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My Favorite Albums of 1988: 10 Honorable Mentions

All - Allroy Sez....

Cinderella - Long Cold Winter

Danzig - Danzig

D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper

Living Colour - Vivid

My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything

Run-DMC - Tougher Than Leather

Slayer - South Of Heaven

Soundgarden - Ultramega OK

They Might Be Giants - Lincoln

My 20 Favorite Movies of 2015

20. Room

19. Straight Outta Compton

18. Bone Tomahawk

17. Kingsmen: The Secret Service

16. The Martian

15. What We Do In The Shadows

14. Inside Out

13. The Big Short

12. Bridge Of Spies

11. Mission Impossible 5

10. Two Step

9. Creed

8. Hateful Eight

7. Sicario

6. It Follows

5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

4. Furious 7

3. Spotlight

2. The Revenant

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

15 albums I liked but didn’t listen to enough in 2015

Algiers - Algiers The Arcs - Yours Dreamily Bully - Feels Like Craig Finn - Faith In The Future The Dead Weather - Dodge and Burn Destroyer - Poison Season El Vy - Return To The Moon Frank Turner - Positive Songs For Negative People Keith Richards - Crosseyed Heart Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly Kurt Vile - b’lieve i’m going down The Lone Bellow - Then Came The Morning Mac McCaughan - Non-Believer Steve Earle - Terraplane Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy

My Favorite 31 albums from 2015

1. American Aquarium - Wolves

2. Beach Slang - The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us

3. Mikal Cronin - MCIII

4. Ike Reilly - Born On Fire

5. Kurt Baker - Play It Cool

6. Lucero - All A Man Should Do

7. ToyGuitar - In This Mess

8. Teenage Bottlerocket - Tales From Wyoming

9. Built To Spill - Untethered Moon

10. Dwight Yoakam - Second Hand Heart

11. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

12. The 4onthefloor - All In

13. Jesse Malin - New York Before The War

14. JD McPherson - Let The Good Times Roll

15. Kepi Ghoulie & the Accelerators - Fun In The Dark

16. Chris Stapleton - The Traveler

17. Sam Outlaw - Angelino

18. Fidlar - Too

19. Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear

20. Leon Brdges - Smooth Sailing

21. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color

22. Sleater Kinney - No Cities To Love

23. Strung Out - Transmission.Alpha.Delta

24. The Bottle Rockets - South Broadway Athletic Club

25. The Sonics - This Is The Sonics

26. Wilco - Star Wars

27. Doubtfire - Doubtfire

28. Eagles Of Death Metal - Zipper Down

29. Local H- Hey Killer

30. Ryan Bingham - Fear and Saturday Night

31. Diamond Rugs - Cosmetics

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: The final rankings (and Spotify playlist).

1. Dance Hall Crashers - Honey I’m Homely!

2. Less Than Jake - “Hello Rockview”

3. Reel Big Fish - Turn The Radio Off

4. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let’s Face It

5. The Hippos - Heads Are Gonna Roll

6. Mad Caddies - Just One More

7. The Slackers - The Question

8. The Suicide Machines - Destruction By Definition

9. Goldfinger - Hang-Ups

10. Catch 22 - Keasby Nights

11. Hepcat - Right On Time

12. Sublime - 40oz To Freedom

13. Mustard Plug - Pray For Mojo

14. The Gadjits - At Ease

15. Common Rider - Last Wave Rockers

16. The Pietasters - Awesome Mix Tape #6

17. The Specials - Guilty ‘Til Proved Innocent!

18. Buck-O-Nine - Twenty-Eight Teeth

19. The Toasters - Dub 56

20. Spring Heeled Jack - Songs From Suburbia

21. The Smooths - No Brakes

22. RX Bandits - Progress

23. Slapstick - Lookit!

24. Link 80 - 17 Reasons...

25. Pilfers - Chawalaleng

26. MU330 - Chumps On Parade

27. Big D & The Kids Table - Strictly Rude

28. The Aquabats! - The Fury of the Aquabats!

29. Save Ferris - It Means Everything

30. 3 Minute Hero - Everyday Ninja’s

31. Helva - Big Heavy Push Action

Bonus Entry 1. Fishbone - Fishbone (E.P.)

