Wiseacre- Make Those Bodies Sing

Wiseacre were an Australian punk-ska band who formed in the late 1990s. This EP is (I think) their first recording, and was released in 1999.

Given my previous rant about Tragic Kingdom not being a ska album, perhaps describing this one as "punk-ska" is quite hypocritical! Sure, some of the songs don't have offbeat guitar. But the other 3rd wave ska characteristics (whimsical attitude, punk influence, switching between smooth and distortion guitar) are present. Well, that's my argument and I'm sticking to it!

This EP is completely tongue-in-cheek, with most songs being simple party punk/ska ditties with very silly lyrics- think Ramones meets ska. The "horn section" (just a single trumpet) is also the lead singer, so while I enjoy the horn lines, they also feel a bit like cameo appearances. In the end, the highlight for me is often the immature lyrics, with the rest of the band just providing supporting energy.

But the wonderful exception to this is the "Kung Fu Attack of the One Legged Moonwalkers" instrumental, which is my favourite song on the CD. It frenetically jumps all over the place; in a way that I'd probably describe as "disjointed" for any other band, but somehow it is part of the appeal in this case.

Recording quality? Ummm let's be polite and call it... ahem... "raw". As for the songwriting, it often feels like the musical ideas were just thrown together disjointedly into songs. They are very entertaining musical ideas, though. 

The hidden track punk cover of John Williamson's Rip Rip Woodchip puts a fun twist on a great "true blue" tale about environmentalism and throwaway consumerism.

Favourite songs

Let's Go Bowling, Hole in Her Pants, You're So Good Looking, Kung Fu Attack of the One Legged Moonwalkers, Bummin Around, Just the Lawnmower Man, Rip Rip Woodchip

Would I buy it again?

It's hard for me to not be sentimental about this album (it's one of the first Australian ska CDs I bought, but I do think this EP has enough whimsical fun to be worthwhile in its own merit.

No Doubt- Tragic Kingdom

Tragic Kingdom is No Doubt's massive breakthrough album. It was released in 1995, about 7 months after Beacon Street Collection.

<rant>I must disagree with Wikipedia's claim that the most prominent genre is ska. For me, it is a pop-punk album which happens to be tongue-in-cheek and have horns at times. Similar to The Police, there is a strong ska influence, but I wouldn't say many of the songs are actually ska.</rant> World Go 'Round is the only ska song on the album, which has very nice verses, but I find the chorus clunky and lets it down.

The album has wonderful variety, but No Doubt's staple (back then) of punk-lite with wonderfully chorused female vocals, funky bassline and smart use of horns/keyboard is a great starting point. Gwen's vocals are a highlight, with huge range being shown throughout the album. Possibly the jumps in vocal style within songs are comically overdone at times, but each style (from mourning ballad to power-rock to snarly rebellion) is very well delivered. I really like the strange metaphore lyrics, for example I have no idea what "You've been a juvenile, with a dolphin smile" actually means, but the imagery is great! And the unusual pronounciation means I often can't understand what the words are (for some strange reason I really like lyrics I don't properly understand!).

The hits of Just a Girl and Sixteen, have been relegated to the scrapyard of shooting star teen anthems, but I think there's more to these songs and they have lasting appeal. There are flashes of brilliance from all members of the band, it seems the players often resist the urge to show off their talent and instead sit back as a "team player" for the good of the song. To me, Sunday Morning is a great summary for what No Doubt were doing at the time. And Don't Speak is a very moving ballad.

As for the recording quality, some gripes are that guitar and snare can sound a bit "90s garage band". But the balance between instruments is very good, and the chorusing of the female vocals is absolutely incredible.

The cheesy lite-funk songs are a bit hit and miss. Different People has great instrumental work but I find the lyrics too banal. However, You Can Do It hits the spot for cheese-funk, complete with overdone plastic strings! There is also some brave experimentation on the album, such as the 6/8 time signature for The Climb and some random circus-inspired cameos in some songs. The song Tragic Kingdom brings this experimentation together brilliantly for an epic bonus track.

This album is probably too tongue-in-cheek for any "serious" critics to include in Best Ever album lists. But in my book, it's an absolute classic.

Favourite songs

Spiderwebs, Just a Girl, Happy Now, Hey You, Sixteen, Sunday Morning, Don't Speak, End on This, Tragic Kingdom

Would I buy it again?

Absolutely.

Various- Punk-O-Rama #5

From 1994 to 2005, Epitaph Records produced the Punk-O-Rama compilations. Volume 5 was produced in 2000, around the time that NOFX, Pennywise and Millencolin were enjoying some mainstream fame, as part of the whole skateboarding fad. I actually have no idea what caused me to purchase this CD! But let's dust it off and if there's any gold in there...

