Best of 2018 Albums and Ep/Lp Picks by CPRA’s Skabones
It’s been a crazy year here at CPRA. We’ve reviewed so much amazing music this year. We debuted our very first show, “Happy Skanksgiving” at Tennyson Tap. By the way our last show of the year, “Merry Punxmas” is on December 29, 2018. I know we all get a bit tired of these end of the year lists. As admins we all couldn’t possibly agree on overall favorites. So we are going to individually announce our own personal picks.
We reviewed almost 100 albums in 2018. So picking only a few was very tough on me. Happy Holiday and don’t let Krampus get ya! Be sure to pick up a CPRA shirt, patch, or sticker before Christmas! Email soon if you want one by Christmas!
Album features a cover by The Strike, and a feature by Paul Sorrels of the The Virus
Label:
Food Waste Records
Back From The Dead Records
Location: Toronto
Current Lineup: (Per Facebook)
Zack-Lead guitar/Vocals
Mac-Bass/back up vocals
Sal- Drums/Vocals
Favorite Tracks: Where Are You, Let’s Hit The Road, Never Say Die, and Hogtown Hooligans.
Sounds Like: Street Dogs, Almataha, US Bombs, Exploited, Subhumans, Zipperz, Potato Pirates, Bad Engrish, and Last Reel Hero.
Toronto-based punks, Dirty Work released their new album back on October 12, 2018. CPRA has been slammed with album requests. If you didn’t guess by now we love music! I go into every album review with an extremely open mind. This is because what’s considered “Punk” to someone may not be, “Punk” to another.
We also like to review other subgenres like ska and rockabilly so keeping an open mind is essential when it comes to music. So how is the Dirty Work new album, “In The West End”? In one word, excellent, na two words fucking excellent! I’ve probably listened to this about 20 times in the last 24 hours. This album combines some epic elements, classic punk like the Damned or Subhumans, OI like Cocksparrer and The Business, and old fashioned street punk like the Street Dogs or GBH. There’s also a sweet turbo smash here and there. I reached out to Sal (Drummer) for comment regarding the new album. “We started writing this album about a year and a half ago. We were hoping to have it out before our last U.S. tour, “Dart’n USA”, when we played at fywrok, but unfortunately the labels that were interested would have needed a year to put it out, so once we got back from that tour we started pressing it ourselves to have it ready for our last Canadian tour, “Hogtown to Halifax”.
We will be touring down to Florida, along the east coast, in April and hopefully back throughout the Midwest next July. Rather than that, a few more Canadian runs and hopeful plans to make it back out along the west coast up through to Denver at some point.
We absolutely love hitting the road and bringing our tunes to new places and new faces. We have started writing new stuff, but no plans as of yet for a new release. Right now we’re just focused on touring this album” Hopefully we get a Denver show sometime in the future!
Some of my personal favorite tracks are, ‘Let’s Hit The Road’, ‘Ready To Go’, ‘Never Say Die’, ‘In The West End’, and ‘Hogtown Hooligans’. My favorite by far is ‘Force To Fight’. The drums are wicked good, and the gutter style is just fucking epic.
I’ve laced my reviews with expletives so my job here is done. This album is guaranteed to blow your speakers out! Pick up this record, right now, https://dirtyworkofficial.bandcamp.com/.
Tracks: (Per Bandcamp)
1. Ready to Go
2. Attack, Attack
3. Force to Fight
4. Hogtown Hooligans
5. The Kids (Know What’s Going On)
6. Let’s Hit the Road (featuring Paul Sorrels)
7. Steel Toes
8. Never Say Die
9. Where Were You?
Format: Digital, physical copies released 9/14/2018
Label: DIY
Location: Pueblo, CO
Current Lineup: Per Facebook
Andy Jackson – vocals
Carlos Gomez – guitar
Shanon Sinclair – guitar
Geoff Andersen – bass
Shaun Herrera – drums
Dan Wiley – keys/trombone
Favorite Tracks: All I Want, Bitter Ending, Hero Can’t Dead, Guns Fever, All I Want, My Survival, and Cool Down.
Sounds Like: Bad Brains, Dendrites, Pietasters, Bad Manners, English Beat, Fishbone, NOISE, Street Dogs, Dark Buster, Jackie Mendez, Mad Caddies, Streetlight Manifesto, People Corrupting People, The Specials, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Steel Pulse and Judge Dread.
