The Lacking Permanence

Canadian indie guitar geniuses Born Ruffians have released two great albums in less than a year, and easily earned the distinction of being the first artist to twice be featured on a Mixtape.

The ska orchestra is a rare beast, astounding to behold. Absorbing and expressing a manic energy worthy of ska, big bands, and thrash metal, the TSPO enters its fourth decade still on the redline and with no signs of slowing down.

You can love something so completely and sincerely that it becomes hard to tell whether you are mocking it. This is what Rosenstock does with third wave ska, with no detail, trope, or subgenre too small to escape notice and inclusion.

Caterer was the unmistakable voice behind the Smoking Popes, and his post-Popes career has taken many interesting turns, something reflected in this collection of croony standards and revisited songs from his previous band.

Imagine a heavy punk-core assault, one with a bad attitude, weird experimental asides, an unhinged vocalist, and a rhythm section suitable for pulverizing concrete. How do you take it to the next level? Add a saxophone.

You know I have a weakness for pitch-perfect harmonies and razor-sharp hooks, and The Rare Occasions deliver both in voluminous quantities. Also noteworthy tonight is back to back tracks from The Who Sell Out, only one of which is performed by The Who!

I DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY BANDS MAKE ALLCAPS PART OF THEIR BRANDING AND MOSTLY FIND IT ANNOYING, BUT I CAN MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR THIS PHILADELPHIA OUTFIT AND THIS ALBUM THAT SOUNDS LIKE A DREAM RADIO WITH A FAULTY FREQUENCY LOCK.

The band is back after an extended hiatus, picking up where they left off, with low-key catchy tunes making up an album that slowly develops into an outstanding collection of propulsive melodies and infectious hooks.

An all-too-short collaborative effort between Camilo Lara, the mind behind MIS, and a witches’ brew of guest appearances making for a selection of space-age cumbias and other sounds as brazenly colorful and exuberant as the city it’s named for.