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.
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