Though I discovered ska along with just about everyone else during the late-'90s explosion led by Sublime, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Reel Big Fish, it would be a few years before I was introduced to another band that would become one of my favorite ska acts: Catch 22. One of my college friends was a huge ska fan from New Jersey, so of course he was into Catch 22; he even named his show on our college radio station Keasby Nights in honor of their debut album. After that, I decided I had to hear what all the fuss was about.

It proved to be a wise decision because Keasby Nights is not only a solid debut album, it is a ska classic. It didn't become a major hitmaker like the late '90s offerings from the Bosstones or RBF, possibly because it focuses more on the punk side of ska, using the horn section to up the energy of the gritty, slightly sloppy rock rather than create a more palatable big-band feel. But that's what makes this album so great - it's packed with energy from the get-go and might be a better fit for people who are more into street punk than ska.

Keasby Nights opens with the fast-paced "Dear Sergio," and the album just keeps picking up intensity from there. After the frenetic "Sick and Sad" comes the title track, the album's biggest standout. "Keasby Nights" is immediately recognizable from the speedy strumming that opens the track and just keeps building in energy toward a memorably fun and dramatic chorus: "When they come for me I'll be sitting at my desk / With a gun in my hand wearing a bulletproof vest / Singing 'My my my, how the time does fly / When you know you're gonna die by the end of the night.'" Despite lots of lyrics of anger, loneliness, and violence, the music remains upbeat all the way through, another fine example being the short burst of fun fury called "9mm and a Three Piece Suit."

"Day In Day Out" proclaims "I don't need a music scene to tell me who I am." That line fits well with the album because even though Catch 22 debuted shortly after a major ska resurgence, they don't sound like all the other copycats who came about at that time. Instead they carve out their own sound, coming across as something fresh while not entirely different. Tracks like "On & On & On," "Giving Up Giving In," and big whoa-along closer "1234 1234" are all uniquely Catch 22 and add to the frantically brilliant sound of Keasby Nights. Despite all the speed and volume, the tracks are very catchy and manage to stand on their own. However, one of the biggest standouts is "Kristina She Don't Know I Exist," a slower but still upbeat number about pining for a girl who's out of your league. Though it's more of a high school love song, it has enough maturity to hold up well with older fans, feeling nostalgic rather than childish.

I may have been a little late in checking out Catch 22, but I think I've made up for it considering the number of times I've played Keasby Nights since. If it were a straight-up punk album, it would be fast and enjoyable enough; the horn section only adds to the energy, making it one of the most entertaining 45 minutes in ska music. They may not achieved the same mainstream success as other '90s acts, but when talking about the best albums from that time period, Keasby Nights certainly belongs among the top.


Also from Catch 22:

Dinosaur Sounds


Recommended: Yes