The Resignators

See You in Hell (2011)

GlassPipeMurder

The Resignators hail from Melbourne, Australia, playing a lively brand of ska that falls somewhere between the vacillating 2-tone of the second wave with a lighter, cleaner version of modern ska-punk.

Somewhat akin to an Australian 21st century Toasters, the Resignators are energetic and occasionally aggressive with barely a trace of distortion in the flurry of upstrokes that populate each track. Brassy, fresh, and sprightly, See You in Hell is a competent–if noticeably uneven–collection of 10 brisk tunes comprising their sophomore effort on Stomp.

The first two tracks (including the opening title track) pass by rather unassumingly, with some nice instrumentation but not much melody to speak of. This changes with "Told Me Twice", a swingin', nearly call-and-response number that's catchy without being overly ebullient and hyper. The next track, "Sins of the Father" seems to zap the energy that was building with a relaxed reggae rhythm but nothing particularly memorable despite a nice horn solo.

Songs like "Taco Burrito", "Booze and Tattoos" and "Rage" demonstrate the often vapid nature of the lyrical content, with "Booze and Tattoos" being the only of the three whose music clearly makes up for it. "Train Robbaz" sounds a little like Five Iron Frenzy with a verse that sounds ripped straight from Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero". "Shape I'm In" barely seems to have any melody at all.

Qualms aside, there are some fantastic songs on See You in Hell. Despite the subpar lyrics, "64 Reasons Why" packs a humongous hook that's the best of the album and one of the best ska tunes in recent memory. "I Farken Love You" closes out the record with goofy lyrics, but a pretty decent arrangement that rounds out the set in nice fashion.

With some solid hooks, impressive musicianship, and a lot of bad lyrics, See You in Hell is a mixed bag of Australian ska. It's got some mildly enjoyable tunes, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.