Local Reveiws: Storming Stages and Stereos

Storming Stages and Stereos
S/T
Posthumous Records
Street: 02.25
Storming Stages and Stereos = Drive-Thru era RX Bandits + Super Hero
Dear Lord. When will this rock-with-horns/third-wave ska thing ever die? I thought the ship had sunk a few years ago, but SSAS is paddling hard. Someone seriously got duped into pouring a lot of money into this, which is really too bad. The production, instrumentation and vocals are absolutely great and well done, plus the insert is nicely printed (although goofy), but that doesn’t change the fact that epic, distorted cheese-rock riffs and brass sections will never, ever sound good together. If they’d just lose the horns and occasional Reel Big Fish rhythms, they could almost be a respectable pop-punk band. In the song “Punching Two-Tone In the Face” they say “Maybe it’s in my mind, but this don’t sound like ska no more/And everything we’re playin’ feels so out of style.” No dudes, it’s not in your minds. We’re all thinking it too, and we’re embarrassed for you.