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ALBUM REVIEW: SKA’S NOT DEAD…YET FROM THE DEADBEATS

The Deadbeats are on the scene and establishing themselves directly on your face. Their debut album Ska’s not Dead…Yet is a no holds barred ska and punk extravaganza (thats with extra, extra vaganza). Each song is a bold assertion of living life as you please and not letting anyone tell you otherwise…a true punk attitude. Take that attitude and lay it across gushing ska melodies and adventurous punk narratives and you have what embodies The Deadbeats.

The opening song Head held High is perhaps one of my favorites and moves to quickly substantiates that the Deadbeats are a force to be reckoned with. It croons the lyrics “…let me live my life and I’ll let you live yours….I’ll turn away with my head held high and I’ll be a deadbeat till the day I die.” Clearly the Deadbeats want everyone to know that they are here to stay and they don’t give a fuck what you think. Wannabe, the second track, shows the satirical side that comes complete with any true punk band talking about wanting to be none other than a “wannabe.” 

Track number five titled Something to Prove is a favorite as it stays true to what I consider the embodiment of the one value I want in a punk-ska band…that of hating the police and authority. It starts out with mention of some douche using and hiding behind a badge and it is clear by the title that they don’t think highly of the situation. “…he’s got a gun and he thinks he’s got authority, but he know its not enough, so he rallied up his crew…why you fucking boys in bluuuuueee.” The next track so cleverly and appropriately titled Bitch, creates a beat out of the word bitch and then quickly picks up the pace into a more hardcore song lyrically, but remains a fast paced, melodramatic ska song with one purpose…and that is to say “fuck you bitch.” I only wish I knew who it was directed at – so I could laugh like a super-villain.

When all is said and done, Ska’s Not Dead…Yet is a truly magnificent debut from a band that clearly appreciates their ancestors that laid the foundation of what it means to be a ska band and a punk band. The lyrics and vocals are raw impressions of living life with anarchistic views and the hooks and melodies are clever and fun. During their most rapid moments, the Deadbeats are aggressive and in league with the best. The few times they slow it down, in such songs as Tracy, the band is ruminative and introspective. One thing is for sure, the Deadbeats are a sensational merging of punk, ska and reggae stylings. 

It will be easy to find evidence of their greater influences like Sublime and Rancid and just as easy if not easier to find the unsurpassed and distinctive essence that manifests inside The Deadbeats. I don’t speak for the band but I believe they would close with this…Fuck authority and the boys in blue and if you don’t like The Deadbeats, then fuck you too. Rock on deadbeats; I’ll be a deadbeat till the day I do…too…beatlanta is on board. SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC AND SUPPORT THE DEADBEATS. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us in their follow up.

Read more about The Deadbeats on beatlanta.com here.

See pictures of the band on beatlanta.com

Watch more vidoes of The Deadbeats at beatlanta’s youtube channel.

BE A DEADBEAT TILL THE DAY YOU DIE