Mad Caddies – Dirty Rice

It’s been a while – six years to be exact – since Solvang, California septet Mad Caddies last unleashed their suave brand of ska-punk onto the world.  A lot can happen in six years, including having an already ageing fan base exiting their twenties off developing careers or even embarking in parenthood.  Without overly generalizing, musical tastes evolve over time, and while those that grew up on Take Off Your Pants And Jacket era Blink 182 may still enjoy digging through their past, they aren’t likely to connect with modern equivalents like Set Your Goals.  Thankfully Mad Caddies has evolved with their audience, using their latest full length, Dirty Rice, as a platform from which to further explore the instrumental maturity initially hinted at in Keep It Going.  

Born of the same musical fidelity of anything in their back catalogue, the Mad Caddies look to the past for inspiration every bit as much as they strive to entertain in the present.  Dirt Rice plays like a combination of something your grandparents would have heard on a childhood vacation down in New Orleans, spliced together with the energy and vigor or your favourite Fat Wreck Chords childhood punk act.  Opener “Brand New Scar” sets the mood with a waltzing, Dixieland-style piano and trombone combo.  As the track casually saunters in Chuck Robertson’s scratchy croon remains as on the mark as ever.  Meanwhile, a full on piano solo – the likes of which you’d expect to hear in a rowdy dancehall circa The Great Gatsby – erupts amidst “Down and Out,” while “Shot In The Dark” takes a playful easy listening approach.  The band channels a timely charm that so few of their peers tap into, yet that the Mad Caddies make sound so easy.

Rest assured, all of the markings of the Mad Caddies can be found alongside more recent developments.  As evidenced by “Airplane,” the band’s upstroke is alive and well, although this time around becomes slyly transformed into an easy listening mid-tempo showcase.  Smack in the middle of the album, the band gives a nod to their Just One More days with the hurried guitars and speedy drumming of “Burn It Down.”  “Shoot Out The Lights” sides with a lazy reggae beat further expanded upon by “Little Town’s” steady tambourine jangle and emulated tropical steel drums.  Dirty Rice makes for all your favourite Caddies tricks under one roof with refined purpose and precision.

Without breaking down too many songs, the band’s lyrical vision fits the bill, ranging from overcoming identity crisis (“Love Myself”) to standing up for your beliefs (“Bring It Down”).  Again, something that the kids these days might pass on, but that long time fans will no doubt appreciate. 

With nary a disappointment, Dirty Rice is the expert accumulation of a steady and fulfilling career.  The Mad Caddies have long since outgrown their identity as a ska-punk band (you won’t find much likeness to Mustard Plug or Reel Big Fish here), in turn having become an entirely different entity.  After six years of dormancy the band hasn’t missed a beat, and while they may have strayed from their zany Rock The Plank days, aging fans will undoubtedly embrace their worldly maturity and poise.