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PAY ATTENTION

by Spencer Ross

It's been three years since The Mighty Mighty Bosstones brought ska-punk to the mainstream rock channels with their hit song "The Impression That I Get." That was the first time I even became remotely interested in the ska genre because something about it never impressed me. I realize where a lot of it draws an influence from reggae, but I've never been too keen on reggae. Where the Bosstones seemed to hit it right was their infusion of a mild form of punk into the music. I've still not heard any of the Bosstones' prior CDs, but I can imagine there's been a progression of evolution in their music over time. As with any band, this is bound to happen as other influences come around however, on their new CD, Pay Attention, the Bosstones not only grow, but maintain the roots that sailed them to the tops of the charts with Let's Face It.

When I first heard the first single off the album, "So Sad to Say," I was less than impressed at the new material I heard. After hearing "Rascal King," "The Impression That I Get," and "Royal Oil" from the previous CD, I thought this was too alternative for the band. Suffice to say, after listening to the rest of the CD, I can do no worse than to give it four out of five stars. The album starts out great with its opening song "Let Me Be." This song is about a guy with issues who's emotionally stressed, emotionally drained, and wants to stew for a while. Starts out like a lounge song and then a slide down the strings that pans from left to right. I like that effect a lot, which was great for the song. "I got shit to get to but I can't," echoes the feelings of anyone who's going through a tough time in their lives. "She Just Happened" isn't bad, but the beat sounds like an updated "Under the Sea" from everyone's favorite, The Little Mermaid. "Finally" talks about how he needs to face his issues, his fears.

Most of the songs will start off good but slack a little after the intro. An example of this is "I Know More," in which the opening is intensive, but then the change in chords and usage of power chords changes the tone of the song completely. "Riot on Broad Street" is a lot different from most of the usual Bosstones songs in that, they use an acoustic guitar and no power chords. With the men chanting in the background, combined with the drum beat, this song almost sounds like an Irish drinking song (I guess that makes two drinking songs that they've sung :)). "One Million Reasons" is another great songs where they take away some of the ska element and replace it with more distortion and more horns. On the next song, "Bad News and Bad Breaks," I'm a little biased because the message the song sends is that "there's always something that can set you back/that's the way life is..." It's a great message although too simplistically worded. Perhaps that's a good thing though because in a age where lyrics are either abuptly obscene or monotonously metaphorical, this just is straightfoward lyrics. Also a new flavor from what the Bosstones' usually do, the last song on the album, "The Day He Didn't Die," is a different laid back style. This song was written about lead singer Dicky Barrett's uncle. "I really miss him/He woulda loved this/I wish he could hear me," Barrett sings emotionally.

Sings is the key word. Part of the fascination with the Bosstones is the fact that Dicky Barrett has one of the most unique voices of any singer out there. There are whiny voiced singers, deep bass voiced singers, but Dicky Barrett is the only singer I know who can go from singing one minute to scowl/growl/scream-ing the next. That adds a lot to the music because it puts emotion into what you're listening to. When the chorus kicks into high steam with distortion, the singing changes the mood of the song as well. I find it enjoyable. In that regard, I found this whole album generally enjoyable with the exception of a few boring songs and a little too much ska. But I guess that's where the Bosstones started from and for that, I commend them that they haven't gotten rid of it all. Not my taste, but alright. Let's face it, we can't like everything now, can we? :)

P.S. In the beginning of "Let Me Be," he asks what's a seven letter word for toilet? Crapper, my friend. The answer is crapper.

5/11/00