#3: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!?! WHAT ARE THESE NOISES?!?!?!?!

Next are the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the bad boys of plaid.

Wiki Says: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American third wave ska band from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Formed in 1983, the Bosstones are often credited with the creation of the ska-core genre, a form of music that mixes elements of third wave ska and hardcore punk. The band released seven full-length albums, three EPs and a live album while touring continuously before their announcement of a hiatus in December 2003. They reunited in the fall of 2007, and performed together for the first time in four years at Boston's Middle East club. The band has continued to tour and record since.

In December 2007, the band released a compilation album, Medium Rare, their first release since the band reunited earlier that year. The band released their first studio album in seven years, Pin Points and Gin Joints, on December 8, 2009.

Discovery: Devil's Night Out (1989)
More Noises and Other Disturbances (1992) - Favorite album all time #19
Don't Know How To Party (1993)
Question the Answers (1994)
Let's Face It (1997) -Favorite album all time #10
Pay Attention (2000)
A Jackknife to a Swan (2002)
Pin Points and Gin Joints (2009)

Other Releases: Where'd You Go? (1992)
Ska-Core, The Devil, and More (1993)
Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved (1994)
Live From the Middle East (1998)
Burning London -The Clash Tribute (1999)
A Santa Cause: It's a Punk Rock Christmas (2003)
Medium Rare (2007)

Soundtracks Worth Mentioning: Clueless (1995) -They appear in the movie
Meet the Deedles (1997)
Elmopalooza (1998)
Snow Day (2000)

Favorite Songs: 20. Another Drinking Song
19. Illegal Left
18. 1-2-8
17. Our Only Weapon
16. A Jackknife to a Swan
15. The Bartender's Song
14. Hope I Never Lose My Wallet
13. Howwhywuz, Howwhyam
12. Where'd You Go?
11. Someday I Suppose
10. Don't Know How to Party
9. Awfully Quiet
8. Doctor D
7. Devil's Night Out -Favorite song all time #99
6. Toxic Toast -Favorite song all time #58
5. Dogs and Chaplains -#46
4. Noise Brigade -#39
3. Kinder Words -#28
2. The Old School Off The Bright -#26
1. The Impression That I Get -#7

Years Active: 1983-2003, 2007-Present

Seen Live: 5 times
December 2007-Boston, MA
July 2008-Sayerville, NJ
December 2008-Boston, MA
August 2009-Asbury Park, NJ
August 2010-Washington, DC

The Bosstones are yet another band that I don't have much to say about. They've done great things over the years and people still love and respect them. They put on some of the best live shows and are still putting out new music. The music video I'm putting is one of my favorite videos. I'm also somewhere in the live video.

Up Next: The long time #1 favorite

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"

Top 21 Albums, 21-17

So in Romo fashion of doing a top 20 countdown, I've decided to do a countdown/review of my 21 favorite albums. Why 21? Two reasons. 1) This way I can devote a full post to #1 as opposed to something small, and 2) I couldn't make the cut on the last 2 albums, so I left it at 21. There wasn't much criteria for these, just i looked them all over and decided which ones I truly love listening to, which ones are in my car, which ones don't get old, which have the most songs I like, and possible sentimental value.

21: "Anthem" by Less Than Jake (2003). "Anthem" has gone through some drastic changes in terms of how i felt about it over time. When I first got it, it was my first Less Than Jake album and I LOVED it. As I got into older LTJ, and their newer stuff was getting bad, I started to look at this as just some pop-punk album that wasn't that good. Then I realized that it is just a pop-punk album, and a really, really good one. Sure they stopped playing ska for the most part, but if you look at this as a pop-punk album with horns its on its own level of ability. The songs are fast, catchy, really fun live.

Favorite song: "Plastic Cup Politics"

20: "No Self Control" by the Planet Smashers (2001). You know those albums that when you listen to them again they remind you of where you were when you first got it and listened? Well "No Self Control" reminds me of spring break 08 in Florida, just sitting on the deck and listening. I still love listening to this one from stat to finish, even though its not really anything special, I just love to listen to it.

Favorite song: "Blind"

19: "More Noise and Other Disturbances" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (1991). The second album from the Bosstones, every track on this I love. The songs live up to the title, within the first 3 tracks are the lines "I like noise that's why I'm living where I am" and "WHHHAAAAAAA????? WHAT ARE THESE NOISES??????". They really demonstrate how mixing two very different genres (at least in 91), ska and hardcore, can come off so well. This album got them on the soundtrack and into the movie "Clueless", where they preform the second track, "Where'd You Go?". Even seeing them live 18 years later, these songs still come off great.

Favorite Track: "Doctor D"

18: "GNV FLA" by Less Than Jake (2008). The most recent release by Less Than Jake, and their return to their "older" sound. The first 30 seconds of reggae on the first track, "The City of Gainseville" made me right away declare it was better than 2006's "In With the Out Crowd". They use their horns more, they play ska more, they play more hard punk and have a less poppy sound while still being catchy. It is really just a perfect blend of their pop-punk of "Anthem" with their harder punk-ska from the 90's, all into one great return to glory album. Less Than Jake acknowledges that their previous album, "In With the Out Crowd", wasn't exactly a fan favorite despite being something they were proud of, but they also have said that this is something both they and their fans love.

Favorite song: "Devil in My DNA"

17: "Minority Rules" by Whole Wheat Bread (2005). Debut album from Florida punk/hip-hop trio, Whole Wheat Bread does not disappoint. From a great punk track "Broke" to the three untitled rap songs at the end, this album has no dull songs. Since this their songs have, in my mind, gotten better, but this album as a whole just has a special place to me. I saw them at one of my first live shows and despite being the only non-ska band there, they blew me away. Three black guys from Florida who play punk? I thought it was the greatest thing ever then. Now I appreciate them for their music, for their ability to play multiple genres, and for their ability to Soulja Boy on stage. Like they say in the first song, "It aint because [they're] black", its for their music.

Favorite Song: "Broke"