Customer Reviews

In The Fishtank 12

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Fishtank series has yielded some true gems, like this CD and the Low/Dirty Three collaboration (for a couple examples). Karate came into the sessions with a theme in mind -- the cracks in the American Dream -- and a bunch of cover songs, from "Strange Fruit" to "Tears Of Rage."

This is one of those cases where the band takes real ownership of the cover tunes. While especially generous to the Minutemen (who get four top-notch renditions of their songs), Farina and company are pretty fearless in their song selection, running the gamut of americana and punk. This implicit connection of a wide range of working-class musical mediums functions seamlessly in Karate's hands, a cohesive 8-song E.P. that plays up the social unrest that motivated these songs in the first place.

Karate does a great job covering a wide range of artists including The Minutemen, Beefeater, Bob Dylan, & Billy Holliday. Honestly, I bought this CD around the time that Karate broke up and wasn't expecting much knowing that the Fishtank series gives bands a short amount of time to come up w/ original or cover material, but this really blew me away. If you didn't know these were covers, you'd almost think that they were Karate originals, so if you like the band already then this is a must-have.

a must have for any karate fan. must admit, i'm sad to hear they are no more :( i like the concept of the fishtank series... 2 days of studio time. the pressure is there, time is of the essence. karate delivers in classic fashion.