River City Rebels
“No Good, No Time, No Pride”
(Victory Records)
River City Rebels are one of those bands that will never turn a profit because they’ve got to split the money like six ways. Vocalist Dan O’Day has got a pretty smooth baritone that is just snotty enough to make you forget for a second that he sings in a group with a bunch of band geeks. The horn section sounds like…well, a bunch of horns. What did you expect it to sound like? It sounds just like the Voodoo Glow Skulls and Buck-O-Nine and all those other bands whose CDs you sold back to the Wherehouse a long, long time ago.
How can I love The Clash while hating ska so much, you ask? I think the answer lies somewhere with authenticity. The Clash did more than just have Joe Strummer sing a line then have a chorus of buffoons repeat it back with a cockney accent, which is all River City Rebels seem capable of doing. Just because you wear an Agnostic Front t-shirt doesn’t mean you’re cool and it sure as hell doesn’t give you permission to assault my ears with your faux-British cooing. This enhanced CD features a tour “documentary”, the highlight of which is two of the band members showering together. Stoked.