I was lucky to grow up during the golden age of MTV. Back when new videos came out every other week and British bands ruled the airwaves. Now sadly it’s a pile of rubbish. “I want my MTV”! As a child I fell in love with bands like Bad Manners, English Beat, Madness, and Steel Pulse. My love affair continues on to this day.
This was mainly influenced from a British sitcom called, “The Young Ones”. The show was hilarious and featured various bands within each episode. The show helped many UK based bands gain international attention like, The Damned, Motorhead, and Madness.
You didn’t come here to read my life story you came to check out the Last Reel Hero! Let’s do this. The band formed in 2017. I reached out to the band, because well this album is pretty badass. Per bassist, Geoff Anderson, “We’ve been together for a little over a year, but have all been involved in punk/oi/reggae/ska/skinhead/rudeboy music/culture for years on end.
The name Last Reel Hero is taken from a line in the movie “The Harder They Come” and refers to the hero of a spaghetti western (Django, in this case) not dying until the last reel of the film. Why we have a slight spaghetti western theme”. The band details their spaghetti western theme through their various show flyers and album art. Check some of them out below! I personally cannot wait to get my hands on some merch!
So let’s check out the album in pure CPRA fashion track by track style. The album kicks off with “The Show”. This one has a late mod sound to it with a bit of ska and punk. The bass and keyboard shine on this track. The vocals remind me of Prince Buster and even a little Jackie Wilson. This song calls all the rudies, punks and skins to drop their weapons and get to the party.
Next up is a Valentines cover “Guns Fever”. This is probably my favorite track on the record. It’s catchy and sure to be a favorite among the rudies and skins. It has a very traditional ska sound mixed Northern soul. Get your dancing shoes on! This one changes things up a bit to pay homage to their Pueblo roots.
“No Fool For You” follows with a classic ska riff in my favorite anti love song format. You can definitely hear guitarist Carlos Gomez (The Dead End) and Shannon Sinclair (Might Of Henry). “Bitter Ending”, is up next. This one is pure OI in your face. It sounds a bit like Bad Manners meets Cock Sparrer. It’s the perfect blue collar song for anyone who busts their ass for pennies everyday.
So far I’d say the Last Reel Hero is winning this gunfight with the author! Haha. ‘All I Want”, continues the OI. The kids will be running for the pit on this track. This one is my second favorite track on the album. It’s almost anthem like. So far Django (Last Reel Hero) has been up against the wall. He’s been faced with enemies, and lost love. How will this end for him?
“Cool Down” is up next on the track list. This one slows the record down in with beautiful reggae beats. Not many of us were there in England during the 1980’s skin riots. This song encapsulates that time period in my head. So if if any Nazi skins are reading this, you need to “Cool Down” ya and stop being a blockhead.
“Hero Can’t Dead”, ok so I lied this is my favorite on the album. This one will have the listener skanking at their desks, in schools, in pubs and at home. I love the lyrics! The vocals again come with a great Northern Soul mixed with reggae sound.
“Hero can’t dead,
Hear what I said,
They come at him in red,
But he riddle them with lead,
The bad men fled,
When he opened up his coffin bed”.
‘My Survival”, this one to me sounds like Fishbone. Even the vocals sound a bit like Angelo Moore. That makes this a great song. I fact I kinda want to light a joint right now. Ok I better not as my office tends to frown on mj use. Haha! I love the lyrics and everything about this song. This one is about helping society find a better resolution to help those suffering.
“High Noon”, speeds the record back up and injects that OI. The progressions on this one are fantastic. I can see this song ending up as a football anthem. Hello football fans? Not US football obviously. This one is very Cock Sparrer/The Business like.
“We’re Coming Back”, is a kick ass cover of the classic Cock Sparrer sound. This one closes out the record. It infuses some Bad Manners backbeats while the band throws in their style. So there you have it. Let’s break down the battle between the reviewer and Last Reel Hero.
Ska Bones – is awesome, yet super nerdy, 0 points awarded.
Last Reel Hero – Coolest band theme ever, makes great tunes, 10 points awarded.
There you have it folks. The Last Reel Hero wins this bout. In conclusion the album far exceeded any expectations I had. In the last 24 hours I’ve listened to this record 100 times or more.
Their hooks are catchy, deep and funky bass lines, Northern soul edge, and OI driven punk make this one album I will never forget.
