The Pietasters – Oolooloo
welcome back to the Skaject folks! today’s record is Oolooloo, from The Pietasters!
im not gonna lie – found this record a bit disappointing. i dont think its anything aggregious, but i remember quite enjoying their debut record, and while theyre bringing some really fun ska in the style of the 60s Jamaican ska, a lot of this doesnt quite stick the landing for me.
i dont think there’s any tracks i instrumentally dislike, and many of them are on the solid to strong side of the spectrum, but many of them outstay their welcome. the songs i really dig here, Something Better, Tell You Why, and Biblical Sense, all have really strong instrumental components, but run on like, a tad too long for the substance of the songs. Movin On Up does get up to some real interesting sounds, and is a really strong closer
oh, and the cover of It’s the Same Old Song, originally recorded by the Four Tops. this feel so close to being something really fun, but its so thin in the mix for a large chunk of the track that it feels like something’s missing, or its unfinished. bummer. i did realize until after a few listens that Can I Change My Mind was also a cover, originally by Tyrone Davis.
i think the low point for me is Pleasure Bribe – this feels deliberately mean, like playing the perspective of a misogynist, but like, with no real message from what i can see. its not helped by being followed by Girl Take It Easy, which in its own right is just fine, but still. relatedly, on first blush Biblical Sense is tongue in cheek enough that it doesnt feel downright disrespectful (for now… ask me again in a few weeks how i feel about this one, haha), but its immediately preceded by Night Before, itself a song with some questionable lines.
faves – Something Better, Tell You Why, Biblical Sense
dislikes – Pleasure Bribe
Oolooloo – 5/10
next week, we’ll be checking out Grand Prix, from Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
previous: Everything Sucks | next: Grand Prix
previous Pietasters release: The Pietasters (Piestomp) | next: Willis
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