Eleni (Our Station Manager) asked if I'd like to listen to this album to see if there was any of it that would be good for our station. I had never heard of Streetlight Manifesto. She told me it was ska, and that their previous albums had been good. I haven't heard good ska in awhile, so I thought I would give it a try.

This is one fun CD, I have to say.

The opening track, We Will Fall Togehter, had me hooked the second I heard it.  The horns have this calypso-like fanfare that sounded super familiar, as if I had heard the song before, but very alien at the same time.   The Vocals have an old-punk gritty scream to them, but don't go over the top like so many bands do nowadays.

Really, what sold me on Somewhere in the Between was the third and fifth songs, Would You Be Impressed? and Watch it Crash, respectively.  Catchy lyrics, amazing drumming and rhythm, and those horns again.  What Streetlight Manifesto really impresses me with is their horn section.  I'm a mild ska fan, and have a couple CDs by Reel Big Fish and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but their horns don't quite have this type of grab to them.  It's almost as if the reggae roots of ska have mixed with some new Latin American influences, and it really adds something new.  It has a dance feel to it, jazzy and march-like at the same time.

I'm going to check out some more Streetlight Manifesto when I have the time.

My Apologies if this seems watered down compared to my review of Venus Doom.  I'm not familiar with this band, so it is hard to review how they have developed or compare with other albums.  Also, remember, I'm a mild ska fan, so I'd feel out of place going extensively into this.  Oh, and I have to type a lot these days.  Enough excuses.


Oh, by the way, Sunnyside won't be airing this Saturday (the 17th) due to the fact 88.7 is airing a (basketball?) game.  I might not air on Thanksgiving weekend either, we'll see.  I should have time, but I have a lot of Essays to be writing, and Schoolwork comes first.  If all goes well, I should still have time do one.  We'll see.  I just thought I would mention it if any of my listeners just happen to check this blog ever.