Bonus Entry 2. Operation Ivy - Energy

Bonus Entry 3. Rancid - Life Won’t Wait

Bonus Entry 4. No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 31, Dance Hall Crashers - Honey, I'm Homely! (1997)

While female singers were far from a rarity in third wave ska, Dance Hall Crashers took it a step further by having two lead singers who played off each other and harmonized to perfection. After releasing a self titled debut in 1990, breaking up and then reforming, DHC would sign with MCA records and release the overlooked but pretty fantastic Lockjaw in 1995. Their follow up, Honey, I’m Homely! was a giant step up from that. It’s simply a perfect blend of ska, punk and soul and is my choice for the greatest album to be made in the third wave ska explosion.

Honey, I’m Homely! starts out with the fantastic “Lost Again” and finishes with the vocal showcase “Over Again.” In between the album runs the gamut from bouncy ska (”All Mine,” “Next To You,”) to ripping punk (”Mr. Blue,” “The Truth About Me,” “Elvis & Me,” “Whisky & Gin”), soulful reggae (“Last Laugh,” “Stand By”) and skanking power pop (”Salted,” “Cold Shower,” “Big Mouth”). Throughout the band plays everything with an urgency and skill that’s commendable. Guitarist Jason Hammon is equally adept at keeping the rhythm as he is at letting loose a memorable lead. His brother and drummer Gavin is rock solid behind the kit and bassist Mikey Weiss contributes many memorable bass lines. For all the accolades the instrumentalists deserve, the real success of Honey, I’m Homely! (and DHC in general) is the vocal interplay between Elyse Rodgers and Karina Deniké. They trade off lead from song to song and sometimes from verse to verse with Rodger’s alto and Deniké’s soprano mixing perfectly at all times. Their staunchly feminist viewpoint and lyrics are humorous, easy to relate to and memorable and are a giant part of what make this album such a joy to listen to. It hasn't aged a bit in almost 20 years.

After Honey, I’m Homely! DHC would release the more rock and roll based Purr in 1999 and a live record in 2000. Their final show in 2004 was released on DVD and the band has been on a likely permanent hiatus ever since. There has not been much musical activity from most of the band members that I am aware of but Deniké has sung backup vocals on many records over the last ten years and is set to release her debut solo album in April. At 4 studio albums, their body of work is fairly limited but is one of the strongest discography's in all of 3rd wave ska. Honey, I’m Homely! is seriously great and in my opinion, the crowning achievement in all of the genre.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: BONUS ENTRY, No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

I’ll just start this by saying that I don’t consider No Doubt to be a ska band and I never have. They were undoubtedly heavily influenced by the two-tone movement but even on their early years, No Doubt’s music owed just as much and probably more to New Wave and pop than ska. Now they were generally associated with the 3rd wave of ska and are definitely worth mentioning here but I couldn't bring myself to include them as anything but an extra.

Driven by Gwen Stefani’s charm and personality (plus the three smash singles “Don’t Speak,” “Just A Girl” and “Spiderwebs”) Tragic Kingdom sold approximately all the copies in the world and if you were alive and listening to music in the mid-90′s I bet you own this CD. While I could probably do without ever hearing “Don’t Speak” again, there’s no denying it’s a fine ballad. “Just A Girl” and “Spiderwebs” are more up my alley and the other commercial singles that didn;t fare as well (the punky “Excuse Me Mr,” the straight ska song “Sunday Morning” and the new wave pop of “Hey You!” and Happy Now?) are all fine songs in their own right. This being the 90′s, Tragic Kingdom is a few songs too long as the six and a half minute snoozer The Climb” never really gets off the ground and the disco pastiche “You Can Do It” feels really out of place. On the plus side “Sixteen,” “Different People,” World Go ‘Round and the title track are all high quality album tracks. While I’m not sure if it’s deserving of being one of the biggest selling albums of all time, Tragic Kingdom is a fantastic record and still the highlight of No Doubt’s career.

After Tragic Kingdom made them superstars, No Doubt took five years to produce the follow up Return of Saturn which was possibly a better, more well rounded album but failed to sell anywhere near the number of records as Tragic Kingdom. They returned a little over a year later with Rock Steady which spawned numerous hits and sold over two million copies. It found the band going in the direction of dance pop which Stefani would continue to further delve into in her subsequent, hugely successful solo career. The band reunited in 2012 for the lackluster Push and Shove. Stefani has since resumed her solo career and has a new solo album in the works.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 30, Less Than Jake - "Hello Rockview" (1998)

Less Than Jake is one of my favorite bands of all time regardless of genre. Their brand of high octane punk with horns and snotty yet hooky vocals just hits me right in my musical sweet spot. Their debut full length Pezcore (1995) set the stage for what was to come and the two follow ups Losing Streak (1996) and Hello Rockview (1998) are two of the finest ska-punk albums ever made. Picking between the two was the hardest decision I had to make on this list and eventually the clean as a whistle yet still aggressive Rockview won out over the more down and dirty Streak.

