Customer Reviews

Somewhere in the Between

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not only will this album completely satisfy even the most devoted Streetlight fan, but it has something for everyone. Anyone from the checkerboard-wearing, skankin' Third Wave enthusiast to the 50-year-old Deadhead can find something they love in "Somewhere In the Between." For classification purposes, Streetlight would certainly be listed as "ska," but this album is so much more than ska (no offense to the fervent skanks out there). While some tracks (Mephisto, One Foot on the gas, and sort of Blonde Lead the Blind) are very "ska", the album draws from such an array of influences that it transcends the simplistic party-band connotations that come with the label "ska."

"Keasbey Nights" (1998) and "Everything Goes Numb" (2003) were two of the best (I would say, simply, the two best) albums to come out of the third wave ska scene...until November 13, 2007. With its more complex lyrics, wider reaching musical influences, and hugely superior recording quality, "Somewhere In the Between" is, dare I say, a better album than "Keasbey Nights" or "Everything Goes Numb." To say that about any album, except one by Streetlight Manifesto, would be blasphemy.

At least now we've got something to hold us over until the new BOTAR album (holy crap)...

Working in a music store I see a lot of these kids buying bands that they say are punk, but none of them are. They buy the Fall Out Boys and the My Chemical Romances of the world and say they're into punk rock, but they lie like the filthy little morons they are. Streetlight Manifesto is ska-punk that is true to the core, and this CD is a perfect example of the genre. This is, simply put, the best ska CD i've heard this year(no offence to Reel Big Fish or Voodoo Glow Skulls who both put out spectacular CDs this year as well), and I seriously can't stop playing it in my car. The tracks are all catchier than need to be, and the band manages to keep things so tight that it's infectious. "We Will Fall Together" kicks things off with a fast paced, almost latin tinged sound that holds on for the rest of the tracks and never lets you forget that you are listening to pure ska-punk. "Watch it Crash" is an interesting sound about the war, where humanity is going, and why we can't do anything to stop ourselves. "Down, Down, Down to Mespisto's Cafe" is a jaunting song that reminds me of classic Less Than Jake(i.e. Losing Streak), but is easily my favorite song of the bunch. The horns are tight, the guitar is driving, and the vocals, as expected, are perfect. Simply put, if you like ska-punk then you need this CD. It's got to be one of the best CDs of 2007. And next time some kid tells you they like punk, hand them this CD and tell them "You ain't heard punk yet". 5 out of 5.

-Spencer D. Taylor

Stands up to--begs for--repeated listening. Every track. Gets even better with time. Big sound. Full but not too polished. Just enough edge to catch without grinding. Tight and compelling. Bravo. Encore.

Well, technically it is their third release with their second being the re-recording (and much better version) of Keasbey Nights but either way this is an excellent album. Somewhere in the Between starts strong and keeps its fast pace through all ten tracks. The only negative I can think of is that it is only ten tracks long. I wish it were longer.

I bought this at a concert for Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish a few days ago and just finished listening to the album. All I can say is this was a fantastic album this album and the concert were my fist time ever hearing streetlight, but I am offically hooked and have ordered thier other albums as well. If you are a fan of ska like reel big fish, less than jake, or the mighty mighty bosstones then you will realy enjoy streetlight mainfesto

Just like the title says. I like every single song on this album. If you're a fan of third wave Ska, you will like this.

I've never even heard this band before, and don't listen to ska, but I'm loving this album! I only got it because it was on sale for $5 for the download, and I had $5 credit. There is lots of varied stuff going on here. The only downside I can think of is some of the songs are a bit too long for some punk music (~5 minutes.)

While a lot of people apparently think Everything Goes Numb was an incredible album, I found it rather disappointing after loving the original Catch-22 version of Keasby Nights. Don't get me wrong, Everything Goes Numb is a good album, but both the playing and the songwriting struck me as a bit sloppy. Aside from a couple stand-out tracks (Here's to Life, A Moment of Silence) I found many of the songs to be either uninteresting or rehashes of musical ideas from Keasby Nights.

By contrast, Somewhere in the Between is solid from start to finish. The production values are better than in Everything Goes Numb, the songwriting is more sophisticated, the playing is tighter, and it's just a lot of fun to listen to. You can tell that Kalnoky spent a lot of time and effort making sure all the pieces (guitar, bass, horns, drums, vocals) are carefully fit together and each complements the others and the overall song. For me, almost track on Somewhere in the Between would have been a stand-out if it'd been on EGN.

The only complaint anyone could have is that this album is a bit more poppy than Everything Goes Numb, which should mostly bother fans whose ideal ska band is something like Leftover Crack. If musicianship and songwriting are your major criteria for liking a ska band, you should own a copy of Somewhere in the Between.

"Somewhere in the Between", one of the most anticipated ska albums and it sure doesn't disappoint. From the blaring horns in the beginning of the first track, to the single string pluck at the end of the last track, this album is addicting. In typical Streetlight style, every track is fast and melodic, every track has an extremely catchy chorus that you can't help but sing along too, and every track has some of the best, most meaningful lyrics you'll ever hear. In my opinion, this album is completely solid. Though, Everything Goes Numb is phenomenal and easily one of the best ska albums of all time, there are several tracks on it that are very easy to skip. With Somewhere in the Between, it's hard to skip tracks, each track is almost habituating in its own way. Even though Tomas Kalnoky writes some of the most pessimistic lyrics, this album is nothing short of uplifting. So if you're just a casual listener of ska, interested in checking out this fantastic band, or ready to move up to whole new level of music, this is, by far, the album to get.

Until just recently, i had never even heard of ska. then my friend (drummer for a ska band) asked me to play trumpet with their band. He then recommended Keasbey Nights and Somewhere in the Between. I haven't been able to stop listening to Streetlight Manifesto since then! All the tracks on this album have caught my attention completely, but being a trumpet player myself i payed especially close attention to the trumpet feature in The Blonde Lead The Blind and the wicked trombone in What A Wicked Gang Are We. This album is a MUST BUY for any of you out there who enjoy a good horn feature or two in your music.