Buck-O-Nine

Remember Buck-O-Nine’s song ("My Town”) off that ’90s ska comp Ska Trax? Man, that was a really good song. This is the band’s first release since 1999’s Libido, and there’s something incredibly comforting in knowing that the bands of your youth didn’t really go away. From the opening up-strokes of Sustain, it becomes difficult not to be overcome by a sense of nostalgia. But that’s not to say Buck-O-Nine are only relying on their old tricks. In fact, there’s as many differences between this record and their old offerings as there are similarities. No doubt this comes as much from musical growth as from the long break between albums. No matter what you’re looking for in your ska, you’ll probably be able to find it on this record. There’s the straight-ahead, up-tempo of album opener "I’m Not Dead” (the perfect song to open this album), the ska-punk sing-along of "Screamin’ From The Suburbs” and the mellow, introspective tone of "Lie To Me,” and that’s all within the first four tracks. Anyway you shake it, this is a stand-up record from one of the genre’s best.