Many ska bands tend to lean heavy on the soul side these days. The Pandemics out of NYC, while not short of soul, are a lot more rockin’ than much of the ska currently floating around. While I’m more into soul ska bands than ska bands that dabble with rock, these guys take me back to the zany shit ska bands were pumping out back in the nineties.
The opening song off of their recently cut EP Hard Headed, of the same name, swings out with noticeable ska-jazz influences while still droppin’ the rock. It reminds me of a splendid blend of The Toasters and New York Ska Jazz Ensemble. While the horns may lift you off your feet, the bass drops you right back down to Earth.
I thought the title track was my favorite until I listened to “Change Your Mind” again. Straight out of the gate, you hear soul heavy ska reminiscent of Deal’s Gone Bad. Their punky edge starts showing here when they drop their nineties ska blitz on you. The horns on this song are incredible and I’m always appreciative of a band with a sweet organ player. I had to look up the band that came to mind, as I haven’t heard them in a while, but this track has a Scofflaws’ feel to it.
Punk rock really shines through on “Chains.” The song has the energetic drive of bands like The Ramones and The Queers with a ska-core edge similar to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The horns, at times, take me back to Reel Big Fish and The Bosstones, working together well while the guitarist rocks out. Imagine if The Ramones did a cover of Reel Big Fish’s “Sell Out” or at least I did.This isn’t my favorite tune on the album but it’s a fun song to rock out to.
The following track, while loaded with ska and rock, has a moderate dose of reggae influence to it. “Stop and Get Frisky” seems to leap out at me more ferociously that “Chains.” It heavily reminds me of ex-Arizona and current Cali ska/reggae band Warsaw. The subject matter is something I’m in line with: anti-police corruption. The guitar really stands out here, whether shredding or soloing.
Hard Headed concludes circling back around to ska-jazz and reggae in “Timmy’s Song” which heavily focuses on their killer horn section. The energy doesn’t leap out at me the way that “Hard Headed” does but I really like the focus towards ska-jazz. The brief interruptions of reggae stood out as a bit too much for me in this song, despite working well together. The melody brought me back to Warsaw’s “Rude Girl,” which was another pleasant surprise. Overall, I was impressed by this EP. It took me back to the nineties and, even with the memory of Reel Big Fish being brought back, I didn’t regret it.
~ Garyn Klasek
