No Torso - Ready Already

I'd like to go on record and say that, after probably close to 100 listens, I'm certain that No Torso's "Ready Already" EP is the most inspiring ska release I've heard in my own lifetime. A bold and obviously biased statement, I know, but I've just never been so moved by a ska release in the admittedly short 20 years I've been alive.

The timing couldn't be better, either. It's pretty safe, I think, to say that ska music in general has been stagnant on a creative level for quite some time. I'm of the opinion that just about every band, save for the masters, has relied on a sound rehashed from any one of the major eras of ska music. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's impossible to deny that it's made for an incredible amount of horrible bands and records. In playing devil's advocate, there's a good chance that any outside observer would probably view the modern global ska scene as a murky cesspool of uninspired, unmotivated acts punctuated by a few gems. Effort has taken a back seat to hundreds of lazy attempts by half-assed bands.

No Torso, as I see it, is one of the very, very few bands to have actually gone back to the drawing board, and the result is something magnificent. It's a result similar to that of any of the aforementioned few bands that have taken the time and effort to rethink and re-imagine ska music and turned it into something wonderful. I'm reluctant as hell to name drop, but I can't resist drawing a parallel between No Torso and legends The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Much in the same way that the unquestionably revolutionary Bostonians were able to craft a completely fresh sound built on the foundation laid by the true pioneer's of ska music, No Torso is setting a new creative standard for our generation.

Unlike a vast (and I mean vast) majority of young ska bands, No Torso presents themselves in a way that suggests an apparent knowledge for authentic, traditional ska and rocksteady. Combined with top-notch musicianship (especially for their age, some of them can't even drink in the US), this is what makes for an unforgettable record.

So, this is a lot of incredible hype, I know, but it's hard to hold back with these guys.