Opening with the one two punk rock blast of “Last One Out Of Liberty City,” and “Help Save The Youth Of America From Exploding,” Hello Rockview doesn’t waste any time establishing itself as a cleaner and more accessible Less Than Jake without sacrificing much, if any of the power of their earlier work. Meanwhile the bright and sunny ska of “Five State Drive,” “Nervous In The Alley,” “Danny Says” and “Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin” is helped immensely by the cleaner production values. Less Than Jake has always had a gift for a pop hook and that’s never been as apparent as on “Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin” and the glorious “History Of A Boring Town.” The best part of Hello Rockview is that this the album where bassist Roger Lima established himself as a the bands secret weapon. He was a very integral part of the band from almost the beginning but he had never taken the lead and gone with it with as much gusto as on “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads,” “Motto,” “Big Crash” and “Al’s War.” Hello Rockview is the album where Less Than Jake fully came into their own and would feature the sound the band would try to replicate the rest of their career with varying degrees of success.

After Hello Rockview, Less Than Jake would return to a indie label and release the underrated Borders and Boundaries on Fat Wreck Chords. They would go back to being on a major for their next two albums. 2003′s Anthem would go on to sell the most albums in the bands history behind the singles “She’s Gonna Break Soon” and “The Science of Selling Yourself Short.” 2006′s In With The Out Crowd saw the band almost completely abandoning ska and punk for a utterly mediocre pop direction and they would leave Sire records soon after. 2008′s self released GNV FLA was a strong return to the sound of Losing Streak and Hello Rockview and would even be topped by last years See The Light (back on Fat Wreck). It’s as strong of an album as the band has ever made and even after 20 plus years together, the band looks to have a bright future.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 29, Reel Big Fish - Turn The Radio Off (1996)

Ska is a pretty divisive genre of music in general and within that genre there probably isn’t a more divisive band than Reel Big Fish. Their brand of dark humor, wacky antics and refusal to go away is certainly not for everyone but for those of us that dig it, we generally really dig it.

I can’t remember for certain but I think that Turn The Radio Off was the first ska album I ever heard so it still holds a very special place in my heart. Their style of humor is something I immediately identified with and since I (poorly) played saxophone in my high school band the idea of a horn section in a rock and roll band seemed amazing to me. It also helped that more than almost any third wave ska band Reel Big Fish featured some serious guitar workouts. Frontman Aaron Barrett is a legitimately good guitar player and his licks help make songs like the minor hit “Sell Out,” “Beer,” “”Everything Sucks,” and I’ll Never Be” classics in my book. “Trendy,” “She Has A Girlfriend Now,” “Join The Club” and “All I Want Is More” are perfect showcases for the bands blend of dark humor and bright choruses. RBF also showcase a proficiency for reggae (”Snoop Dog, Baby,” “S.R.”), punk (”Nothin”) and metal (”Skatanic”) giving the album a nice bit of variety. While there is a bit of a faceless quality to some of the songs and trumpet player/vocalist/comic foil Scott Klopfentsein’s presence wasn't fully clear yet, Turn The Radio Off is a classic 90′s ska album.

After Turn The Radio Off, Reel Big Fish arguably made a better album with their follow up Why Do They Rock So Hard? which was an even bigger showcase for Barret’s guitar work while still staying true to the band’s ska roots. 2002′s Cheer Up found the band moving in a power-pop direction. They returned to heavy ska with 2005′s We’re Not Happy ‘Till You’re Not Happy which was their last album for a major label. Around this time the band started to go through major lineup changes and made a few fairly forgettable albums. By the time 2012′s Candy Colored Fury (which is a pretty good album) was released only Barret and trombonist Dan Regan were original members. Regan retired from Reel Big Fish in 2013 leaving Barrett as the last fish skanking but the band continues to tour relentlessly nonetheless.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 28, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let's Face It (1997)

Is there a song more synonymous with the third wave of ska than “The Impression That I Get?” I doubt it. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were one of the first bands in the world to mix ska and hardcore punk but it took over ten years and until their 5th album for them to hit the big time. In all honesty I think there are at least two and maybe three Bosstones albums better than this one (1992′s More Noise and Other Disturbances, 1993′s Don’t Know How To Party and possibly 1994′s Question the Answers) but none are close to as well known or culturally relevant as Let’s Face It.

