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Title: Ska with a creepy edge.
Review: Those of us accustomed to the fun loving beat ska of Prince Buster, The Skatalites, The Specials, and the skinhead fun of Symarip will be put off when first listening to this album. There is fun to be had here, with lively beats and those orgasmic bass lines that make ska one of my favourite styles, but there is a much darker, more sombre edge to this album than to most ska. The music is haunting, intruding, not the carefree skanking tunes we are used to. The lyrics of ska have always been darker than the music, but in this case the music meets the lyrics emotionally, making an innovative and at times brilliant album. I have the vinyl version, I just got it for five dollars, so I don't know about the asterisked tracks, but the original version is overall quite good, an interesting addition to a true ska lover's collection. When just getting introduced to the style, The Specials or Skatalites might be better representatives, however.
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