Mad Caddies

Dirty Rice (2014)

Ricky Frankel

Dirty Rice is the Mad Caddies' sixth full-length and it's their first release in seven years. They do have their ska punk/reggae feel on this album, but they've gone a little bit poppier with some songs like "Brand New Scar," "Down and Out" and "Back to the Bed." But don't let that throw you off because Dirty Rice is a pretty ska-dominated album with a lot of creative beats and rhythms. One song that probably has the most purely punk sound is a song called "Bring It Down" that has fast and distorted guitars that back up lyrics that have a fantastic message: "They're pushing the drugs and they market the fear/The police state is already here/So for now I pledge allegiance to hippies, punks, geeks and queers." Then a slower bridge section follows where the horn section plays the same notes that Chuck Robertson sings (a very nice touch), which is followed by a screaming guitar solo. The Caddies also mixed the louder and more distorted guitar with their reggae sound in a track called "Cali Song." It has a killer guitar intro that leads into a very slow, more traditional reggae song. Interestingly, they end Dirty Rice on a softer note. The last track, "Drinking the Night Away," is a ballad-esque, acoustic song that only consists of an acoustic guitar, some drums and a ukulele, all while maintaining their ska/reggae characteristics.

Overall, the Mad Caddies still have it. Seeing how this is their first new material in seven years, its pretty impressive that they were able to write such a solid album.

You can listen to the track "Down and Out" here.