Music: Streelight Manifesto

Maybe I am late to the party, so to speak, but Streelight Manifesto (at least the Everything Goes Numb album) is terrific. (We saw them at the 9:30 Club a couple of months ago. They were opening for someone whom I can't remember at the moment.)

I recently picked up EGN and have been reminded why they were so great live. However, there are three things I have noticed about their sound that can cut both ways.

1) They have an absolutely massive, multi-layered sound. This can be great, but also exhausting sometimes. Often, they have interesting breakdowns and buildups that relieve the audio assault, but sometimes it can just be overwhelming.

2) They can be very serious, especially for a ska band. For instance, here is an excerpt from "A Better Place, A Better Time":

"Looking through the paper today

Looking for a specific page [i.e. the obituaries]

Don't want to find her full name followed by dates

Because when I left her alone

She made a sound like a moan

'You're known by everyone for everything you've done'

Fuck buying flowers for graves"

Yow! I'm looking for something more like the following, from "Radiation Skank" by the Toasters:

"When they drop those bombs on England

I'll make damn sure I'm not there

I'll be the Caribbean

Or somewhere like Australia

'Cause I don't wanna be a mutant, no way

With arms and legs in funny places

My elbows are where my hands are

My arms are right where my face is!"

Now that's levity!

3) They don't have much in the way of a chorus in their songs. At least, not an easy chorus. In this way, they remind me a lot of Mark Siler's favorite band, the Pacers.

LESSON: Streelight Manifesto will bring it.