Youthful Exuberance is the latest album by New York Ska band The Pandemics who formed back in 2010. The bands line-up is ever evolving and this album features Chris Malone, Paul Chestnut, James Fulfaro, Jamie Aurelia, Alan Aurelia, Jay Reid, Will Harris, Chris Quintero, Vic Rosario, Kat Stock, Chris Mandatto, CJ Dunaieff, Brian Kennedy. Recorded and mixed by Will Harris at Sabella Studios, Produced by Chris Malone and Will Harris, Mastered by Paul Ayriss, recorded and mixed by Will Harris at Sabella Studios, additional Production by Matt Wixson. The cover art is by Shin Yokota who I thank for making sure I got a copy of this excellent ska album to review.
The album opens with Why Can't You Get Excited sounding like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones style ska punk that tries to get you to stop being so apathetic and get out there to enjoy yourself, solid advice in these tough dark times.
Reject Reset Repeat is a mantra for finding the best way through our modern malaise, so reject the bad advice, Reset your own compass to do good and Repeat giving good advice to the friends you care for, the song has a good upbeat feeling for giving us all a good way to look forwards, to better ways of doing things without getting consumed by greed.
Skip The Bullshit just asks you don't stand there lying about what went down last night, when you didn't make it home, fess up and then we can all move on, the slow lazy horns make clear the sort of fun you’ve been up to with that insistent throb.
Killing Time has rolling thunderous drumming and loads of brass stabs, a part where the sax skronks go positively James Chance, for this tale of killing in the afternoon, while this tune could soundtrack a chase scene. Bodega Cat and the sound of some truly heavyweight bass and drums that the brass section skanks off of, while the groove makes sure you skank along with it in the style of The Terrorists.
Holiday In Cambodia takes the Dead Kennedys classic and covers it in trumpets and brass stabs that may take some of the danger away, but this sound like its ready to get a dancefloor to erupt with skanking moshers ahead of the twanging guitar solo. Hey, How's it Going? (Cos I Love You) is a slice of ska pop with a cool sax solo and jangling guitars.
Why Can't You Get Excited (Rainbow Ark Dub Mix) has some cool delay effects on the Bosstones style vocals, before the horns make sure, we get properly excited. Dub The Bullshit (Dub Mix by Agent Jay of The Slackers) has deeply dubby bass and a horn section that wouldn't be out of place on Tappa Zukie's Dubbing with horns album, while the vocals make clear that they want to live with a lot less bullshit than they currently do.
The album closes with Why Can't You Get Excited (Babylon Party Machine remix) is a dancefloor tune in the vein of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones who they have toured with, everything anchored down by an ankle wobbling bassline and those horns that rise above the keyboards.
Find out more at https://thepandemics.bandcamp.com/album/youthful-exuberance https://www.facebook.com/ThePandemics/ https://bsky.app/profile/thepandemics.bsky.social
