On the eighth studio album from the Boston natives, the band didn’t really have the promotional juggernaut that “Let it Happen” had, and therefore very few people actually knew that the Bosstones put out a new record. However, being a long time fan, I was one of the few that searched out their new record. I live in a small town, and no one had it, so I ordered it from my usual source, amazon.com.
This album came 7 years after the release of their last record, and some thought the band were done. This time around the album was produced by Ted Hutt, the famed punk producer who worked on some of my favorite albums from The Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, and my favorite right now The Gaslight Anthem. The record was recorded in late 2008 through summer 2009 and was released late in 2009. I picked it up after hearing about it on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, and boy was I surprised.
The whole record is fun, and semi-fast, with lots of catchy sections, horns and rhythm. Dicky Barrett said that the songs reflect a distorted view of the world, and are written with a “life in general” approach, and it shows. From the first track notes of “Graffiti Worth Reading” the record really does a great job to showcase the power of the Tones.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones toured through the west coast, and did a few spot gigs, but overall, the band is more of a “dormant” type of band. They play some fests, but stay away from the hard rigors of the road, at least for now. Dicky is on the Kimmel show nightly, and his brother is in Reel Big Fish…go figure.
As for this record? I recommend it; it’s classic third wave punk-ska with lots of bass lines and horns to get you going. It’s not too “core” as their early work, and it’s not as radio friendly as their major breakthrough “Let It Happen” but it’s quite good, and deserves some attention.
Look out for the extra unreleased tracks, there apparently 8 tracks recording during the sessions but haven’t seen the light of day yet. Will they be on a 7” record or will they be on a single? I don’t know. Time will tell though.
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