Pick It Up! I Dropped My Ska on The Floor

Ska, ska-punk and all the variations has never remotely been considered a legitimate musical genre. Even at the peak of it's short reemergence in popularity during the Third Wave of the late nineties it was still the laughing stock of the music industry, a type of music so obnoxious and goofy that it's only redeemable quality was the sheer stupidity and lightheartedness. Ska had become a victim of tedium, every band began to have the same ironic party influenced song titles and cheery sing-a-long chorus, there was not much variety apparent. It wasn'y any surprise that the Third Wave was all too brief and that once the music listening public lost interest in clanky guitars and obnoxious horn shots the genre was cast aside and forced into the darkness of the underground. Just like a child being forced to sit in the corner during playtime while all their other friends play, there was no hope, the public had made up their mind, ska had no place in the mainstream.

The post millennium years have been hard on what was left ska music. For a genre that wasn't well respected to begin with, it had now been demoted to a punchline, a reminder of the cluelessness of the general public in regards to musical tastes. Forerunners of the genre as well as the countless clones had reached the cross roads and were forced to either go the way of No Doubt and Smash Mouth and completely abandon the the remnants of ska from their sound and settle for mainstream pop or go the way of Save Ferris and The Mighty Might Bosstones and give it up all together. Others chose the more controversial route of artists such as Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake and continued to strive on, playing a bastardized version of the genre, tainted with over-the-top pop production and cheesy hooks. The only ska moments that that appeared were for mere novelty value, in attempt to relive the glory days of their past. In the public eye, the once dancey and fun loving music had become a gimmick; a once prominent music that was now cursed to the underground. However, it was in the deep, dark world of underground punk that the sound was able to grow and evole as new bands began to emerge that added a much needed creative spark to the once tired and redundant genre.

It is a universally acknowledged fact amongst us self indulgent music nerds that the music of the underground is far more unique, creative and artistically relevant than anything found in the mainstream. Ska had found the perfect context to grow in once it was cast aside. With a small but dedicated niche audience ska had actually developed a devoted underground following. More recent artists playing ska music have drawn inspiration from a variety of genres. Speedy hardcore punk, and slurred raspy vocals infused with bouncy minor-key upstroke have characterized talented new comers the Flatliners. The Toronto group made quite an impact on the emerging Toronto punk scene in 2005 with the indie release of Destroy the Crate which gained the group universal exclaim outside of the small rude boy circles, they were far more than a generic ska band. The hype continued and in 2007 the band signed to American label Fat Wreck Chords, who subsequently released The Great Awake too commercial success in Canada with lead single, "Eulogy" gaining air time on radio stations throughout the GTA. At their core The Flatliners have always been a punk band but they infused ska elements so effortless that the combination of the two sounded one in the same. They were defiantly lifting the tired ska sound away from the laughable checkerboard shoes, skinny tie, goofy, cheesy stereotype and were adding much needed legitimacy to the sound. Contemporaries, Big D and The Kids Table have also gained noticeable acclaim while approaching the genre with different intentions. Boston's Big D and The Kids Table have been playing since the end of the Third Wave and have released several albums containing a highly irregular blend of ska and hardcore that was fast, abrasive and danceable in a interesting way. The early albums only showed hints of greatness, but it was when the band looked back and drew on two-tone influences they truly shined. Album tracks drew heavily on the older ska sound,they were the instant album highlights. Their songs were quirky and fun without being corny. The band finally mastered this poppy, highly danceable sound on 2007's Strictly Rude. There was no denying Big D as leader among a long line of bland ska bands with the sound of Strictly Rude. All of the songs were remarkably well written, full band arrangements that did not over play any of the cliches found in ska music. Instead they combined all the redeemable qualities of ska with their own personal edge to make a ska album that sounded so very familiar and yet, sounded so refreshing compared the many others. A new sound may just be among us.

Ska has been gaining noticeable attention outside of its distinguished fan base in recent times but a "Fourth Wave" ska revival is far from dawning. Ska has found a place where it belongs, held safely within loveing, unbiased world the punk underground. A place where creativity can prevail and bands can flirt with all the quirks of ska music without trying meet any mainstream listener standards. If ska continues to stay the way it is and bands like The Flatliners and Big D and The Kids Table continue to add a fresh new approach to the genre, we the listeners will actually start to significantly care more.


Good Upstroke Infused, Recent Ska-Punk Related Records That You May Be Able to Dance Too:

Big D and The Kids Table- Strictly Rude
The Flatliners- Destroy The Crate
Bomb The Music Industry!- Get Warmer
Streetlight Manifesto- Everything Goes Numb
The Agroglites- Self Titles