Bedouin Soundclash - Sounding a Mosaic

As I grow older, the Vans Warped Tour grows less appealing, and if not for a free ticket, I wouldn’t have attended this year. I spent the majority of the day walking around, spending too much money, and only watching two bands—one of which, thankfully, was Bedouin Soundclash. There’s not really a better introduction to a band than catching their awesomeness live, and these guys are no exception. Taking a cue from Joe Strummer’s later work with the Mescaleros, these three Canadians play a fusion of dub, reggae, and ska, with Jay Malinowski’s soulful vocals leading the way, followed closely by Eon Sinclair’s crafty basslines being equally important to the mix. Expert production came in the form of Darryl Jennifer, who perfected the craft of reggae-infused punk rock as the bassist for Bad Brains. It’s not often that you find a group of this age playing this style of music—especially not in the “scene” they’ve landed themselves in. What’s considered by many to be the current “punk rock scene” has all but lost affiliation with the ska and reggae crowd, whereas at one time, these two factions were bridged by the Clash, and a few years later, in a more aggressive fashion, Operation Ivy. Though Bedouin Soundclash stays truer to the roots of said genres more than Strummer sought to, the same sentiments are found throughout, and Sounding a Mosaic is another record to add to the sounds that fit the summer. [www.bedouinsoundclash.com]