Sorry About Your Couch – Greeen!

(c) 2008 Sorry About Your Couch
Rating: ★★★★☆

In a world where you bust your ass somewhere around 20/7 (a fella’s got to sleep sometime) you occasionally get the reviews out a little late. I have a serious stack of material in my inbox, so without further adieu, here is Sorry About You Couch. Hailing from the darkest depths of Central Wisconsin and the home of Point Special Beer comes some rude young lads and their new album Greeen! (Though the mailing address on the back is listed as Wisconsin Dells they claim to be from Stevens Point) No matter which place they are from, I spent plenty of my youth in both of those towns and though it was many years ago, I never expected much out of either area musically. Fortunately for me, time or fate has intervened and saw fit to send this disc to my door. SAYC is a raw blend of punk and roots. Frankly they remind me of Rudiments. The sound is a bit on the lofi side, but the raw nature of the tracks only serves to amplify the angst of youth. But what you get is 14 tracks and a bonus one. Running from raw rock to ska punk while trading verses like throwing around the ol’ pigskin, Greeen! makes for a good listen. Incidentally, with an album name like this, I really expected more overt stoner-rasta content. Not that is absent mind you, I just expected more. On another note, there is a cuddly green monster on the cover that appears to be destroying Toronto. I’d like to provide a slightly more in depth analysis, however I am beat. Sufficed to say that if you like the 3rd wave a bit more to the punk side then odds are fair you’ll like Sorry About Your Couch.

–Jerry Actually

Chris Murray- Slackness

(c) 2007 Unstrictly Roots
Rating: ★★★★☆

I have to start by telling you that I've been anticipating this release for quite some time and because I'm a fan, this may come across as a bit biased.  For the unaware among us, Slackness is a collaborative project between Chris Murray and The Slackers.  I'll have to admit I was taken a bit by surprise with Slackness.  I wasn't sure what to expect, so let me tell you what I got.  12 great tracks of the heart and soul of ska.  The recording offers up a smorgasboard of ska reggae and roots, some old and some new.  Slackness starts with a great cover of "Janie Jones" and into a more traditional Chris sounding track that appears to be co-written with Dan Potthast of Mu330 fame. (admittedly I'm assuming here based on the writing credits.)  The CD continues into a few remakes of older Chris songs with the added twist of being backed by The Slackers, one of the hardest working bands in ska today.  I particularly enjoy "Rastaman Rock", a tuffed up version of the original.  The tracks close with a ironically upbeat war protest song entitled, "Why We Go To War".  I guess this is like the magical moment when someone got their peanut butter on someone else's chocolate.  If you've ever wondered what Chris would sound like backed up by a full band of the caliber of the Slackers, give Slackness a whirl.  Out now on Unstrictly Roots  In closing, you can tell that Chris Murray is totally OG … Check that freakin' bling homie!

–Jerry Actually

Satori – Savor Every Moment

(c) 2005 Asian Man Records
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comprised of the Rx Bandits with guest spots by Chris Murray and members of The Exit, is the outfit known as Satori. “Savor Every Moment” is their debut album out now on Asian Man Records. I insist that you do, in fact, savor every moment of this CD. All the elements of Dub, Rock Steady Reggae and Ska are artfully combined to create a soulful and soothing record. I’ve listened to “Savor Every Moment” about 4x in a row now and I’m still interested and still discovering new hooks and melodies. There are striking similarities to Sublime and Long Beach Dub All-stars. However, where as the aforementioned bands seem a little locked into 1 style, Satori runs the gambit of Jamaican musical styles as well as displaying R&B influences. The songs often recall the likes of Skatalites and early Wailers, yet infused with modern tones and beats, an dI’m not kidding when I say that these guys have some serious Stevie influence. “Savor Every Moment” is a beautifully restored classic car, refined with modern luxury appointments. Truly a must have disc for all fans of Jamaican music. As a bonus, check out the bands website for an audio stream of the first 3 tracks off of the CD.

http://www.satoriband.net
http://www.asianmanrecords.com

–Jerry Actually