The Porkers- Hot Dog Daiquiri

This is the second album from The Pork Hunts Porkers. Although it was released 12 years after they formed, in the meantime there were also many EPs.

The album kicks off with a baroque choir; what's going on?! I thought this was meant to be thrill-a-minute rock-ska. But then Enter Porkman properly starts the frenetic onslaught, exaggerated by the brilliant absurdity of the opening. With a sufficiently silly story, great horn lines and a huge chorus, it's wall to wall fun.

Designated Drinker continues the headbanging ska fun. Also, the serious reflection woven into this silly ode to binge drinking is a nice touch. Skankin' Carpark Blues is more of the same. Although it follows the same strict recipe, it still manages to be unique enough to keep things fun.

Harder Than It Looks adds some new elements to complement the old favourites (ie bouncy ska with headbanging choruses). The bittersweet story works really well, and find the pre-chorus breakdown is highly enjoyable and works a treat to mix things up. Asleep At The Wheel also uses a slightly sorrowful narrative to great effect, and its horn lines are fantastic.

The "plastic reggae" style of Perfect Teeth works well to inject some variety into the album. As a bonus, the song itself is totally infectious.

Often, The Porkers remind me of German third wave ska (eg The Busters, Bluekilla). The style is ridiculous and immature, but with a feeling of "zis, you see Fritz, is ze proper way to make fun"!! Chemical Imbalance's style is a great example, and an all-time favourite song of mine.

Granny is so stupid. So hilariously stupid!

Housewives Choice is another one out of the box. However, maintaining the whimsical fun for an extended period is a tough ask, so perhaps fatigue partly explains why I'm not really into Buyer-logical.

Thankfully, the heavy opening and chorus of Deep Breath shakes things up nicely. The huge chorus is a fantastic highlight, and contrasts nicely with the traditional ska verses. Similarly, Schooners Of The Black has a brilliant tongue-in-cheek headbanging chorus, although the ska sections are merely an adequate way of filling in the time between between choruses.

The best thing about Smoke On The Porker is the name. Comedic genius! As for the song itself, ummm I guess you had to be there to appreciate the in-joke...

Favourite songs

Enter Porkman, Designated Drinker, Harder Than It Looks, Asleep At The Wheel, Perfect Teeth, Chemical Imbalance, Housewives Choice, Deep Breath, Schooners Of The Black

Worthwhile?

100%! Wow, I forgot how good this is.