REVIEWS:
A popular Boston ska-core band, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones combine ska, punk, metal and reggae to form their sound, which is only made better by frontman Dicky Barrett's clever lyrics and fun, addictive melodies, and Nate Albert's underrated guitar work. But there's a catch to all this - while on the outside the Bosstones' material appears highly exciting, after a while, more so than most bands, it gets tiring quickly, signifying there's little on the inside. Reviewed here are Don't Know How To Party and Let's Face It.
--Nick Karn
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
An often explosive combination of their styles, Don't Know How To Party proved to be a minor breakthrough for the band with the addictive sing-along hit "Someday I Suppose", which makes the lyrical wit in abudance throughout the record very apparent. "Holy Smoke", for example, offers a clever vision of Hell, and, like many of the songs, goes through considerable time changes during its' unpredictable, short length. "Last Dead Mouse", meanwhile, stays cool in its' horn-drenched sound but is no less fun, as its' lyrics deal with smart-ass business tactics. The title track applies this style to a personal level, while "Almost Anything Goes" manages to make the listener really feel the party-like atmosphere of the city.
The overall sound here attempts to find an ambitious middle ground between ska, punk and metal (the arrangements are often even a bit progressive), and it generally succeeds (the entertaining hardcore punk-reggae hybrid "Issachar", the catchy "Illegal Left") more than it fails (the unfocused, melodyless "A Man Without", and "Seven Forty Seven/Shoe Glue"), but overall it's a somewhat patchy, but highly memorable album.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Putting considerably less emphasis on heavy metal and punk and more on ska (the horns are considerably more upfront this time), the Mighty Mighty Bosstones turn in a collection of fast-paced and exciting songs on Let's Face It. The album generally finds the Bosstones celebrating in their usual entertaining style, with the fast paced "Noise Brigade" leading things off, and a similarly aggressive closer "1-2-8" ending the album. In between are some highly infectious numbers that keep the listener addicted for a bit - the smash hit "The Impression That I Get" in particular, plus the jumpy, danceable "That Bug Bit Me" and the gangster ode "The Rascal King".
The band also journeys into darker territory on occasion, particularly in the second half with the emotional song about a convicted criminal, "Numbered Days", an amazingly energetic, catchy, and dramatic introspective "Another Drinkin' Song" and the moody "Break So Easily". The politically hopeful title track and the punkish "Desensitized" are also noteworthy on this entertaining, but way too short (although making good use of its' time), release that unfortunately holds up rather poorly to repeated listening.
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