ilikelobsters's Full Review: Shed Some Skin by Slow Gherkin
I got the Shed Some Skin album when I first started listening to ska. This was an excellent introduction to the genre. This is simply a great album. Going through each track:
1. Trapped Like Rats in Myers Flat
This is SUCH a great song. Probably one of the best ska songs I've ever heard. I've had this CD for a year now, and this song is still one of my favorite ska songs. It's simply excellent.
2. Another In Your Life
Another great song. I haven't heard too much ska with a lot of keyboards in it. But this song has pretty dominant keyboards, and it sounds extremely cool. The brass is great too!
3. I Only Smoke When I'm Drunk
This song is one of those "Secret Agent"-sounding songs. It's a great one. The brass is incredible in this song. Slow Gherkin has some of the best brass players I've ever heard!
4. Turned Off
The keyboards sound really cool in this song. The lyrics are really cool also. This song isn't as great as the past 3, but it's still worth the listen.
5. Left Behind
This song is a bit slower than the others, but it still sounds quite good. Being a bit more jazzy than the other songs, it really stands out on the album. The vocals sound great on this track with great harmonics. Good song!
6. Get Some More
This song kind of reminds me of MU330. The brass sounds great, the guitars sound great, the lyrics are great! The vocals seem a bit weaker than the other songs, but they still manage to sound pretty good.
7. Stash
This is a slightly-jazzy song. It sounds great. Being an instrumental, there is plenty of room for great solos from the instrumentalists. It sounds great!
8. Reminder
This song sounds kind of 50's doo-wop; the music is cutesy and jumpy. The brass and keyboards compliment this nicely. The lyrics are good, and the vocals sound great too. This is an excellent song!
9. Roger
The guitars sound really cool on this one. The lyrics are amazing as well. This song is one of the best on the album; a must-listen!
10. I Can't Stand
I love the brass on this song. Happy, cutesy, jumpy-they sound great! The lyrics for this song are kind of weak and repetetive, but the music makes up for it.
11. Shed Some Skin
A great song to signal the end of the album is near. I love the general sound of this song. It sounds like some classical song redone, but I can't think of what it is. The lyrics and vocals rock on this one!
12. How Now Lowbrow
I love the introduction on this. This one also sounds like a classical music song. It's a great finish to an excellent album, and one of the best songs throughout.
Overall, this is a GREAT album. Unfortunately, Slow Gherkin isn't a very popular ska band, which is too bad because their talent surpasses that of many ska bands. If you like ska music at all, you MUST get this album!
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