The more I think about your excellent point that ska is the lede, the more I disapprove of that review. Jon Caramanica completely drops his "ska is in their DNA" thing until the last graf. He never develops what could be an interesting idea (ska is mutant New Orleans rhythm and blues appropriated by Jamaican dance bands in the 1950s; it's always been a cross-border music), and he shows the mainstream rock critic's habit of condescending to the unfamiliar - Operation Ivy, broken up lo these 21 years ago, was neither "late period" nor a "ska revival" band.
The ultimate sign this is a bad review, though: I can't even tell if he likes the record. I will check it out on your recommendation, though.
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Date: 2010-01-17 03:08 am (UTC)The ultimate sign this is a bad review, though: I can't even tell if he likes the record. I will check it out on your recommendation, though.