December 13, 2007
Some albums are just meant for a summer day spent riding in the car with the windows rolled down. Among them: All Day, by soul-ska pioneers the Pietasters. After all, a Rasta-fied version of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Listen to Her Heart" just doesn't sound the same when the leaves are falling.
That said, the first album of new material in five years from the D.C. darlingswho got their first big break opening for Bad Manners in 1992still crackles with timeless rock, soul, punk and reggae. Despite multiple lineup changes during the past 17 years, this eight-man collective makes music with vocalists and horns galore that's both contemporary ("Don't Wanna Know" and "Sketch Dub") and retro ("So Long" and "Ordinary"). At least now skater kids (and their parents) have some sunshiny music to keep them smiling through the dark fall and winter.
