Search - Streetlight Manifesto :: Keasbey Nights

Obviously clueless.

JURIBE | 07/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've read some reviews of this album that say it's an exact duplicate of the original Keasbey Nights. These people obviously either don't listen well, or they don't understand music. There are so many differences, and I still find some when I listen to the album for the 100th time. The horn lines are nearly all more intricate, the bass on this album is absolutely astounding, there are lyrical alterations, and the solos are beautifully done.



Someone else said that Tomas needs to realize that music is for fans to listen to. What? No, it isn't. Making music is a way of expressing ones self, and if other people buy it, it's an added bonus. If you listen to the final track, it was either he re-record it with SM, or they (the label) re-release it with no real changes. But even that shouldn't have to be explained, because no musician should be making music to make fans happy. That would be like an author writing a book that he doesn't like, or a visual artist making a drawing/painting that they wouldn't purchase themselves. Artists are in NO way using their talent just to please the masses. If they are, they aren't true artists, plain and simple.



I fully recommend this album. I still listen to the original, and you can't compare the two and say which is better, because it wouldn't be fair to either record, because they're both wonderfully good."

Change is Good.

James The Mayo Man | 03/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The mastermind behind the original Keasbey Nights, an album hailed as one of the best ska albums of all time, Tomas Kalnoky, has re-recorded the album with his new comrades who make up Streetlight Manifesto.

Many people will be criticizing him for touching up a record that many love for its raw and unpolished sound, but that's not what Tomas wanted. According to the interview at the end of the record (spoken by computerized voices of the Hawking type) they wanted to 'get it right for once'. All of the tracks have something different, some of them much more noticeable than others, with added verses, horn parts, etc.

Now for tracks.



1. Dear Sergio: The added verse (The one from BOTAR) adds a lot to the song and seems much like a epilogue to an old fan favorite. The chorus is also much better on this version. 9/10

2. Sick and Sad: As much as I liked the original, this one was so much better. A much better guitar, horn parts that are punctuated, especially the bone, and vocals that are much cleaner make this track one of the best on the album. 10/10

3. Keasbey Nights: Sounds much like the original but the bari sax gives it more backbone. 8/10

4. Day in Day out: Greatly improved from the first album. This is the first track where you can really tell the change in Kalnoky's voice from eight years, losing some of the raspiness. The background vocals that were added to the chorus really give it a lot of flaver. 10/10

5. Walking Away: Cleaner bassline at the beginning sets the stake high for the rest of the song but it does not dissappoint. The solos are all different which was a nice surprise hearing the talent of the musicians. 9/10

6. Giving up, Giving in: Fuller guitar, being the main force of this song as there are no horns, bring this track out and show that Kalnoky isn't limited to playing lightspeed upstrokes. 7/10

7. On and On and On: One of my favorites from both albums. One of the best moments of the original album was the last 45 seconds of this song, so i was really hoping for an improvement on this one. By golly i was so pleased when i heard it break out at about 2:24. 9/10

8. Riding the 4th wave: Major changes to this song with just about every solo changed and an acoustic guitar added to the originally flute-solo intro. 8/10

9. This one goes out to..: A once-overshadowed song becomes one of the prominent tracks on this album thanks to the superb horn section - four guys can do a lot with experience. Vocals are still stronger than ever, not to mention a dynamite Sax solo that makes this song. 10/10

10. Supernothing: Sounds basically the same with some minor changes, mostly the tweaked horn harmonies. 8/10

11. 9mm and a three piece suit: While this song is still amazing and was one of their most popular, it is being overshadowed by the improvements to other tracks while generally leaving this one as it was besides cleaning up the bass and bone. I do like the rddddddddd noise though. 8/10

12. Kristina she don't know i exist: After hearing Walking Away's new solos all i could expect was that this song, chock full of them, would also have new ones, and i was right. Fun. 7/10

13. As the footsteps die out forever: I wasn't too happy with the quality of musicianship on the last album and this song really epitomizes how they are much better at playing now, especially if you listen to one right after the other. 9/10

14. 1234 1234: The best part about the track is the interview at the end, as the song (which ends at about 3:50) is basically the same. 8/10



Average: 8.6

Buy this album. You will not want to skip any track, period."

Distinguishing Maturity

Jon 4th waver M | 04/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Altho Keasby was an amazingly stellar Third wave ska album, Tomas Kalnoky's voice is probably the first thing I noticed, but outside of that the music is much reworked. And the fact is that all the musicians in Streetlight Manifesto are at least twice the muscians in Catch 22. This new album was Kalnoky's way to advert Catch 22 from re-releasing Keasby untouched because if there is one thing he hates about music is when a band re-releases an album un re-recorded with just some remade cover art, as a ploy to make more money, also he hopes no one will realize that they are esentially "paying $13 for an album they already own" he stated Toung in cheek. If you listen to all the talking at the end of 1234, 1234 they have the full reason why this album was released, as well as a computer voice (the same voice the rest of the ending talking was in so i'm assuming that it is Kalnoky's) Said over and over again "Weither or not a single record is sold, we're going to keep doing what we do." I rest my case and no matter what anyone says Thomas Kalnoky will keep redefining the ska industry in my opinion.



Post script.



If i could give this record more than 5 starts i would, but in all honestly i just have to say this album, although post 3rd wave on it's current, may just bring about a 4th wave, in spiring older ska band to get back together and reworking albums that are already great. but that's just my opinion and if you say anything different that's called your opinion and you are entitled to it no matter how wrong you are."