While the Bosstones had already released two albums on Mercury Records, Let’s Face It was the first one to actually sound like it was on a major label. The slick and crystal clear production is a bit jarring compared to the down and dirty sound of their previous releases but it was certainly a big reason “The Impression That I Get,” “The Rascal King” and “Royal Oil” would all register or top the alternative music charts. Aside from those three standout tracks the sing-a-long opener “Noise Brigade,” the reggae nod “Another Drinking Song”and the anti-racism title track are other melodic highlights. While much of the album consists of radio friendly ska there are still enough nods to the Bosstones roots in hardcore to keep longtime fans happy. “That Bug Bit Me,” “Nevermind Me” and “Desensitized” all rage with a power that is only slightly diluted by the production. The closing “1-2-8″ manages to successfully balance the two sides of the band as the heavy versus give way to the anthemic chorus that begs to be sung along with at maximum volume. Let’s Face It may not be the greatest third wave album of all time (or even the Bosstones best work) but it certainly is one of the most popular and important.

After Let’s Face It, the Bosstones would release one more album on Mercury (2000′s fairly mediocre Pay Attention) before heading back to the indie ranks for 2002′s Jacknife To A Swan. The band went on hiatus in 2004 and Barret would become the announcer for Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show. Bassist Joe Gittleman would form the short lived and underrated band Avoid One Thing with all other members doing various work in the entertainment industry. The band would reform in 2007 for various live dates and released a new album in 2009 (Pin Points and Gin Joints). The Magic of Youth would follow in 2011 and while the Bosstones don’t tour much anymore they still play shows on the East Coast.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 27, The Hippos - Heads Are Gonna Roll (1999)

Calling Heads Are Gonna Roll a ska album is the biggest reach on this list. It’s much more of a synth-pop-punk album but there are a few ska songs and The Hippos were most definitely a full on ska band before this album. The biggest reason I elected to include it here though is that it’s really, really fucking good and I couldn't bear to write this list without it.

The best way to describe Heads Are Gonna Roll is the sound of a ska band filtered through the retro new wave of The Rentals. While “Lost It,” “Thinking,” “The Sand” and “Far Behind” are pretty straightforward ska songs the dominant instrument for most of the record is the synthesizer. “Wasting My Life,” “Pollution,” “Better Watch Your Back” and “Paulina” are all glorious synth-pop tracks with giant sing-a-long choruses that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head. The Hippos also approach pop-punk with the high energy songs “Struggling” and “Something.” Aside from the unnecessary (though not terrible) cover of “Always Something There To Remind Me” every song here feels like it could (should?) have been all over late 90′s pop radio. It’s the definition of a party record. Lyrically The Hippos never stray from from the tried and true pop music subject of girls, or more accurately not getting girls but the lyrics definitely fit style of music the Hippos play. They’re clever and fun and not meant to be taken seriously. Even in the world of third wave ska, Heads Are Gonna Roll is a pretty lightweight album but it’s one helluva lightweight album.

After Heads Are Gonna Roll The Hippos toured for a long time and recorded a full album’s worth of music but broke up before anything was released. In 2003 they did release a posthumous self titled album that completely dropped ska in favor of the synth-pop the band was already trending towards on Heads. The members went on to form various other bands the most notable being trombonist/keyboardist joining the RX Bandits. Frontman Ariel Rechtshaid eventually found much success after becoming a writer/producer for tons of pop artists. He’s worked with Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Usher, HAIM, Plain White T’s, the upcoming Brandon Flowers album and many others. He also won a Grammy for producing Vampire Weekends Modern Vampires of the City.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 26, Mad Caddies - Just One More (2003)

Mad Caddies may have started out in the late 90′s as a fairly straightforward ska-punk band but it didn't take long for other influences to pop up in their music. By the time of their fourth album Just One More the band was a full on eclectic force of nature. They were still largely a ska band at heart but no other band on this list brought so many outside influences into their songs and Just One More is their crowning achievement to date.

