Los Furios

Warning Shot (2004)

fistchode

This is what ska should sound like, plain and simple. It creates the atmosphere of a good time, without being a superficial joke. It has many influences that come from outside the ska/punk world: Latin music (which I know nothing about), jazz (which I know less about), and some of that urban stuff that the kids are ravin' about. There is a political song that, while isn't mind-blowing, should not be lumped with the slew of mindless trendy political shit that annoys us all. There's songs about life, songs about hardcore shit, songs about girls, songs that sound like they're in Spanish, and therefore I have no idea what they're about.

That's all irrelevant though. Totally fucking irrelevant. What's important is the skankability of this record, and let me tell you, it's incredibly fucking skankable. The problem I have with most ska/punk bands (I should take this occasion to mention how Los Furios are not a ska/punk band, but a ska band. When I ripped the CD to my computer, Windows Media Player had the "idea" to call them reggae, semen on that), is that it's near impossible to do anything but start a pit and go apeshit to them. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going apeshit, but that's why I listen to punk, and when I hear ska I want to have a positive atmosphere where everyone is shakin' what they got with a giant smile on their face. Warning Shot is the perfect music for that. The words are easy to sing along to, the music is easy to dance to. There's no bullshit negative energy to make us feel cool here. It's rad.

To close off this review, I'll do an introduction. Los Furios are a ska band from Vancouver, BC. Another review I read called them the kings of said city's ska scene. That sounds stupid. Let's just say they're really good, and when people go to their shows, they have fun, and the band has fun, and there's a lot of fun all around. I doubt kings could shake it like that while being drunk (and possibly stoned). Let's hope this band stays attitude-free, and remains to know all about havin' a good time while writing some decent lyrics.