The Beat feat. Ranking Roger – Bounce

Thirty-four years is quite a stretch, pre-dating my birth and diving back to the early eighties.  But that’s how long it’s been since first generation 2 tone skankers The Beat (or The New English Beat for us North Americans) was last actively releasing new music.  Needless to say, I’m only vaguely familiar with the band’s origins, so word of the band’s reboot as The Beat feat. Ranking Roger serves more as an introduction than a reunion.  Thankfully, it doesn’t take much familiarity with the band to realize that their freshly released fourth full length, Bounce, is one heck of a comeback.  Bounce infuses classic elements of reggae/ska with contemporary alt rock, dub, and pop sensibilities for a colourful, multi-wave, generation-spanning take on the 2 tone classic sure to turn heads.

Built upon a lush atmospheric soundscape in which song-to-song evolution serves as the norm, The Beat weaves the sort of city-meets-tropical tunage that finds a natural point of injection for every brass blast and lovingly instated up-stoke.  The underlying rhythm blends into a rich harmony that both holds up in contemporary pop while sounding incredibly authentic to it’s 2 tone roots.  And that’s not even mentioning how Ranking Roger’s vocals regale a sort of instant reggae bliss.  Take the upbeat tempo and sunny day demeanor of “On My Way” and “Talkin’ About Her,’ in which the band’s smooth yet enlivening delivery enmeshes silky alto sax solos and flourishes on the tail end of Roger’s chorus lines, entangling vocals and music in opulent melody.  

Others, like “Walking On The Wrong Side” and “Avoid The Obvious,” draw upon elements of blues, jazz, and a murky, mysterious dub overlay reflected in heavy bass grooves and tempo that won’t be rushed.  For a band rooted in traditionally lively ska, they really handle the slower songs well.  For instance, “Fire Burn” roams casually, with carefree and free flowing movement – the type sure to loosen muscles and calm the mind.  “Close The Door” invites a similarly hazy mystique that seems to materialize through a cacophony of vacuous instrumentals and curious lyrics.

While overall highly engaging, Bounce’s less remarkable moments tend to lean heaviest on altrock and stray furthest from the ska sounds.  For instance, the chorus of “Busy Busy Doing Nothing” is harmless on its own, but feels a little flat when compared with the rest of the album.  The same can be said about the rather generic guitar behind “Heaven Hiding.”  Again, nothing detrimental, but neither of those tracks offer much worth committing to memory.

But as far as comebacks go, Bounce is top of the class.  Not only does The Beat feat. Ranking Roger remind listeners of exactly what put the genre defining act on the map back in the 80’s, but revitalizes elements of the old with parts of the new school for this latest iteration.  An easy recommendation for anyone in the market for some quality sunny day tunage.