This has been the band's first album in which they kept the same members as the album before it, and I think They've improved quite a bit since dinosaur sounds. Dinosaur sounds was pretty good, but lacked a little bit of shine. The album focuses around the life of some russian communist dude named Leon Trotsky. They do a really good job in giving the album a little bit of a dark sound, while still keeping their upbeat ska/punk/reggae sound. The songs......
Prologue- Very nice intro. Starts out with a nice piano piece that kicks off the album with a nice feel. It then becomes a relatively upbeat song, bringing in some ska guitar and horns. The song swithches through between ska and punk, using a different kind of ska guitar that they havent used before. Sounds really cool though. 4.5/5
The Spark- Slower song, cool horns, and catchy vocals. They also do a good job in changing the pace of the song near the end, going from reggae to hardcore in less than a second. One of my favorites on the album. 5/5
Party Song- This is the song catch 22 is making a video for. It is one of the more pop-punk influenced songs on the album, however, I think it's really good. Very catchy chorus, and even though there aren't as many horns as in the other songs on the album, the horns that are on there sound good. 4/5
Decembrist's Song-More of a hardcore sounding song, with fast drums and nice horns. 3.5/5
Minor Point-Very Good ska-punk song, nice trumpet lead intro, ska verse and a smooth chorus. Nice guitar solo near the end. Another one of my favorites. 5/5
On The Black Sea-More of a softer song, filled with some weird ska guitar. Catchy tune. Horns go along nicely with the vocals. Fade ending. 4/5
Bad Party- The band did a good job in giving this song a bit of like a dark sound or w/e. Especially in the intro. Great punk throughout. good horns altough somewhat repetitive. Cool acoustic outro. 4.5/5
Alma Ata- Acoustic intro, way more of a slower song than any on here. Ryan's voice is good on this one. The horns give it a little bit of a jazzy sound, and sort of a european sound. Includes some other intruments in the background, maybe a xylophone? Catch 22 tried something new on this one, and it worked. Very relaxing song. Kind of like a resting song for your ears. 4/5
The Purge- No Horns on this one, still a great song. Same ska-punk they've used earlier in the album, except in the verse the drums have like a slight echo sound. Nice hardcore punk section near the end. The ending is wuite abrubt. 4/5
Opportunity- Another slower reggae song packed with great horns. Goes into a punk chorus after its reggae verses. Awesome song writing. Another favorite. 5/5
Epilogue-The last song on the album is an acoustic song that reviews the life of Leon Trotsky and gives his actions a last look. Good song. Relaxing. 3.5/5
Overall this a great album if you like ska/punk or reggae. Some people may not like it because Tomas doesn't write their songs like back in keasbey nights. But the guys in catch 22 did a great job putting this one together. Excellent concept album.
