Like a veteran athlete who has seen better days but still demands respect, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones are still plugging away with little, if any, stylistic change, and that is pretty remarkable.
Their latest album, “The Magic of Youth,” is chockfull of all of the elements that have defined the band’s sound since its inception: Loud chainsaw-like punk guitars, bouncy, poppy ska rhythm, a horn section bleating away in the background, and Dicky Barrett’s gravelly vocals. However, while the album title hints toward a project full of youthful energy, the reality is that the band is showing its age just a bit.
In typical fashion for the Bosstones, the album contains a mix of songs that, at times, seem to be polar opposites of one another. Tracks like “The Daylights,” “Like A Shotgun” or “They Will Need Music” are loud, rabble-rousing, fist-in-the-air anthems sure to get the listener energized and ready to take on the world. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are calm and quiet numbers like “Disappearing” or “Sunday Afternoons On Wisdom Ave,” slowing the tempo down to tell a story or teach a lesson. Both have their place on the album and work well together, but sometimes it feels as though that pendulum is swinging just a bit too far back and forth.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have created a system that works, and the band still does so far better than any of its peers who have ever made an attempt to blend ska and punk. “The Magic of Youth” follows in that groove perfectly, and the result is an album which doesn’t contain any surprises but isn’t exactly groundbreaking either. The band has made a reasonable attempt at holding onto some of the energy of its past while also being mature and introspective, but “The Magic of Youth” needs a little something more to be held in the same high esteem as some of the Bosstones’ other work.
Rating: W W W
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