Five Men Down
Untitled release
Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovern
Uh oh, another ska tape (the third in a row!). It's almost like this style is getting a little trendy or something. Oh well, just as with any widely popular musical style, we try to review more on the basis of musical quality than stylistic popularity. Sometimes that's hard, though. I mean, some questions to ask about all ska bands might be, "Were these guys ska before ska was popular?" and "Would they have been if it wasn't?" Obviously, I don't know the answers, but I'm having fun reviewing this particular tape, with its cool, uplifting songwriting, and I don't really care right now. The material here is pretty fun and not quite as psychotically energetic as some. Fairly laid-back, with some cool horns that remind me of Summertime. There are more simply-written songs than many, utilizing a basic four-chord design and basic horn parts. Vocal harmonies could be better. For info, write: 10s 107 Springbrook Dr, Naperville IL 60565