#4: Rx Bandits

Because you can't see your cage doesn't mean that you are free

At number four are the Rx Bandits. Are you ready for some football?

Wiki Says: Rx Bandits is a four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and at The Bamboozle.

Discovery: Those Damn Bandits (1997)

Halfway Between Here and There (1999)

Progress (2001) - Favorite album all time #5

The Resignation (2003)

...And the Battle Begun (2006) - Favorite album all time #8

Mandala

Other Releases: Demo(nstration) 1996

Ska Sucks (1998)

Punk Goes Metal (2000)

Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 (2004)

Dead Bands Party: A Tribute to Oingo Boingo (2005)

Listen To Bob Dylan: A Tribute (2005)

Live From Bannaroo (2007)

Favorite Songs: 20. Taking Chase As the Serpent Slithers

19. Anyone But You

18. Never Slept So Soundly

17. Newstand Rock (Exposition)

16. My Lonesome Only Friend

15. All The Time

14. Sell You Beautiful

13. Who Would've Thought

12. Overcome (The Recapitulation)

11. Consequential Apathy

10. Only For the Night

9. Status

8. VCG3

7/6. 1980/One Million Miles an Hour, Fast Asleep - Favorite songs all time #96/95

5. Decrescendo - Favorite song all time #70

4. Analog Boy - #60

3. To Our Unborn Daughters - #33

2. In Her Drawer - #14

1. And The Battle Begun -#2

Years Active: 1995-Present

Seen Live: Twice

April 2007-Montclair State University

November 2007-Baltimore, MD

Several ska bands that came out of the 90's played less ska as time went along and became pretty bad. Rx Bandits are the complete opposite. Their first albums is a very local sounding small ska band album. Their next one is more serious and still very ska. Their next one, Progress, is very ska and very serious and mature. The Resignation has much less ska, as does ...And the Battle Begun. Despite that, those albums are excellent on their own way. Songs about as important topics as possible and just keep getting better. While Mandala was a big disappointment (one ska song with horns being a factor), it's still really good and better than the average band's performance. I don't think I've ever seen a band put on as good of a show as Rx Bandits. Hopefully the live video I choose will capture this. The second live one is from 1997 and shows how much they changed in 10 years.

Up Next: Mighty! Mighty!

Top 21 Albums, 6-2

Almost at the end of the countdown, here are my favorite albums, 6 through 2. Tomorrow's post will be devoted entirely to number one. (21-17) (16-12) (11-7)



6: "The '59 Sound" by The Gaslight Anthem (2008). The second release by New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem has launched them into the mainstream with performances on Conan, Letterman, and a show in London With Bruce Springsteen. Speaking of Bruce, if you like him you will LOVE this album. Of all the albums on this list, this is probably the one I recommend most. Every song is great. Live they're amazing. The band is getting huge. Really no reason not to try them out. They do an amazing job to combine blues, rock, and punk, and on top of that, the songs are all amazingly written. If punk is what you're into, then I'd say check out their older release, "Sink or Swim" as that has more of a punk sound. However, "The '59 Sound) is just amazing with every listen.
Favorite Song: "Great Expectations"




5: "Progress" by the Rx Bandits (2001). The last ska-heavy album by the Rx Bandits is essentially flawless. Every song is filled with emotions; passion, anger, love. Rx does a great job singing their political voices, spreading their message of peace and love. Even though this sound of Rx doesn't exist much these days, "Progress" songs still get their fair share of live play and still are great. A lot of bands don't properly use their music to speak their minds. "Progress" does nothing but that. Songs about war, violence, dependence on technology, downfall of society, drugs...you name it, Rx addresses it. Even if you don't agree with their politics, you can't deny at least thinking about what the band is talking about, especially in the line, "When was the last time you looked up, gazed upon a shopping mall and said 'how beautiful'?"
Favorite Song: "Analog Boy"



4: "Somewhere in the Between" by Streetlight Manifesto (2007). The long awaited second original release by Streetlight was instantly one of my favorite albums. Hell, I loved it when I got two songs of a sampler split with the Voodoo Glow Skulls, and the other 8 tracks soon joined in on being amazing. Tomas once again writes amazing songs with rocking guitars. The horns are great, perfectly fitting on every track. Nothing on this album rubs me the wrong way. I've always defended Streetlight's excellence by saying that they have to write music for eight parts (vocals, guitar, bass, drums, tenor sax, bari sax, trombone, and trumpet) and get them to blend perfectly....for 10 songs in the case....spanning just under 45 minutes. They do that perfectly, all the songs are just great. They're very energetic, and never disappoint.
Favorite Song: "Down, Down, Down To Mephisto's Cafe"




3: "Everything Goes Numb" by Streetlight Manifesto (2003). Yes, I know that there are two Streetlight albums in a row, something that usually would bother my inner OCD. But here is why: the albums are essentially tied in my mind. The reason I rank their debut album higher is because "Everything Goes Numb" has 12 songs, "Somewhere in the Between" only has 10. That's the only reason, there is more to love. Now time to discuss the album itself. Wow. I'm sure back when it was released people we not sure that Streetlight could compare to what Catch 22 had done but boy do they ever. Great, fast, intense songs, amazing from start to finish. I probably love this album (and Streetlight for that matter) because of how well they play fast music. Its hard to understand many of the lyrics, but once you know what they are boy are they something special. Like I said, this album couldn't be closer in my heart to "Somewhere in the Between", so everything I praised that for I also feel for "Everything Went Numb". From the opening saxes to the closing note, this album is just something very special.
Favorite Song: "The Big Sleep"




