Streetlight Manifesto
Keasbey Nights

Release Date: 2006 | Tracklist

"There is absolutely no way of explaining the existence of the record you now hold in your hands without somehow offending, infuriating, confusing or alienating certain parties, so we won't even try. Please enjoy this for what it is."

It's almost as if Tomas Kalnoky was a steaming politician explaining his latest scandal that will get him impeached. As if, he's trying to justify the existence of such a record. Instead of what the rabid party members (in this case are the fans) want, Kalnoky has written his own agenda. But this time written in sponsor of the Streetlight party. Fans of the 90’s will recognize the dubious name of this album. BUT UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME?! OH GOD NO. As most ska or punk fans know, Tomas Kalnoky was the lead singer for the young group and primary song writer for Catch 22 and eventually Keasbey Nights before leaving the band in search for higher education. Kalnoky's vacancy was never filled, and the album was left in the shadows of obscurity . But now Tomas is back with a new band of his own, and even though they make some damn good ska on their own terms (see 2003‘s Everything Goes Numb) they chose to re-record the original Keasbey (which is coined as a classic by many including me). The result is mixed and despite the band (more like Tomas’) attempts to explain why he did this record, the creation of this record still makes many scratch their heads.

If you have listened to Keasbey Nights, there’s no doubt the main factor of your enjoyment was the production. It was a love or hate affair and most loved it. I for one loved it. Why? The answer is; the production helped make the album have that nostalgic feel to it and was a perfect snapshot of a group of kids just having some fun and recording a damn good ska album, nothing more nothing less. Tomas thought that the record needed to be re-recorded. While the idea raised more than a couple of eyebrows and evoked its fair share of anger, the record isn’t actually that bad. In fact it is a serviceable attempt at re-creating the magic of Keasbey Nights. To put it in short it’s not a terrible attempt of re-creating the album but it’s just not great or necessary for that matter.

The album now sounds much cleaner, as every instrument is more audible and cleaner than ever. Even though it sounds better, the music’s quality has decreased. The whole “recorded together live” vibe is thrown out all together. This time, the music seems more layered. In some parts this works out, but for the most part it falls flat and makes the songs more boring, lacking any energy whatsoever. Think of it this way; what if Rancid re-recorded Energy? Any luster the album once had would be gone. The reason is simple, mainly because both albums were just a bunch of kids having fun and both had enough energy to make up for the lack of resources. Increased production values diminish the edge the band once had.

The production values work out on a few of the tracks, especially where the remakes were needed. Walking Away especially sounds completely fresh and new. The tone of the bass is much more evident, the horns are more precise and dead on and the tapping of the drums seem more atmospheric, which all add to the already prominent jazz feel of the song. Riding The Fourth Wave really shows off the production values and as a result the song seems more fleshed out than before. From beginning to start the horn section takes it time and tries its best to hit those notes with the best tone, and the thought out flute and acoustic accompaniment is a nice touch. In between the good remakes, there is a heap of songs that have been butchered by the remake. The most notable songs to be butchered are 9mm And Three Piece Suit and As the Footsteps Die out Forever.

Then there’s Tomas Kalnoky. Yes the same man who created this damn good album is here to do vocal duties once again (which does little to distinguish the two albums). What could be the motives behind this album? There are plenty of ideas and theories from fans and critics. Most will probably point to the fact that Tomas wanted to take a jab to his former friends from Catch 22. Tomas will probably shoot that down. Some might say that the band needed some money; Tomas will flick that theory off as well. Then what were the real motives? According to Tomas Kalnoky it was simply because he “thought the sound quality on the original recording was ***” according to the interviews at the end of 1234 1234. But even after listening to the interviews, I’m still left at a crossroads whether to enjoy the album for what it is or to question its existence. Hey look on the bright side; at least they re-made a damn good album.

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3.8 excellent

Rank: #149 for 2006