Capdown - Pound For The Sound

Could 2003 be the year for ska's return? I doubt it. And for all the kids out there who like it, the haters outweigh us by several tons. Though Capdown's brand of ska is a far cry from the happy, sarcastic type you're probably used to, they still cling, white knuckled to the genre. Actually, to call Capdown simply a "ska" band would be to short them. The band is as much punk and hardcore as ska. They fall somewhere in between Cali-skacore band Link 80 and legendary UK crew, The Specials. Having toured with Less Than Jake, Bad Religion, and Reel Big Fish, Capdown has spread their name across the United Kingdom like herpes across my college campus. The 11-track Pound for the Sound might be hard to get used to. It isn't exacly melodic, and the aggression of the music really keeps it from being truly catchy. The horns are tight and the band seems to have a good idea of what they're doing, but little dinstinction between song changes and a rather stagnant mood are some of its downfalls. I won't say the album let me down, because I hadn't heard much of Capdown prior to this album. Furthermore, I also can't truthfully say that Capdown lives up to the hype that surrounds them. To clarify: every song here is pretty good, but nothing stands out. It's not a typical fun ska album, and it's just not engaging. [www.capdown.com]