Having viewed the Skadaddles as one of the excesses of a new bandwagon, I had never given the band a chance, much less actually listened to them. As always, my cynicism and narrow-mindedness has proven to be nothing more than a hindrance to discovering quality music. With this latest release, the Skadaddles have taken me by surprise and proved that newer ska bands can have just as much originality, if not more than their predecessors. Whether they came first or not, the fact is they are good at what they do and bring a true freshness to an oft-stale seeming genre. If you've seen the ads for this release, you'll know that it has been pushed as "punk and emo." While this is still definitely ska in its essence, the punk and emo elements shine through to give this album a unique twist of its own. The upbeat happy pop melodies with strong power chord progressions and melodic harmonies are apparent from start to finish, giving the Skadaddles punk rock edge, not uncommon among bands of this genre. But, the real jawdropper is how they managed to incorporate the emo elements into their music. Soaring choruses, screaming octave chords, emo-esque breakdowns, and even Appleseed Cast-like pauses with ringing harmonics filling the void all have their place here, giving validity to their tongue in cheek advertisements. Don't get too excited, though, Mr. Emorocker; the only thing depressing about this CD is that I didn't give these guys a chance before. The downside to this album is it starts to sound a little repetitive toward the end, but it doesn't come anywhere near being able to overshadow the striking qualities the disc has already displayed. If the Supertones are starting to bore you, or perhaps if you've ever wondered what would happen if the Get Up Kids put out a ska album, you should probably grab this one up at the first chance you get.
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