Due to the era of this CD, the most common style is skate-punk, but there's also a fair bit of cock-rock, the occasional old-school punk song (such as from "Poison" by Rancid), metal, hardcore and some other rock sub-genres.
Special mention goes to The Union- the pace and precision of "The Game" is incredible, especially the drumming. It's like they were only allocated two and a half minutes when they'd written a 5 minute long song, so they just played it at an insane tempo to squeeze it in!

Guttermouth, The Hives and Dwarves keep things immature; the latter with a cock-rock song dripping in innuendo and climaxing in a sex scene (actually, I'm not sure if it's tongue-in-cheek or not...)

The songs are taken from albums of wildly varying production values. Therefore the recording quality is a mixed bag, varying from rough (really, really rough!) to big and meaty.

For me, there's a bunch of songs in the middle section that aren't my cuppa tea. Having said that, I'm pleasantly surprised at the number of song on this album I enjoy.

Favourite songs

Pump Up the Valuum (NOFX), Problematic (All), No Cigar (Millencolin), Secure Horizons (Guttermouth), Better Be Women (Dwarves), Guilty by Association (Madball), Lookin' Out For #1 (Death By Stereo), 1.80 Down (Bombshell Rocks), Good Rats (Dropkick Murphys), Badge of Pride (Pennywise), Gone (Pulley), The Game (Union 13), Stranded in the Jungle (Voodoo Glow Skulls), Metric System in Time (The Hives), Automatic Teller (New Bomb Turks), Riot Riot Upstart (Agnostic Front)

Would I buy it again?

Hmm... really, it's just a "sampler" of the punk bands at the time. These days it is mostly redundant, since Amazon / iTunes / etc means that sampling almost any band on the planet is merely a click away. But that's an extensive list of "favourite songs" above, so I am glad to own it.

The Living End- The Living End

Riding on the back of the Prisoner of Society single, this was hugely successful debut for the Australian punkabilly band."Punkabilly"? Yes, this album has the honour of single-handedly inventing a genre, or at least bringing it to mainstream attention.

Prisoner of Society and Second Solution are angsty teen-punk anthems, but otherwise it's a friendly rock album rather than trying to burn down the establishment. In case you noticed that these two songs are not in the "Favourite" list below, it's just because I'm more familiar with- and prefer- the versions from the EP. These songs were originally recorded for another record label, and I find the album versions have an unpolished "live" sound, in particular the hollow bass guitar sound.

All Torn Down and Save the Day are brilliant oddballs for this album, and both successful singles. All Torn Down is the closest to a ballad for this album, with a unique jazz-rock style. On paper, the song could be described as ska, but like Boys Light Up by Australian Crawl, I think it is more a pub-rock song which happens to have a guitar playing on offbeats. And the drum fill before the final chorus is simple genius.  

Save the Day is a great tale about the unacknowledged sacrifices of those who fight to defend us. With heaps of changes in style and little left-field musical ideas thrown in, perhaps it was their warm up to the complexity of Roll On!

Speaking of storytelling, the lyrics are great at personalising the many topics covered. The subjects range from the Dunblain School Massacre (Monday- sadly a story as relevant today as ever), to generations continuing class divides (West End Riot), mental illness (Bloody Mary) and urban over-development (All Torn Down).

As for the recording quality, it is not a "big" record with Hollywood magic to give a stadium-rock impact. However, it is well layered, and the sound from each instrument is good enough. Some people might find the vocals on this album a bit "thin" sounding, though.

Trapped sees the band team up with their buddies from Area 7 for a punkabilly-ska hybrid. Unfortunately, it's a bit awkward in the quieter bits, but things come together better when the tempo and volume increases. Towards the end of the album, the songs stick more closely to the punkabilly style (arguably getting into a bit of a rut). But then the final track, Closing In, is an adventurous instrumental which jumps all over the place and even includes wacky time signatures. In isolation, the song is probably too disjointed to be a good listen, but I really enjoy the "jazz spirit" (a more refined version of "punk rebellion"??) of putting something this weird on a rock album!

The million dollar question is: "is this album dated now?" To me it still sounds unique, although the guitar sound would probably have a lot more "size" if it were recorded to day. But I've got too many fond memories of this album to be objective, so I'd be keen to hear what any of today's kids think of this CD.

As for my controversial (if anyone reads it?!) statement about Roll On being more of a classic album... well I really like both albums. I still think Roll On has more polish and wider-ranging appeal. But this debut album deserves much respect for coming out of nowhere and introducing a new style. Anyways, enough with the pissing contest- both are great!

Favourite songs

Growing Up, West End Riot, Bloody Mary, Monday, All Torn Down, Save the Day, Have They Forgotten, Fly Away, I Want A Day, Closing In
 

Would I buy it again?

Yes. What started for me as an angsty teen rebillion ditty has evolved into a rich variety of rock over the years, and going back to where it all started is as enjoyable as ever.