Codename: Rocky
Infinity (2001)
Greg
The word "ska" tends to evoke a shudder in most people these days, which is very unfortunate for bands that can play it well. Codename: Rocky is a tight ska-core band with a big horn section consisting of two trumpets, a trombone and a sax. The horns often add to the background layers of the songs, and when they are in the foreground they often take a melody-countermelody approach with the horns splitting up, which they pull off well. They have a guitar player who gets the job done, just filling out the sound as is the case with most ska-core bands. No ten minute guitar solos, but he is the lead singer as well so we can forgive him. The bass playing shines in parts, and the drumming is solid with some impressive moments.
In overall sound, these guys take a fairly punk approach. In terms of the music, they remind me of Five Iron Frenzy and Less Than Jake. But they differ from these bands in that they play more like a punk band than a ska band that tries to play punk sometimes. They have a few double time fast punk beats in their songs and they don't sound awkward or forced at all, they are quite good at it actually most likely thanks to their drummer. The ska portions are few and far between, and when they do play them, it is in the normal quick ska-core style, no reggae or two-tone tracks here. (I know you wanted themâ¦)
The singing is generally good, and again to give you an idea, I will compare with bands that everyone has heard. He has a voice quality of Dexter from the Offspring (but not quite as annoyingâ¦sorry) or a less-gruff Chris from LTJ. They also have some vocal harmonies that add a lot. The lyrics are nothing groundbreaking, just the normal girl-songs, but they work with the music's style.
"Infinity" falls at a running time of roughly 28 minutes with 8 tracksâ¦CD or EP? Either way, it is overall an upbeat disc, but with an acoustic track ("The World to Lose") at the end. Though it is not the best track on the disc, it is better than most token acoustic tracks on CDs these days, with a neat classical-ish guitar lead at parts. A stand-out track would be the opener "Oh Lonely Nights" which has a great horn intro over break-neck speed punk, and a really cool transition in the verses from fast punk to half speed for a split second and right back. The fourth track "My Heart in Hand" is also good, a mostly ska track with a punk chorus that has a great vocal melody over tasteful horns.
Codename: Rocky does nothing earth-shaking, but they do play tight ska-core. If you like this kind of music you will most likely like them. Check out their site for more info on them.