New Jersey Ska/Punk troubadours Streetlight Manifesto are back with their new album 99 Songs of the Revolution: Volume I. The first in a series of eight releases from the band, and other friends of the band who signed on to the project.
The album is a cover album featuring ska arrangements of works by artists from a variety of different genres such as folkies Mason Jennings and Paul Simon (of Simon & Garfunkel fame), electronic-inspired The Postal Service and Radiohead; even fellow punk rockers NOFX and The Dead Milkmen. The band also covers the song "They Provide The Paint for The Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint On The Insides of Your Eyelids" which was written by Streetlight's own Tomas Kalnoky for side project The Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution. The album is interesting in that it contains what I never thought I'd hear on a Streetlight Manifesto album: acoustic guitar. In addition to acoustic guitar featured on tracks like "Linoleum" and "They Provide the Paint...", the album also contains other cool effects like a trumpet fanfare intro on "Such Great Heights", and ukelele in "Hell".
The album's conception and release has been argued by fans but regardless of their concerns, the album manages to deliver awesome music in the band's traditional style despite consisting of all covers. If you want the album, support the band by buying it at their live shows or ordering it from the band's merch website here:
http://www.theriscstore.com/streetlightmanifesto.aspx
No acoustic guitar on a Streetlight album? What about Point/Counterpoint on EGN, or Giving Up, Giving In on Keasby Nights?
ReplyDeleteEither way, awesome album, and a nice review. :)
Hah. Totally forgot about those.
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