The Expos – Old Friends

You know when you get into those little slumps where you only want to listen to a certain style of music? You only want to hear the one style, the one sound, whatever. For the past few weeks, thanks to Reel Big Fish‘s Fall Of Ska tour, my friends and I have been stuck in a ska-filled slump. That’s all we listen to, and it’s amazing. It was during one of these upbeat moments that I remembered about Old Friends, a CD I got with The Johnstones from Stomp Records that had fallen to the bottom of my review pile. Remembering that it was on Stomp Records I figured I should pull it out and give it a solid listen now that I was in a ska-loving attitude – and since that time, I have not put it back.

While The Expos definitely fit under the reggae umbrella much more than the ska title, Old Friends successfully satisfied my unceasing need for upbeat melodies. Every track on the album is insanely focused, raw and harmonic. It’s incredibly laid back while being able to keep up an energizing rhythm too. It’s danceable two-tone melodies, creating a mix of Westbound Train and Pepper both kicked up a notch. Everything is direct and focused, from the organ melody layered softly in the background to the trombones blowing out of the speakers, each aspect is concise and works towards a singular goal: to completely and utterly entice the listener, to energize them and not let them listen to anything else. It pulls you in, and won’t let go until the fading notes of a Flower For Tara. Hell, as I’m typing this I’m continually interrupting myself to dance and flow along with the music (particularlyTo Be Loved Under The Rain).

The highlight of the album is most definitely the vocals simply because they are the perfect match for the music. They are slick and smooth and perfectly produced, but also contain a certain twang to them that really entices you. They are raw and melodic, and get stuck in your head instantly. At times it’s as if he’s not even singing, but rather just talking over the illustrious musical backdrop – and even that works. While the music here is great, it could not last by itself (which is proven by the sometimes outrageously long musical interludes and the three minute instrumental Dans La Rue). The vocals help mold everything together, without taking a single thing away from the rudeboy feel of the sound.

I can’t emphasize how much I enjoy this album. Maybe it’s just because I’m stuck in a ska streak, but whatever the reason is, Old Friends is great and worth multiple, multiple replays. Any fan of ska, and more importantly, reggae should jump at the chance to hear this, they won’t be disappointed.