Pin Points and Gin Joints

After a seven-year break, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones returned to the public eye with 2009’s Pin Points and Gin Joints. The time away obviously re-energized and refocused the band; this album finds them doing what they do best, but with more muscle and confidence than they had in their younger days. Where the band used to deliver their manic styles in tandem—with wiry ska sections usually giving way to explosive rock choruses—the elements are more integrated here, as the band’s tightly knit ska rhythms are beefed up, giving them a new cohesion and steady drive. The album opens with a momentous triple punch: “Graffiti Worth Reading” into “Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah” into “The Route That I Took.” The Bosstones hadn't lost their edge, but the songs now boasted a rootsy, organic feel, highlighted by the organ playing of John Goetchius. The band could still turn in the roaring pop-punk of “I Wrote It,” “Wasted Summers,” and “Too Many Stars,” but as they aged, they seemed more and more comfortable on subtle and introspective songs, like “A Pretty Sad Excuse.”