half Past Two

    Album: Talk Is Killing Me

    Artist: Half Past Two

    Release: April 19, 2024; Bad Time Records

                    When it comes to ska southern California was a powerhouse in the third wave, producing many iconic bands of the era. Hailing from Orange County and joining Bad Times Records for their recent release “Talk is Killing me”, Half Past Two proves that they are locked in and prepared to carry on the tradition into the New Tone Era. 

                    This album has a little something for every type of music lover. “In My Head” is a poppy rock jam. “I Don’t Dream Anymore” has a really amazing classic ska vibe that I dig. By far the most stand out song on the album for me is “Barrier For Entry”. It is everything that I would expect from a New Tone Band. It’s upbeat and catchy. The lyrics are politically meaningful in a very approachable way. The majority of the song sets up the premise that the world is constructed in a way that isn’t working for most people. It informs listeners that strength can be found within their communities. Then, with about a minute left in the song, the horns come in hard, and you just know they are building up to something important. That is when Tara Hahn drops the line “When something can’t be fixed, the question is: What do we build instead?” Let me tell you friends, that is the kind of call to action that a political song like this really needs. It leaves listeners feeling empowered and optimistic enough to make change. If it isn’t clear by now, this is my favorite song on the album. “Our Playlist” is another stand out song that really hits me in the feels. It’s an acoustic duet between Tara Hahn and Scott Klopfenstein. It has got a lot of sorrow and loss packed into Tara’s vocal performance. Scott’s feature here is also really good and if I am being honest, really makes me rethink my general dislike of Reel Big Fish. There is also an instrument that plays throughout the background of the song. A person that is musically smarter than me, with a better ear, has told me that it is probably slide guitar with a heavy delay and reverb, but it is hard to say for sure. Regardless of what it is, it is very cool, and the song would be lesser without it. I feel like the chances are high that most post pandemic albums will have at least one pandemic song. Is “Isolated Days” that song for this album? I can’t say for sure, but I’d put money on it if I was the betting type. It is a cool take on a pandemic song because its short and upbeat; basically, everything the pandemic wasn’t while it was happening. The song is also chaotic, a little frantic, and definitely shorter than you think it should have been. Which also happens to be everything that the pandemic feels like now in retrospect.

    The verdict is in. “Talk is Killing Me” definitely kills it in every way that matters.  The album offers songs that run the gamut of life’s ups and downs. It’s well composed and performed and everything I hope for in a Ska album. A fantastic addition to the New Tone song book.  

    This review was originally posted on April 26, 2024 on the former LFDH substack.