Specials – In the Studio
welcome back to the Skaject folks! this week we’re taking a look at the Specials release just before their original breakup – In the Studio, released as The Special AKA.
godDAMN i love Bright Lights. phenomenal track about disillusionment of some city living – the repeated refrain of “something gotta come right soon” is just absolutely excellent. huge fan of this track, and a great opener. The Lonely Crowd’s pretty good. very neat track musically, and i really dig the contradiction in the title and subject of the song. musically, i’m only kinda diggin What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfiend, but yo this track has some style and humor to it that absolutely make up for that, haha. i can’t listen to Housebound without laughing for the stupidest reasons. it’s an aight song. Night on the Tiles has a fun interplay between the guitar, the bass, and the little keyboard they have – and when the sax comes in it hits RIGHT. Nelson Mandela is a call to political action – a very good protest track. War Crimes (The Crime Remains The Same) is aight. i dig the message but musically it’s fine. Racist Friend takes a much more reggae approach, and i’m CERTAIN i’ve heard covers of this. this track is excellent. a bit on the nose but yknow sometimes that’s appropriate, haha. Alcohol is a jazzier track, and an interesting way to decry drugs and alcohol. our closer here is the funky and strange Break Down the Door. absolutely not what i expected but yknow it’s p good too, ngl.
faves – Bright Light, What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend, Night on the Tiles, Racist Friend
some real hits on this one, ngl. as is becoming a pattern, there’s a lot of genre exploration here, and i dig a large majority of what they’re playing with here. a few tracks here didn’t land with me, but it’s cool that even this far in they’re keeping things fresh musically and still sticking strong with their political voice. definitely check this one out.
In the Studio – 7/10
next week, we’re checking out the band that’s credited as the first ska band in America, the Untouchables, with their debut record Wild Child.
previous: Keep Moving | next: Wild Child
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