A good chunk of Just One More is the type of Ska-punk the band had been playing since their inception (“Silence,” “Day By Day” “10 West” “Game Show”) but the Caddies dabble in so many other styles here calling them a ska band is a bit of a disservice. Throughout the album the band delves into such diverse genres as reggae (“Drinking For 11,” “Spare Change”), punk (“Contraband,” “Riot”), straight ahead rock and roll (“Rockupation” Wet Dog”) Latin jazz: (”Just One More”) and soul (“Good Intentions”). The Caddies also show an ability to blend those influences into songs that are a hodgepodge of multiple styles. The raging “Villains,” the slow madness of “Last Breath” and the glorious “Leavin” (the best song the Mad Caddies have ever written) are all examples of this. Mad Caddies might not be a household name and Just One More was released in a time period with no hope for radio play but they and it among the nest bands and albums to come out of the third wave of ska.

After Just One More the Mad Caddies would release a full on reggae album with 2007′s Keep It Going before going on a hiatus. They have since reformed and last years Dirty Rice is a another extremely strong batch of eclectic songs that can’t be pigeonholed into one particular style.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 25, The Slackers - The Question (1998)

Led by keyboardist/singer/principle songwriter Vic Ruggiero, The Slackers make music that pays tribute to the Jamaican music of the 60′s but has enough rock and roll edge and a very distinctive East Coast vibe to be wholly original. Picking out a favorite album of theirs is a nearly impossible task as their discography is remarkably consistent and high in quality. I settled on The Question but could easily have chosen Wasted Days (2001) or Peculiar (2006).

The true highlights of The Question are the upbeat ska numbers. Many of their best songs and live staples to this day can be found on here (“Have The Time,” “Keep Him Away,” “Face In My Crowd” and the soulful “Yes, It’s True”). The Slackers are also extremely proficient in other (related) styles of Jamaican music as they tackle Rocksteady (“Manuel” “No More Crying,” “Do You Know”), and Reggae (“Make Me Smile” “No Love” “Feed My Girl,”) with the same ease and level of expertise. There’s also the jazzy instrumental “Motor City” which gives the horn section a chance to show it’s stuff and the Calypso feel of “Mountainside” is an excellent vocal debut for Trombonist Glen Pine. At 19 songs, The Question is a bit too long (there’s no reason to have two versions of the title track) but overall it’s a great album and as good as laid back 3rd wave ska gets.

The Slackers experienced numerous lineup changed since The Question but the core of Ruggiero, Pine, Bassist Marcus Geard and Saxophonist Dave Hillyard has remained in tact. The only major change the Slackers have made to their sound is Pine taking on a much larger role as a vocalist and songwriter. Most of the members play or have played in numerous other bands and Ruggieio has a fairly prolific output as a solo artist but when they get together it’s impossible to find a better band making this type of music today.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: BONUS ENTRY, Rancid - Life Won’t Wait (1998)

Rancid scored one of the biggest hits of the 3rd wave ska era with “Time Bomb” from 1995′s ...And Out Come The Wolves (one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time) and the bands roots in Operation Ivy lend them all kinds of ska-punk credibility but they never truly explored the genre until Life Won’t wait. While it’s still largely a street punk album. it is varied enough to draw comparison’s to The Clash’s London Calling (my favorite album of all time) in it’s scope and diversity.

The songs on Life Won’t Wait fall into three basic categories. The first is the mid-tempo street punk that has been Rancid’s strength since their inception. “Bloodclot,” “Cash Culture and Violence,” “Something in the World Today,” “The Wolf” and “Warsaw” are vintage Rancid. They’re full of piss and vinegar but still maintain a strong sense of melody. My favorite songs on the album are the booming ska-punk tracks. “Hooligans,” “Backslide” and “Wrongful Suspicion” are nearly as infectious as “Time Bomb” while the title track (featuring reggae legend Buju Banton) is hypnotic. Finally, Life Won’t Wait contains some of the most experimental songs in all of Rancid’s discography. The psycho-reggae of “Crane Fist,” the slow burn of “Hoover Street” the harmonica driven “Cocktails and the raging rockabilly of “Lady Liberty” are unlike any songs Rancid has ever recorded. There are also two beautiful love songs in “Who Would've Thought” and “Corazon De Oro” which are bittersweet in retrospect but very touching in the moment. Life Won’t Wait isn't quite as strong an album as the two albums Rancid made before it but it did expand their sound quite a bit and with a great deal of success.

