National Music Reviews
Mad Caddies
Dirty Rice
Fat Wreck Chords
Street: 05.13
Mad Caddies =
The Expendables +
Left Alone + Authority Zero
This is Mad Caddies’ first album in seven years and what do I get? Nothing short of an album comprised of feel-good ska music intertwined with contrasting lyrics of melancholy. The debut track “Brand New Scar,” opening with Dustin Lanker’s beautiful saloon-themed piano work and Chuck Robertson’s lyrics that still hold him to the stigma of being a hopeless romantic, is just a taste of what’s in store. “Bring it Down” and “Love Myself” are faster tracks that push the album along. “Shoot Out the Lights” and “Airplane” will put listeners into a dance frenzy, while “Shot in the Dark” and “Down and Out” let the same listeners relax and take in the lyrics. I say “same listeners” because as the lyrics say in “Bring it Down,” “I pledge allegiance to the hippies, punks, geeks and queers”—diverse music for diverse people, but not so diverse that they won’t enjoy at least one song. –Eric U. Norris
Dirty Rice
Fat Wreck Chords
Street: 05.13
Mad Caddies =
The Expendables +
Left Alone + Authority Zero
This is Mad Caddies’ first album in seven years and what do I get? Nothing short of an album comprised of feel-good ska music intertwined with contrasting lyrics of melancholy. The debut track “Brand New Scar,” opening with Dustin Lanker’s beautiful saloon-themed piano work and Chuck Robertson’s lyrics that still hold him to the stigma of being a hopeless romantic, is just a taste of what’s in store. “Bring it Down” and “Love Myself” are faster tracks that push the album along. “Shoot Out the Lights” and “Airplane” will put listeners into a dance frenzy, while “Shot in the Dark” and “Down and Out” let the same listeners relax and take in the lyrics. I say “same listeners” because as the lyrics say in “Bring it Down,” “I pledge allegiance to the hippies, punks, geeks and queers”—diverse music for diverse people, but not so diverse that they won’t enjoy at least one song. –Eric U. Norris
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