In The Face
All Business

In the Face, well-known newcomers to the New England ska scene, just released a new disc, All Business, on November 7, 2005. These guys have frequented Connecticut, and have become a favorite at CT Ska shows. This spankin’ new release combines ska, punk, rock, emo, and hardcore into a unique style that welcomes listener participation. With hilarious and personal lyrics and complex and catchy melodies that stick in your head for days, this disc should definitely make waves in the near future.

The introductory track, “Sick of it All,” starts off with a slow-paced guitar phrase, but soon explodes into the high-paced ska verses that In The Face uses so well. Even in the first track, you can tell that the mix is a little out of whack, as the vocals and horn melodies stick out and the drums are very low. The horn parts are extremely well written and articulate, but there are small yet audible mistakes – especially in this track. The lyrics are a little cheesy, but I like them a lot. “Sick of it All” is all about girl problems, something that most guys can connect with. There’s a really awesome horn breakdown in this song, but the timbre of the horns is a little trebly, which I’m sure is all in the recording. The second tune, “Drunk at Sundown,” has a really cool horn intro that blends really well into the ska verses with awesome bass parts. There are some background vocals that are mixed high compared to the rest of the parts, which might contribute to them sounding a little out of place. It’s a really cool track that has laidback choruses, complete with lyrics about being drunk before sundown and a party scene. The breakdown has some group vocals that work really well, complete with a sax solo over the top. The song is really complete stylistically, but there’s a single hardcore scream towards the end that doesn’t seem to blend with the style at all. Next is “Don’t Be Fake,” another up-tempo and danceable tune featuring trumpet and sax solos, and some intense group vocals in the punk choruses. Both the lead and background vocalists miss their mark sometimes, but its only for split seconds, and the intensity of the drums and gang vocals cover it up. There’s a really cool guitar solo in a punk section of this tune, and the energy of the track is carried through really well until the end. In “Chris’ Sister,” the band shows off some of its more melodic side and its definitely one of my favorites on the disc. There’s a really complex and well blended horn part that trades off with vocals harmonies which are a lot better than anything previous to this song. The guitar tone in the clean sections isn’t quite crisp enough for the up-stroked role that it’s playing, but the distortion has really awesome tone quality. The lyrics are overall hilarious and definitely something to listen for.

“One Thing” starts off with some pretty cool horn parts, but is probably my least favorite tune on the disc. All of the vocals are screamed, and with a pretty undesirable tone quality. I do like the screamo touch that the band throws on the end, but it really doesn’t coincide with the feel of the rest of the disc. “Marquette University” has some nice vocal harmonies, and a really cool happy ska feel. The horn line isn’t as complex as a lot of the others on the disc, but simplicity is the key to the catchiness of the song. When there are only two vocalists in some of the choruses, the mixing could be a lot better, as it seems to leave the background vocalist out to dry. This is definitely another one of favorites on the disc, featuring yet another tight horn melody. I had remembered the next track, “Lay With Me,” from In The Face’s live show, and its definitely a crowd pleaser for it's repetitive lyrics and catchy melody. The song is pretty much wide open and not too complex, and thus gets a little repetitive. This is really cool live, and the band does throw in some cool lyrical and horn variations and a key change. The chorus is so catchy that it even had my 50 Cent lovin’ roommate singing along. “Bitter,” the last track on the disc, is another one of my favorites. This fast-paced punk track has an intricate horn line with a really tight rhythm section and fast and rhythmic lyrics. I’m glad that they ended the disc with this tune, as it’s one of the overall tightest recorded, and ends the release on a high point. Some of the vocal harmonies could be a little better, but the horn line has few to no flaws. There’s a little bit of screamo integrated, and overall this tune is put together and performed really well.

Although a little rough around the edges, In The Face’s newest release, All Business, has some real potential in both instrumentation and song writing. These guys will be on tour this winter with The Know How and The Specs, so they must be doing something right. Their live show is energetic and makes you wanna get up, dance, and sing along. I can’t wait to see these guys again now that I know some of their songs, and I’d definitely recommend picking up this release.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  7.0

Only registered users may post a comment.

There are currently no user submitted comments.

Powered by Simple Review