The Motions

Most ska-punk bands worry more about getting their audience's elbows going than about sending out a strong political message. One obvious exception to that rule is the skanking Trotskyites of Catch 22, and another one is Canada's Subb, a band that opens its fourth album with a straight-faced call to arms titled "A Little More of Chomsky (A Little Less of You and Me)." How well the song's title squares with its call to "think for yourself" is worth pondering, but hey, there's nothing wrong with a little musical proselyting, and these guys are good at it. Whether the object of their ire is global capitalism ("Big corporations they've gone way too far") or urban blight ("I'm surrounded by factories poisoning my life...we shall burn them down for good") or other bands ("I can't understand what the singer is singing and why are they whining?") or the music industry ("Plastic bands are invading my TV"), Subb manages to get its messages across with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of hard-skanking grooves and even the occasional solid hook. The album's prettiest hook comes courtesy of Rancid, believe it or not, and the hortatory "We Can Rest When We're Dead" is acoustic. Best couplet of the album comes from "Quarter to Seven": "Who said that the beat was dead?/The ska revival's in my head." Yes, and now it's in mine too. Merci bien, mes camarades. Recommended.