Release Date: 16th March, 2010
Genre: Ska Punk
Label: Victory Records
Length: 32:50
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So it's been nearly 3 years since the last Streetlight Manifesto release, and in typical SM fashion there's been delay after delay and months of rumoured release dates and track listings, but believe it or not the first volume of the 99 Songs of Revolution project is here. For those not aware of the project, it consists of 8 cover albums to be released sometime in the next millenium, with 2 being performed by Streetlight (this being the first), 2 by Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution (lead singer and guitarist Tomas Kalnoky's classical ska side project), and 2 albums each from as of yet unnamed artists.
This first volume contains 11 cover songs, chosen from varying genres, including alternative rock, swing, 90s punk and 60s rock and roll. Though many may question why a band possessing as much talent as Streetlight Manifesto would chose to do so many cover albums, the band shows here that not all their talent is used in writing their own material, as they manage to put their own unique spin on many of these songs.
The album begins with 'Birds Flying Away', a song originally performed by folk-rock singer Mason Jennings 10 years ago. This is a good way to start the album, beginning with just Kalnoky and his guitar before launching full pelt into a ska assault, and if you didn't know any better this could be an original SM song. Indeed, the same could be said of the following track, 'Hell, a song by swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, who Tomas often states as one of his great inspirations. In many ways it's a perfect choice for a cover song for a ska band, with a very prominent brass section over catchy gang vocals.
The next few tracks will be more recognisable to the majority of fans over the opening 2 songs. 'Just' by Radiohead, 'Skyscraper' by Bad Religion, 'Punk Rock Girl' by Dead Milkmen and 'Linoleum' by NOFX should all be familiar to fans of popular rock and punk. Punk Rock Girl could be sited as the low point of the album, in that it is more a straight up cover than the rest and it doesn't showcase the bands talents as well as it could. SM's take on Just however is very interesting. While Tomas Kalnoky's voice obviously doesn't quite stand up to Thom Yorke's, the instrumental sections, especially in the outro, are quite spectacular. Skyscraper and Linoleum, two fast-paced balls out punk rock anthems, have been toned down here. Skyscraper has been injected with a chilled out reggae vibe that really works, while Linoleum has been slowed down and turned into an acoustic sing along.
The songs included in the second half of the album include Paul Simon's 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard', which is still a good cover but has already been done by many bands in the past and so is worth overlooking, and jazz musician Louis Jordan's 'The Troubadour', which has a more bluesy approach. Sandwiched between these two songs is a fantastic upbeat ska cover of The Cyrkle's 'Red Rubber Ball', which could also fall into the category of being mistaken for an original SM production.
Undoubtedly the most confusing choice track on the album is track #8: 'They Provide the Paint', which was originally recorded by Tomas Kalnoky's Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution on their A Call to Arms EP in 2001. So just in case you're losing track, Streetlight Manifesto cover a song originally done by their lead singer's side project in a 99-song cover project also featuring said band...
Perhaps the highlight of the album is the closer 'Such Great Heights', which you should recognise as a Postal Service cover. The distinctive synthesized intro has been skankified and reimagined using the entire brass compliment of the band, and it sounds incredible.
In all, it's hard to find flaw in this first volume of 99 Songs, but many Streetlight fans will be questioning why a band which possesses such fantastic songwriting ability and musical talent are devoting years of their career to produce a string of cover albums that can't show off their best qualities. It's definitley worth a listen, but it can't replicate the magic of an original SM production.
Track Listing:
1. Birds Flying Away (3:27)
2. Hell (2:56)
3. Just (3:00)
4. Skyscraper (2:40)
5. Punk Rock Girl (2:17)
6. Linoleum (2:44)
7. Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard (2:27)
8. They Provide the Paint... (3:33)
9. Red Rubber Ball (2:49)
10. The Troubadour (3:33)
11. Such Great Heights (3:30)
Track Picks: Hell, Red Rubber Ball, Such Great Heights
7.5 / 10.0
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