Rancid would next release their hardcore masterpiece with 2000′s self titled release before bringing ska back on 2003′s Indestructible. Their latest release, last years Honor Is All We Know is another solid album from one of the most well regarded punk band’s of the 90′s.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 24, The Suicide Machines - Destruction By Definition (1996)

While I generally gravitate to the poppier sounding ska-pop there’s no denying that adding in touches of hardcore punk to ska can be a pretty thrilling thing and not many bands did ska-core better than the Suicide Machines at their best. Their debut album Destruction By Definition is a perfect blend of melody, skanking rhythms and pure unadulterated hardcore rage.

The best songs on DBD are sing-a-long punk anthems at their core (”New Girl” ”No Face,” “S.O.S.,” “Break The Glass,” “Islands”) but are filtered through the lens of ska and highly effective. There are also plenty of hardcore ragers (”Too Much,” “The Real You,” “Punk Out”) more suited to mosh pits than pogo jumping. The album is a bit top heavy as he second half tends to run together a bit but that’s a pretty minor complaint. Destruction By Definition is a definitive album in the ska-core movement and holds up very well to this day.

After Destruction By Definition The Suicide Machines would make the even more hardcore influenced Battle Hymns before completely changing course and going full on power pop for 2000′s self titled release. They would turn back to punk rock a bit on 2001′s unremarkable Steal This Record. After leaving Hollywood Records and going to the indie label Side One Dummy, The Suicide Machines would release two albums in the vein of DBD (2003′s A Match and Some Gasoline and 2005′s War Profiteering Is Killing Us All). The band would break up in 2006 but reformed for various shows in 2009 and are touring the Midwest and East Coast playing Destruction By Definition in it’s entirety this summer.

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 23, Goldfinger - Hang-Ups (1997)

Even though they were largely seen as frontrunners upon their arrival in 1996, Goldfinger would become one of the more popular and better pop-punk bands of the mid 90′s. While their self-title first album contained their biggest hit with “Here In Your Bedroom,” and featured a few ska songs, it’s their second album Hang-Ups that is the better album overall and contains a lot more ska.

While there’s still plenty of straight forward melodic punk on Hang Ups (”My Head,” ”Question,” “Authority,” “Disorder,” “The Last Time”) Goldfinger never played more ska than they did here. “Superman,” “Chris Cayton,” 20-Cent Goodbye,” and I Need To Know” are all fantastic ska-punk songs with huge hooks. “This Lonely Place” and “Carlita” are more reggae based but no less effective. While they may not have gotten a lot of critical respect, Goldfinger sure did know how to write a pretty great pop-punk-ska tune. Hang-Ups is the pinnacle of their career.

Goldfinger would largely drop ska from their repertoire after Hang-Ups (lending credence to the frontrunner tag) on their next two albums (2000′s Stomping Grounds and 2002′s Open Your Eyes) before slightly bringing it back on 2005′s Disconnection Notice and fully embracing it again on 2008′s Hello Destiny. While they have not released a new album since then they still occasionally play live and frontman John Fieldman has made a decent career producing other bands (The Used, Mest, Good Charlotte).

31 Days of 3rd Wave Ska: Day 22, Catch 22 - Keasbey Nights (1998)

Catch 22 is one of the more interesting bands to emerge out of the 3rd wave of ska. After releasing their cult classic full length debut Keasbey Nights, they experienced so many lineup changes it’s hard to keep track of who stayed and who went. Ultimately the musicians that made this album would go on to experience success in two different bands although neither would ever top what happened here.

Unlike most of the albums on this list which are extremely well produced, Keasby Nights features a slightly muddled lo-fi sound that somehow enhances the songs. Instead of being a distraction it gives the album a unique and charming sound. “Dear Sergio” “Keasby Nights,” “On & On & On,” “9mm and a Three Piece Suit” and “1234 1234″ feature the manic wordplay and unmistakable energy that would define Catch 22 (and it’s spin off band Streetlight Manifesto) for much of their career. Elsewhere the band also shows an affinity for swing (“Walking Away”), raging punk (“Giving in and Giving Up”) and lyrical sweetness (”Kristina She Don’t Know I Exist”).

After Keasby Nights three members, including frontman and principle songwriter Tomas Kalnoky would leave Catch 22. Those three members would go on to form the long running band Streetlight Manifesto whose sound is very similar to the music on Keasby Nights (which is why there’s not a Streetlight Manifesto album on this list). Catch 22 would continue on with a few different leas singers and change their sound into a heavier ska-punk style. They have released three studio albums with the last being 2006′s Permanent Revolution.

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