5.0 out of 5 stars
10 Piece Band - Eclectic Music, November 23, 2011
This review is from: EMERGENCY THIRD RAIL POWER TRIP (Audio CD)
Going to school at Cal from 91-95 and then again from 95-98, I don't know how many times I saw these guys perform, but I do know that I loved each and every performance. They were from Davis I believe, but they played a lot in Berkeley and San Francisco. I remember seeing them at Blake's, Hotel Utah, co-op parties, the Bear's Lair and The Starry Plough, just to name a few venues. The music is not easily defined. It feels like ska, with tinges of rock & roll and jazz, at times. Other times it feels like ska punk or big band music. Most, if not all, of their songs, have a good amount of humor in the lyrics, but have more serious themes underlying the humor. The lead singer has an interesting singing voice that may take new listeners a bit of time to get used to ... however, through many live shows and countless listens to this album and others, I can't imagine a better voice for the band and there's no denying his talent.
Most of the tracks on this album (their second significant one) are excellent and the rest are good too. My favorites have always been North Dakotachrome, I Am a Bat, Thank God You're Doing Fine, Useless Flowers and Picture Book Pretty. This album was their most polished and complete work (with the best production value) and it is the one to buy if you are new to the band.
There's a sad footnote to this story. Apparently, Paul Sykes, the lead singer, died in 1999 at about 30 years old. The full story of Sykes is available on the Web at [...]. Given how many times I saw these guys perform and how nostalgic I am for those performances, the story is particularly poignant.
Another footnote is that a collection of musicians from Lawsuit sort of seemed to come back together in 2008 under the name Preoccupied Pipers (a name used by Lawsuit for a collection of material around 1995). For a more full description of the history of the band, check out [...].
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
