Polarities of Paradox

The glory of third wave ska was the creativity that bubbled up into the genre. Dizzying fusions washed up across the shoreline as bands experimented with diverse styles underpinned by Jamaican rhythms, with exciting and extraordinary results. Most bands settled for a core hybrid sound, melding together two genres — e.g., jazz and ska, metal and ska, pop and rocksteady — but not Melting Pot, the most extreme and innovative of all the groups surfing the third wave. Their debut album, Polarities of Paradox, is all over the musical map, often at the same time. Hardcore, ska, 2-Tone, big-band jazz, and metal are some of the ingredients that are stirred into their musical pot. This is the point when most other bands serve up the stew, but that's just the appetizer for this San Pedro group. As the meal progresses it becomes ever more exotic, as the band dishes out a wide range of jazz-inspired courses that range from slinky blues to outright avant-garde, and include some beat poetry-styled delicacies. Jumping from the hip '50s to the hip-hop generation, the smoky atmospheres of Bristol beat also appear on the menu, as do funk and R&B. However, the band's truly unique concoction is the surprising inclusion of space and prog rock. Obviously, such a buffet is not your typical fast-food skanker, but for musical epicureans, Melting Pot cater an unusual meal that will certainly appeal to those with wide palettes.