2: Destruction by Definition" by The Suicide Machines (1996). I don't think a band can release a better debut album than The Suicide Machines did back 96 with "Destruction by Definition". I won't waste any time saying why I love it: It is the perfect mix of punk, hardcore, and ska...which is what TSM did best in their active years. If you claim you don't like ska, maybe this an album for you. Only two tracks use horns, so it plays more to the guitar beats element of ska rather than through the use of horns. Doing this allows the band to transition the three genres mentioned above so easily. Most people actually know a song from this album and might not even know it. "New Girl", track one, was featured in "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (one)", and that song does a great job of representing the sound featured throughout the whole album. From "New Girl" to the cover of Minor Threat's "I Don't Want to Hear It", there isn't a bad song. There isn't a boring song. There isn't a slow song. There isn't a quiet song. Most importantly, there isn't a band song. Despite sounding so good, you still get the feeling listening to it that it was written by kids (well, in their early 20's), which makes the album feel so much fun. "Destruction by Definition" was been in the #2 CD slot in my car since I've been driving it, and it doesn't look like it'll get bumped from there any time soon.
Favorite Song: "Hey Ska"

Top 21 Albums, 11-7

Time for favorite albums 11-7. (21-17) (16-12)



11: "The Sufferer & the Witness" by Rise Against (2006). Another album that at first I felt didn't quite live up to the band's previous releases, but it grew on me quite well. I don't know if I own a more energetic album, and once again Tim Mcllrath does a fantastic job of balancing the melodic singing with the hardcore screaming. Rise Against once again tackles a variety of issues, and once again raises their political voice to be heard. The album kicks off with perfect sound clip, "This is noise" (anyone know what that is from?), and right away jumps into a fast paced opener. It has thus far been the band's most successful album commercially, and rightfully so. Although it isn't my favorite song, "The Approaching Curve" deserves special mention. The song is sung so beautifully as if its poetry spoken over punk rock, the story told still sends chills over me as it ends.
Favorite Song: "Drones"

10: "Let's Face It" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones (1997). Another album that was very successful commercially during the late 90's ska fad, "Let's Face It" contains one of the most successful songs of that era. While some people have said to me that this was the Bosstones' "sell out" album, I still love it. Yes, it is a very different sound from their previous albums, but that doesn't fade me. Sure the band is best when playing their share of hardcore, but this album lacking it doesn't phase me. I understand that is much poppier than people would like from the Bosstones, but to me this is a great album start to finish. This album also provides one of my favorite music videos,"The Rascal King".
Favorite Song: "The Impression That I Get"




9: "Three Cheers for Disappointment" by The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (2006). The long awaited first and only complete full album by ASOB was well worth the wait. From beginning to end there are no bad songs in my mind, all of which seem to transition to each other really well. With everything that went wrong with the band recording this, it came out really well. Like the previously mentioned Bomb the Music Industry! albums (in 16-12, linked above), this album is also FREE to download on the Quote Unquote Records website, here, so check it out. While this is the only complete album ever put out by the band, there is also a B-sides album available via iTunes (featuring my favorite ASOB song, "So Let's Go Nowhere!", re-recorded for "Three Cheers") and a live album of Radiohead covers (also on the Quote Unquote Records site). Those are also highly recommended.
Favorite Song: "Piss Off"



8: "And the Battle Begun" by the Rx Bandits (2006). Just an exceptional album, even the intro is worth listening to every time. In their (for arguments sake) fourth album, the Rx Bandits drift further and further away from their older ska sound. But unlike bands who try to hide their ska past and fail (Less Than Jake for example before GNV FLA) Rx seems to get better and better the further they drift from their original sound ("Mandala" kind of contradicts that). The band still uses horns throughout, and none of the songs ever seem to get boring (despite 4 being at least 5 minutes long). Not counting the intro as a full track (but still great), the first three tracks are just phenomenal and never fail to blow me away every time.
Favorite Song: "And the Battle Begun"

7: "Keasbey Nights" by Streetlight Manifesto (2006). The long rumored/long awaited (recording started in 2004) re-recording of Catch-22's 1998 classic is nothing but improved when done by Streetlight. I know that this version doesn't have the instant classic feel that Catch had with theirs, but I argue that this recording has 8 years of maturity and quality improvements going for it. The vocals sound better (except on "Walking Away), music sounds better, the horns sound much better. They incorporate the great third verse of BOTAR's "Dear Sergio" making that song even better. All around, this is just got better over time. With 2 original Catch members on the recording this time, it still feels authentic and not like a tribute album (owed all to Tomas Kalnoky's guitar and vocals). Yes this isn't as classic as Catch's version, but it is without question better. Everything about their feelings of why to do this is explained at the end of "1234, 1234" in an interview over music with Tomas. The interview has three of my favorite quotes associated with the re-recording: "Whatever you want to call it, it'll piss people off. And that at the end of the day is all that really matters", "We're going to keep doing what we do whether or not a single record is sold", and to end the album off, "Peace Out Bitches"
Favorite Song: "Dear Sergio"