Emily: In high school and early college, I was hugely into ska music. I went to local concerts, saw the bigger artists every time they came to town at the TLA or the Trocadero, and nearly wore out my Reel Big Fish live CD that I got for Hanukkah in the tenth grade. My music tastes have evolved and expanded since then (thanks in part to this blog), but every once in a while I'll turn on some ska or ska-punk and dance around like I did when I was 16. During my ska era, I had never heard of Fishbone. That's likely for a few reasons: one, they were active more in the '80s than in the '90s and 2000s, and two, their sound is way more than just ska or ska-punk. Based on Truth and Soul, the Fishbone sound can best be classified as funk-punk-ska-rock-metal. It defies genre, and that's what makes it work. The ska horns and two-tone beats are there to an extent, but they play alongside funk grooves and three-chord punk tracks. This creates a wholly unique sound that seems suited for a great live show.
Favorite Tracks: Freddie's Dead; One Day; Pouring Rain
Zack: I had this album classified as “punk,” which is
a label that really only tells part of the story. Fishbone are, apparently, a
band known for being really eclectic. There are a lot of genres that really
leap out form Truth and Soul, including alternative, punk, funk, I think some
disco, and hard rock. But ska really is the biggest attention-grabber. Which is
interesting, since temporarily that would make them one of the earliest sources
of the 3rd wave ska cohort. While the ska influences might have
really drawn me in 5-6 years ago, I actually found those to be the least
interesting components. The funk that pulsated under certain songs was really
what I found to be the most appealing. Regardless, Truth and Soul is the type
of album that has something for just about everyone.
Favorite Tracks: One Day; Pouring Rain; Change
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