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Unreleased Sampler
Generally, I spend the majority of my year in New Orleans, LA, where ska is highly praised, but very sparse. There are two or three decent ska bands in all of Louisiana, and at the top of the list is Fatter Than Albert. The 3-track release, that I'm now dubbing "The Unreleased Sampler," was given to me by their bassist, Greg, when they stayed at my house and played in CT this summer. FTA's previous recordings were shabby at best, but I always enjoyed their live show, so I was hoping to get something of that caliber. Trust me, I did. The three selections are samples of the full-length that the band intends on releasing in 2006. This all-star cast of hooligans is made up of excellent musicians that only want to play and have a good time.
The first song is "Erin's Runaway Imagination." The sampler kicks off with a powerful drum lick that explodes into an array of full sounding punk, driven by loud and precise drums, driving guitar and bass, and three fully blended yet individualistic horns. What I love about all of FTA's horn lines is that there is always a catchy melody to follow, but you never know who's going to stick in an abrupt solo. The focal point of the music is always varying, which leaves you constantly searching for these little voices throughout the tracks. For someone who has not seen Fatter Than Albert, the vocals might be a little raspy or harsh, but FTA's style is always in-your-face and energetic, and they portray that in their vocals. The vocalist during most of this track is Charlie, the alto sax player, who wrote the lyrics about wanting to quit the band. You can hear his emotion in the way he sings about it. This song doesn't quit, either. It's energetic from the start and only gets more so as the song progresses. About 1:20 into the track, there is a tempo change to a sort of breakdown. During this, the drummer has many subtle fills that fit perfectly into the music while astonishing anyone with a musical ear. I think John is the best drummer from a local / regional band that I've ever heard. The only problem that I have with this song is that it's 1:49 long. C'mon guys, I have to listen to it three times for me to feel like I've had my fill. The second track is called "Seventeen," and its lyrics show a comical yet perverted side to the band. In their live show, the band yells, "She says she's seventeen," and the crowd responds, "It doesn't mean anything." This song has more of a slower ska feel to it, but the musicians in this band are so diversified that it comes out just as fluid as the first track. What I find remarkable is how all three horn players solo together under the verses, but somehow they play off one another well enough so that it sounds like one continuous instrument. The choruses are fast punk, and you can hear a severe dynamic change, especially in the drums. The bridge of this song blows me away. It's so tight that if The Toasters played Third Wave, this is what it would sound like. This song, again, is only 1:55. Dammit. But, I've gotta say that these guys make up for it with the third track, "I'm Leaving." The intro is a staticy horn part that even through the haze, you can hear all sorts of awesome stuff going on in the trumpet and sax. The drums cut through this and lead the song into a very danceable verse featuring the drummer, once again. The chorus is more straight rock, but the horns leave your mouth hanging wide open with complexities and harmonies. I'm more a fan of Charlie's singing voice than Volpi's (the vocalist on this track), but I like the energy that he adds to it. The "pick it up"s and "that's right"s really get you into it. The bridge of the track features the first real structured solos on the demo, and the first is the sax. It's incredible to say the least, and is followed by some smooth and half tempo lyrics backed by a catchy horn line. After this is one of the smoothest jazz guitar solos I've heard in a long time, and it let's the track really mellow out until the end. You're left with, "I'm leaving today," and you wish they weren't.
Overall, this is the best three-track demo I have ever heard, and I strongly recommend you go to www.fatterthanalbert.com and check out the first two tracks on their media player. I will be going nuts the next time FTA is in CT, and it will be all over CTSka, so don't miss it. Also, watch out for the drop of their first full-length, coming in 2006.
Reviewed By: Todd Springer
Date: Sat 2 Sep 06
Score: 10.0
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