The Return
“Build Me A Reason””
(Missing Words Records)
The second full-length album from this unbelievable reggae, ska, and rock influenced band out of Ventura, CA. I fortunately had a chance to see this band earlier this year and their live performance left me speechless. One of the things I couldn’t get over at the return show is how much the crowd got into it. I guess ska beats with a singer who has a strong powerful voice and a bassist who probably knows every Marley jam ever made makes for some pretty danceable jams. Quite honestly, I had never heard them before, but I was dancing around like a white boy just like everyone else (except I didn’t have any cool Converse shoes like the rest of the crowd). Also, the drummer seems to just wander through songs effortlessly, but with such ability (I love the echo drums like Sublime used!).
On the new record lead singer Derek Jennings and company have given up some of the really ska type jams and replaced those with more reggae and even key based jams like “broken record” and “ambition”. Seriously, the best qualities of O.A.R. and Rx Bandits rolled up into one. As a matter of fact, this record was produced by Christopher Fudurich who produced the last Rx Bandits album and did a great job on this one. You’d be fucking nuts not to buy this album, but good luck finding it. I expect it to sell for a pretty penny on Ebay in a couple of years.
