Walking home from the train station Friday night I was
listening to The Bennies Rainbows In Space album I was thinking about the last
time I got as excited about a ska punk album before this one. That would be
back in 2012 when Canadian band The Johnstones released their third album Suck.
Sure they’re have been some great ska punk albums released since then like The
JB Conspiracy’s The Storm and Less Than Jakes See The Light but none caught by
attention like The Johnstones Suck.
I feel I should talk about my history with The Johnstones
before I go any further. I first discovered them around 2008 after randomly
finding the video for Gone For A Long Time on YouTube. I instantly fell in love
with them; this was the fast, fun, danceable ska punk that I adored. I quickly
got their debut album Word Is Bond and listened to it constantly. I then did
the same with their newly released EP Sex and a year later when they released
their second full length Can’t be Trusted. For me everything they released was
golden. I loved this band so much I even named my work football team after a
lyric from one of their songs. This Ones For All The Ladies FC was never a
force to be reckoned with in the football world but we did have an amusing team
name. My love for The Johnstones became a slight obsession in 2010. That summer
I managed to break my leg playing football and was off work for ten weeks.
Around that time the band released their live DVD Get On Board, I must have
watched that DVD at least thirty times during the time I was off of work and
listened to one of their albums every single day. I just couldn’t get enough of
this band. After that release it was a quiet couple of years for The Johnstones
until they finally released Suck towards the end of 2012. Here is a review of
it.
When I first got the Suck I wondered which Johnstones I
would be listening to. Would it be a more Word Is Bond style Johnstones with its
fast, raw ska punk sound or would it be like the more poppy and catchy as
anything sounding Can’t Be Trusted? That question was answered very quickly.
Opening track Bad, Bad Dream showcases the sound of Suck brilliantly, combining
my favourite elements of both previous albums. The dual lead vocals of Ryan
Long and Jarek Hardy have always been a strong weapon in The Johnstones
arsenal. Long’s gravelly style works brilliantly with Hardy’s more clean cut
sound.
Track two, The Wanderer sees The Johnstones go to a more
punk rock sound that they haven’t previously done much on their previous word.
The dual vocals on this help keep the energy up and make it feel like a party.
They follow this up with the slower paced Jennifer’s Jacket. Long’s voice is
perfect as he croons the opening first before both he and Hardy rap a verse
each between another catchy chorus.
Following this is the poppy ska sounding The Ocean. This
song is hugely danceable, listening to it as I write I find myself wanting to
have a skank. This is the first song on suck to really show off The Johnstones
excellent horn section with Julian Warme on trombone and Rene Gillezeau on
trumpet. Both are both incredible at their instruments. Track six is called Mic
In Hand. This song is about shunning education in favour of joining a band and
saying the conventional education route isn’t for everyone. The theme of being
in a band continues in the next song – Million Dollars. In this Long and Hardy
sing about how they would rather have the experiences they made from being in a
band than being rich. The Johnstones have certainly had some experiences in
their career, including getting banned from Disney World and having the
Millwall firm after them. Million Dollars is another seriously catchy song.
Track number seven is a mid tempo pop song named SOS. This
song questions who will save them when they get older after all of their
notorious partying. The dual vocals keep the listener hooked as both singers
confess to some of their actions.
Up next Rene Gillezeau get’s to take centre stage on the
song Mr. Gillezeau’s Opus. The Johnstones resident MC “spits rhymes” on easier
the most aggressive song they have ever written. A fun fact about this song is
that when The Johnstones went to release Suck they were told they had to change
the some of the lyrics to this song as they were too offensive.
After this aggression The Johnstones return to the ska sound
on These Are The Times. Long, Hardy and Gillezeau all take turns on verses on
this song, Long and Hardy singing there’s whilst Gillezeau raps his. The rap
thrown in halfway through the songs really gives the song a burst of energy.
The song itself is about living life in the moment and trying to make as many memories
as you can. This is followed up by my favourite song on the album, Live
Forever. This fast packed ska punk anthem is about the band keep on going even
when it’s not successful anymore because it’s what they love. The vocals appear
to come from all angles on this song and again make it feel like a party. Warme’s
keys are also outstanding on this song.
The penultimate song Come Out Me Tonight (previously titled
Let’s Get Fucked Up Tonight) is rockier sounding song about going out and
getting very very drunk. Hardys vocals come into their own on this song as he
sings about his excitement for the night ahead. The final song on the album
always puts a big smile on my face. It’s a cover of the Kylie Minogue hit
Locomotion. Imagine you’re at a party, everyone has had an amazing time and the
night is winding down, everyone wants a sing along to end the night. The
Locomotion is the perfect song for that; it’s a fun song that everyone knows the
words to. This is why it’s a brilliant way for The Johnstones to finish Suck
with. The whole album is a party, and it’s great to finish it with a fun sing
along that get’s people smiling.
Suck really is a brilliant album. Like I said it combined
the raw, fast paced ska punk from Word Is Bond and the catch pop from Can’t Be
Trusted. After the first listen I pretty much knew the words for every chorus,
a testament of some great song writing. I really hope The Johnstones do Live
Forever.
Check out The Johnstones here: http://www.thejohnstonessuck.com/
Now listening to Tonight by The Johnstones
No comments:
Post a Comment