Punch the Clown – The Secret Life of – Review

Punch the Clown

The Secret Life of (Raj)
by Rowan-Morrison

As the interest in mainstream ska starts to skank its way back to the underground, there are a few stragglers left who should’ve been part of the hype. One of them is Davis, California’s Punch The Clown. On PTC’s third full-length release, their pop-oriented ska mixture of guitars, horns, and hooks is all over the place, alleviating the doppelganger effect. This particularly comes in handy with the two vocalists, seeing as how the female crooner sounds like a deadringer for No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani. Of course, this eight-member ensemble has been around since ’94, so the vocal similarity shouldn’t be used to write them off as bandwagoneers. Some of the highlights beyond the opening and closing Homer Simpson sound bytes are track six, which has a similar vibe to Los Hooligans cover of “Lady in Red,” and even more infectious is the funky percussion throughout “$10 Cigar.” If you like upbeat and wacky ska with offbeat rhythms and no metal overtones, then add this to your collection.
(321 South Main St. #4 Sebastopol, CA 95472)