CATCH 22 “Alone In A Crowd”
When Victory first signed CATCH 22, my initial reaction was, “What the #$@!???” A ska band on Victory??? Every ad that I saw hyped these guys as being the best ska band since well…since they started ads hyping ska bands on hardcore labels. C22′s first release, “Keaseby Nights” is virtually a classic of the skacore genre, and earned C22 the rights to the hearts of many many fans. I liked “Keasbey Nights,” a whole lot, but it didn’t quite grab me as anything to declare holy. “Alone in a crowd,” though just blew me away. This was by far the heaviest skacore music that I had ever heard, and it’s straight up originality is spine bendingly impressive. For those not as familar with CATCH 22, they essentially combine some of the wackiest horn licks with some amazingly precise drumming, throw in a dash of wickedly quick guitar work, and then ad the vocal talents of Jeff Davidson to make it all work. “Alone in a crowd,” is a whirlwind of an album, shifting gears often. From the poppy, light-hearted ska, to the raging ska/metal thrash of the later tracks, CATCH 22 hit hard and with passion. I was about to go through a detailed song by song analysis, but I think that would just expend a lot time saying the same thing over and over. Reviewing cd’s like these are a pleasure. CATCH 22, is great! They play the meanest ska you have ever heard, and they will make you dance, guaranteed. Even the wheelchair punks will be skanking! “Alone in a crowd,” is worth whatever you have to pay for it, and oh yeah, see these guys live. I checked them out for the first time last April, and they ruled. They should be on tour for the rest of eternity….
Victory Records
