Three bands, three EPs, two towns and one management company make for a thick, hearty soup of ska, funk, dub, rocksteady, hip-hop, rave, rock and punk. And the best bit? It's all home, organically grown British music.
First up for the lug love is Smiling Ivy - an alternative dub/funk/ska outfit from Sheffield with their EP Tastefully Disgraceful.
Their approach to lyricism is applaudable. Touching on the political, vain and outright immoral social issues whilst generating back-breakingly bouncy songs that make this musical offering one to go looking for. Sunny dub moves into upbeat ska and back again punctuated with some all-out-punk vibes. Any avid ska-punk fan will be clamouring for their copy.
My favourite tracks were:
Gagging Order: Summertime funk at it's best. Good use of panning to move the sound around creating a trippy, tipsy feel. The vocals are smooth with a gorgeous timbre: great depth resonating in his throat. They are however, a little low in the mix so some of the lyrics are lost.Efficient Waste Of Time: An outright skanking track. The vocals take on a whole new feel with a far more punk approach; the undertone is dark whilst the saxophones keep it bright. It's got a four to the floor beat and a catchy chorus, which is undoubtedly a great combination for any song.
“Smiling Ivy are an explosive and outspoken band from Sheffield that perform an energetic fusion of ska, dub-reggae, punk and hip-hop.” Certainly, it does what it says on the (bean) tin.
China Shop Bull are a mixture of drum'n'bass, ska and punk from Leeds, an unusual combination that has helped them carve their own niche bringing opportunities to support the likes of The Skints, Subsource, Sonic Boom Six, Dreadzone and more. Their EP Holiday In Cambodia is a brilliantly produced piece of work reminiscent of early Limp Bizkit minus the ear-bleedingly metal bend. If you like your British bands with a distinctly American take on their music, China Shop Bull are for you.
9 Lives: The mixing of this track is impeccable. It's got good instrumentation, interesting use of synth sounds and some middle-eastern inflections thrown in for good measure. It's eclectic to the core whilst staying true to the dance factor they strive for.
Bite The Hand: A well timed, infectious and punky song with an ultimately old-school hip-hop feel underneath. Yet again, the mish mash of hardcore rock and softer genres has been executed with aplomb here.
The final bite in this trio of treats (loving the food jokes – thank you Cool Beans!) is The Indecision with their album New Faces. If you like music to accompany lazy summer days in the park with beer, buddies and frisbee throwing I can highly recommend a little purchase here.
The Indecision have gone out of their way to create a perfect homage to the ska and rocksteady sounds of the 60’s, unashamedly swinging and jiving through each track. I was reminded of days hanging off my Dad’s belt as I copied his dance moves to any Toots & The Maytals, Madness or Kingstonians albums he played.
New Faces: Lends the softer side of dub. Pretty and swinging with gorgeously choral backing vocals in perfect three-part harmony. Remember that summer time image? That. In sonic form.
Sweet Girl: This is a beautiful change in tempo. It's got a really vintage feel to it that sucks you in.
Water: Is nostalgic and yet current. A perfect ode to the original masters of this genre. The sweet and loving lyrics make this a totally adorable track too.
Three very different, very cool bands here. If you have the ska-punk munchies for something new and exciting I highly recommend checking out these three for some well-rounded, eclectic approaches to the ska genre. I also recommend heading over to the Cool Beans website afterwards if you’re still hungry for more. They have a veritable plethora of delectable aperitifs over there to sink your teeth into.
The Indecision, China Shop Bull and Smiling Ivy, will all be playing Threshold Festival in Liverpool (28th - 30th March 2014), alongside Arnivore of Cool Beans. Head to http://thresholdfestival.co.uk/ for info.
Review by Millie Manders
Review by Millie Manders
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