OK, so call us premature. Yes, the Insyderz are back with the ska, but then
again, Five Iron is on their Farewell Tour. The only proof for our theory is
that the Fighting Jacks, which used to be a ska band, recently released
their debut on Tooth & Nail, and it's a good rock disc. So, ska may not be
back, but let's just pretend for a week until that Skillet album comes
out...

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THE DYING ART OF LIFE - FIGHTING JACKS (2003)
by Bert Gangl

Although most would insist that the infectious lightheartedness of ska and
the often gut-wrenching melancholy of emo make the two veritable polar
opposites, the genres, in their current forms, are actually much closer
cousins than most people would imagine. While artists like Fishbone and the
Mighty Mighty Bosstones were busy appropriating the inherent speed and
volume of the hardcore punk movement to fashion a more potent strain of ska
during the Third Wave ska revival of the late '80s, others, such as Fugazi
and Sunny Day Real Estate were marrying hardcore's undergirding spit and
vinegar to a more deeply personal set of lyrics to set the emo rock movement
in motion. It would seem a safe bet that Casey and Cory Linstrom are well
aware of the association. After a pair of ska-punk albums under the Freeto
Boat moniker during the late '90s, the brothers have reemerged as the
Fighting Jacks for their Tooth & Nail debut, The Dying Art of Life.

Mixing in equal parts emo, indie rock and punk-pop, the new record shows the
Linstroms, along with longtime guitarist Mike Wright and new drummer Jon
Sontag, serving up a particularly inviting musical stew. The rousing
leadoff track, "Farewell Senator," brings things to a delightfully quick
boil by virtue of its barreling rhythms and screeching guitar lines.
"Commons and Robbers" and the best-of-album "Glass Table" toss in heaping
measures of soaring, frenetic guitar work, while "Unfinished Song" adds a
dollop of always helpful post-punk sensibility. "Some Say" and "Year of the
Dead" pepper things nicely with their engaging prog-rock-meets-post-grunge
approach. Over it all, the San Jose foursome cap things off by simmering
their concoction over a loose, stripped-down instrumental flame which
anchors their indie credibility firmly in place.

To be equitable, a fair portion of the Life record is saddled with the sort
of overly generic aesthetic that renders the affected tracks mostly
indistinguishable. And the FJ quartet's occasional inattention to hook and
melody means that much of the album sails just wide of the instantly
memorable mark. That said, the Linstroms and their cohorts exhibit a raw,
heartfelt energy and attention to lyrical detail and depth that largely
elevates the Life effort above its intermittent musical limitations.
Indeed, when the group finds the proverbial sweet spot, which it does more
often than not, the results are dazzling. A substantial improvement over
the group's previous ska-related work, The Dying Art of Life shows the Jacks
fitting comfortably and competently into their new roll as emo and post-punk
purveyors. A very solid second beginning.

Read more about Fighting Jacks:
http://www.fightingjacks.com/


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PURCHASE THIS MUSIC AND MORE AT GRASSROOTSMUSIC.COM:
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SATISFY - KATHRYN SCOTT
The voice behind some of Vineyard's most popular modern worship, such as the
tracks "Come, Now Is The Time" and "Hungry" records her own disc on Vertical
Music.

SOUNDTRACK TO A REVOLUTION - THE INSYDERZ
After over 3 years absent from the industry, the Motor City Ska boys are
back for a brand new album. Proving that ska is still alive even if the
Bosstones are not popular, these guys rock and bring Christ to the masses.

WORSHIP AND FAITH - RANDY TRAVIS
Like most country stars, they gotta get a bit of the Christian music dollar,
so Randy Travis follows suit. Oh well, maybe those country music fans will
finish worrying about their truck and their ex and worry about God...


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