Wisecracker

Just when you think you’ve heard everything on the musical block, a band comes out of nowhere to kick you in the ass for being so pompous. Naturally, Wisecracker fit that bill for being a seven-piece ska/punk band that hail from Hannover, Germany, but prefer to mix things up by proclaiming their politics in Spanish, English and German. Normally this wouldn’t seem so obscure, but there is a heavy Spanish vibe emanating from this release at every turn, and when they start combining all three languages together it gets downright goofy. Not only that, but for those too lazy to read the lyrics the band gives a synopsis of each song just below every song title. Apparently Wisecracker want to make sure that the listener knows what the band is trying to convey, and for that they gain merit points. Furthermore, they acknowledge the fact that there’s a great big sea of crappy copycat ska bands out there and that they’re striving to do something unique and powerful on their own terms, and thankfully they’ve accomplished exactly that.