Published on : 06 August 20193 min reading time
1. Intro
2. Fred’s Got Slacks
3. There’s a Problem
4. Public Service Announcement
5. Bad News
6. My Hands are Tied
7. Gullible
8. Scum Punch
9. I am abandoned
10. Macoretta Boozer
11. Broken Bones
12. Quality Television
13. Do or Die
Freshly out of high school, these young guys from Toronto ripped the Ontarian scene since 2002, bringing to people’s ears their brand new kind of PunkSka, or “Skunk Rawk”, for the purists. From the nicest two-tone ska verses to their harsh and eclectic PunkRock choruses, their 3rd release totally ripped me.
As the Ska scene tends to fade away and the gaymo universal passion never stops to grow and invade the music industry, The Flatliners really brings a fresh breeze over this total mess, sweeping away the wreckage of the early 2000’s Punk scene to take their own place down here and standing out as kings. 2005 was a great year for PunkSka I have to say. After one of the most brilliant releases ever by The Suicide Machines, the discover of The FlatLiners totally ties the buckle. An awesome mix of two-tone ska melodies and punk choruses, bright lyrics, and a surprising maturity – considering that they just stopped dirtying their diapers – that you will discover when you’ll give a listen to this album. You’re probably wondering “Why the f*** is Skunk Rawk?” Me too. Here’s what we can find on their official site:
– Skunk*Rawk –
n. pl. Skunks*Rawkssssx or Skunk*Rawk*can*not*be *plu*ra*lized
1. The combination of two-tone ska and brain hemorrhaging punk rock.
2. A lethal dose of “fuck you up” music.
3. The way in which you will be killed. ie. “Skunk Rawk actually killed me… How can music do that?!”
Cool. Let’s talk about the songs now. I actually can’t choose or name my favorite, but after seeing them live, I have to admit that “Fred’s Got Slacks” and “There’s a Problem” are pretty much the best ones out of the album. Fast, dirty, the nirvana. Not Punk enough for you? Okay. Try “My Hands Are Tied” and try not to shake your head ! You feel old-school today ? Alright. “Macoretta Boozer” and “Scumpunch!” are for you. A brilliant mix of old-school PunkSka and more actual two-tone ska, this song rapes your dad (and I did too by the way). “Do or Die”, the closer, is simply awesome. Way slower than the rest of the album, but still pretty genius in it’s lyrics and it’s overall melody.
The CD has recently released in the US and via Interpunk.com, so there’s no more reason good enough not to buy this awesome CD. They have some dates coming up, check out the venues and don’t miss your chance to catch them live somewhere, it’s .. something.
For the fans of Suicide Machines, Operation Ivy, The Clash and Rancid. Hands down guys !