SKANKt - Thieves Operate in This
Area
Here
it is then – incontestable proof that you can indeed sound almost
exactly like The Specials, a quarter of a century on, and largely
get away with it. To be fair, I should really preface this review by
saying that while I am more than partial to the odd bit of ska –
particularly at about midnight on a lager soaked Propaganda Thursday
– I generally find a whole album of oompah-oompah reggae riffs a
little unsatisfying. Fine for background sounds on a hot day, yes,
but incapable of wholly capturing and inspiring the imagination.
Those who truly love ska should find SKANKt (nailing their colours
to the mast there a bit) to be flawless practitioners of the art.
The opening title track’s subtle,
lilting synth fuzz defines a strident statement of the band’s sound
and gives a fair idea of what’s to come. Disclaimer is oddly
reminiscent of The Offspring in its hard-edged bookend riff, while
the chorus’s vocal interplay and flashes of guitar histrionics in
the coda provide other memorable moments. Star-Shaped is another
highlight, with shiny, radio-friendly brass licks and bouncy
melodies underpinned by a bold bass rumble echoing The Police.
Throughout, the band’s defining
lyrical focus is one of anger – railing at the “ring road massive”
boy racers of The Cruise, the girlfriend messing their mate
around in Something Like Fatal Attraction, and the
all-pervading consumer and celebrity cultures, coupled with the
malevolent force of tabloid media, which contaminate No
Consideration. This last track closes the album in fabulous
style, with a calm Santana-esque midsection of cascading guitar
building into a towering outro sequence; waves of thumping bass
drum, tribal toms, and fluttering trumpet roaring home. It’s the
most interesting and least generic part of the record, and suggests
that while SKANKt are more than adept at writing half-decent ska-by-numbers,
they are much better when infusing this template with different
styles.
RICH PARTINGTON
http://www.myspace.com/richthejournalist
