Bouncing Souls Live
The Bouncing Souls have been around for a long time – since 1987, and in that period of time have made a lot of music. They have always been a staple band in any young punks repertoire so when I got to review their CD simply entitled
Bouncing Souls Live, I was thrilled.
I’m not always a fan of live albums; I find that they usually do not do justice to the live performance of the band. When listening to a recording of a performance you don’t get to see the energy of the band and sometimes these discs can seem lack luster and dull. That being said the Bouncing Souls definitely deliver when it comes to this two disc live CD. They play fast, hard and are energetic the whole way through. Their ska-punk sound carries their enthusiasm for the live show and hearing the crowd scream, cheer and sing along throughout the disc makes you feel as if you were there, almost.
The song “Kids and Heroes” is a perfect example of a crowd pleaser. The kids sing along with the band the entire time in a way that makes you wish that you were there. It is such a beautiful thing in that, we-are-too- punk-to-actually-be-beautiful kind of way. When listening to it I almost felt like pulling out my lighter because of how well this song captures the essence of their live show.
Of course there are many other songs on
Live that I think sound better then their studio-recorded counterparts. One example of this is “The Something Special”. Greg Attonito begins slowly, his slightly raspy vocals almost a whisper and as the crowd quiets down the guitar and the drums pick up and it turns into this loud fast anthem about a fresh start. The first time I listened to this album, “The Something Special” stuck in my head as a fantastic version of a classic Souls song.
The second disc is just as good as the first and begins right where the first one left off. I really enjoyed listening to the two discs back to back. I especially like the second disc because it has my favorite Souls song of all time on it, “True Believers”. This song is about growing up and the friends that you meet along the way. It’s very upbeat and makes me want to skank like no girl has ever skanked before.
I have always thought that the Bouncing Souls were a terrific band, sounding a little like NOFX but with more meaningful lyrics and a touch more ska. They are a band that I am consistently impressed with. This record seamlessly combines old songs such as “Joe Lies” with new hits and is full of witty banter throughout. It has songs that are funny and songs that are serious, fast songs and slow songs; you couldn’t ask for more variety in a single band. If you can’t get to a Bouncing Souls concert this album is a very decent substitute, or if you want to dance around your room and pretend that you are at a Bouncing Souls concert then this is that touch of reality you’ve been waiting for. An incredible record,
Bouncing Souls Live will make you want to put on your Doc Martens and mosh until the sun comes up.
- Shannon Campbell