Album Review: Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between

Streetlight Manifesto: Somewhere in the Between

[Victory 2007]

8.5/10

In 1007, original material had been a long four years in the making for Streetlight Manifesto, who have arisen to become one of the preeminent ska punk bands today. While the 90’s had the original Keasbey Nights, a landmark recording by Tomas Kalnoky’s old outfit Catch 22 in that decade’s third-wave ska boom, the 2000’s brings us Somewhere in the Between, Streetlight’s best work yet and a new pinnacle in this decade’s ska scene. This record is exciting, smart, aggressive, and fun. There are good things to be said about pretty much every aspect of this album and altogether, Somewhere in the Between is brilliant.

First and foremost, as is critical to the reputation of a ska band, is the instrumentation, especially in the horns department. Like in their 2003 debut Everything Goes Numb but perhaps even more so, Somewhere in the Between is sonically pristine and very polished. The great saxophone work, especially, contrast nicely with the hard and angry guitar, like on the album’s opener “We Will Fall Together.”

Elsewhere, Kalnoky brings the pace of action down to delicate melodies complemented beautifully with electric guitar plucking and occasionally soft backing vocals. Speaking of backing vocals, they play a huge role in this album, as they always have in Streetlight’s music, increasing the force and energy of each chorus, which has been one of the band’s best qualities.

While thematically darker than it’s predecessor, Somewhere in the Between continues in the style of Streetlight’s knack for peril-minded melodies in that the songs are often musically of an epic quality, which are supported completely by Kalnoky’s excellent lyrical work. The album does, however, have plenty of light moments, like on the extremely catchy “Down, Down, Down to Mephisto’s Café” and “The Blonde Lead the Blind,” which sounds the most like fellow kings of ska Reel Big Fish. The big divergence here, however, is that while RBF thrives on sarcasm and self-deprecating humor to launch into commentaries of adolescent life, Streetlight Manifesto seem to take themselves quite seriously, but with Kalnoky’s lyrics to support, the album feels smart and sophisticated while still being fun.

Despite the dark themes, the message delivered by the dynamic lyricist and leadman Tomas Kalnoky is thought provoking and inspiring. Kalnoky’s ear for catchy, satisfying rhymes extends to the larger scale of emotionally abrasive yet inquisitive narratives and snippets from life. Somewhere in the Between sounds like a commentary on mankind’s battles between good and evil and heaven and hell. We are, as the title suggests, in the middle of this eternal struggle. This idea also seems to be reflected in the album’s stylish cover art.

It is hard to find many flaws in this album, let alone any glaring ones. The final two tracks, while being strong and passable respectively, seem to step on each other’s toes in similarity. What is perhaps most disappointing however, is the length. Given the time Streetlight has had to record it, one would hope that for their sophomoric release they could muster up more than 10 songs over 44 minutes, which is about 10 minutes shorter than Everything Goes Numb. At least, however, they have put quality over quantity.

For Streetlight fans, they can rest assured that Somewhere in the Between does not break from the formula that produced their critically hailed debut from 2003, and it in fact exceeds that effort. New listeners to Streetlight Manifesto and even to ska itself will find much to enjoy hear as well, as the album’s plethora of catchy hooks and infectious energy make it the band’s most broadly appealing release yet.

Currents: Streetlight Manifesto, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Local Natives, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

"Currents": The latest albums I've been checking out.

Streetlight Manifesto: 99 Songs of the Revolution, Volume 1
[Victory* 2010]

The exuberance feels spur-of-the-moment, but each Streetlight release has spent a good while in the incubator under Tomas Kalnoky's TLC. He and the rest of the ska punk outfit, arguably the most exciting and unique on the scene today, love to tease fans with delayed releases and several years between LPs. So some skepticism could be in order as the band's efforts are now focused on a 99 song, 8 album project of cover songs. Yes, it could be a while until we get original tunes from Kalnoky's pen, but beggars can't be choosers. Besides, it's hard to dislike the project's first installment, as the band's signature frenzy makes for innovative and fun remakes. In particular, check out their chaotic take on Radiohead's "Just", a friendlier version of Bad Religion's "Skyscraper", and damn clever retooling of Postal Service hit "Such Great Heights".

* Apparently the band is at odds with their label, so if you want to pick this up, support them directly and order through their website.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Ashes Grammar
[Mis Ojos Discos 2009]

Ashes Grammar is a dreamy, shoegazing soundscape.  Cathedral-choir vocals and airy song structures surface in the swirling mix in what is really a mesmerizing listen. The foundation for the album's drama is a soft-edged wall of sound that defines "atmospheric".  Dulling some of the impact, however, is a sprawling hour-long run time with tracks that feel unneeded for the work to fully affect.  It's not quite ambient, as it doesn't entirely stay in the background, but it does float by like a pleasant dream: beautiful, although you can never quite remember it all.

Local Natives: Gorilla Manor
[Infectious, Frenchkiss 2009, 2010]

I'm hesitant to call Local Natives "straight-ahead" indie rock, but that's what comes to mind when I listen to Gorilla Manor. Verse-chorus-verse structures, smooth and clean vocals, and thoughtful rock melodies that sounds like a more easygoing Minus the Bear.  The songs are nice and they have a very likable aesthetic, but too many of the melodies lack real staying power.  The best here, however, namely the percussion-focused "Wide Eyes" and the delicate "Who Knows Who Cares", are great tunes to keep coming back for.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: The Brutalist Bricks
[Matador 2010]

Certainly an improvement over 2007's dry Living with the Living, The Brutalist Bricks offers some decent indie punk from a legend in the field. I'll always admire Ted Leo for, at least, an early body of work that's as exciting and catchy as any brand of rock. The songs here on his latest are relatively tight and aesthetically familiar, but there are no runaway hits, no outright sing-alongs. At the least, it's clear that Leo goes after the hooks that do arise on Bricks with full conviction, and he has regained some punk ferocity that had recently waned. So while the punches may not always hit the mark, at least they're being thrown.