Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

Bomb the Music Industry! - Vacation

Bomb the Music Industry! seem to be a pretty divisive band. On one hand, you have a substantial, vocal group of proponents who love everything the band does without fail. And then there are their equally vocal detractors, who see their music as ADD-addled goofball nonsense. Indeed, the hyperkinetic ska-influenced rock of BtMI! can be off-putting. I myself was somewhere in the middle; I liked some of their songs (“Ready… Set… No!!!” is a personal favorite) but never got the extreme love, or the extreme hate.

Vacation, though, is a completely different animal from their previous efforts. Sure, the musical progression from Scrambles, the band’s 2010 album, is clear, but it’s still a big leap, and may in fact bring around some of the haters. I had no intention of even checking this out until some friends whose taste I trust recommended it.

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Under the Influence vol. 3

Unusual entry today. Instead of an album, I’m going to talk about two 7″ records that came out this year.

First up, is volume 3 of Suburban Home’s Under the Influence series. The UTI series features notable artists covering songs they find to be influential to them. Volume 3 finds Mustard Plug covering the Fugazi classic “Waiting Room,” and Bomb the Music Industry! taking on Pavement’s “Gold Soundz.”

Fugazi is a pretty beloved band. Even if you don’t know their catalog, you have probably had a friend press “Waiting Room” on you. The song is an absolute classic. Mustard Plug, as is their way, throw a bit of ska on it. It doesn’t necessarily improve the song, but it doesn’t hurt it. The vocals hit it pretty spot-on, and the addition of the horns makes for a fun addition. Overall, the song doesn’t out-do the original (naturally), but it’s not a bad cover by any means.

I have to say, I was wary when I heard Bomb the Music Industry! was covering Pavement. Mostly because, despite my most valiant efforts, I cannot get into Pavement. Much like similarly-hyped band Neutral Milk Hotel, I think they are absurdly overhyped. But, as Jeff Rosenstock writes in the notes for their cover, he figured a straight-up ska version of a hipster classic would really drive the indie rockers up a wall. Odds are it will, but it makes the song a lot better than the original. In my own biased opinion, of course. At any rate, it’s a damn fine ska number.

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