Grim Luck! in short sounds like the Arrogant Sons of Bitches met Gogol Bordello in a dark alley and then spent the night having a wicked awesome jam session. If that doesn't immediately pique your interest in this band, then I don't know what will. The fact that the album is up for free download only makes it that much better.
The album kicks off with the instrumental track "Grimoture," giving a slight peek into the instrumentation used on the rest of the album, showcasing the band's horn section as well as slight peeks into the stringed instruments used. Overall, a pretty solid intro, perhaps a little slow, but still solid. The second track, "Isabelle Blue," is where the band's chaotic sound and massive amounts of energy are truly shown. The track starts with what sounds like a bongo part building over a quote before bursting into a hectic chorus backed by an amazingly strong horn part. The song is just overall a lot of fun, and the chorus is sure to eventually get caught in your head, as well as the "Nah nah nah"s at the end of the song.
Song number three immediately gets points in my book as it is about possibly one of the weirdest/greatest shows ever, the Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. The song, "Going to Candied Island," begins with a hectic rush of horns and drums before settling into a more steady gypsy/ska part. Near the middle there is a nice little break with an absolutely awesome string part. Definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album. The next song, "Grim Fantango!," is another fun instrumental track akin to the opening track. The fact that no energy is lost with these instrumental tracks is truly impressive.
After that comes "The Volga Boatmen!," a fun song that immediately makes me think of pirates, and isn't the strongest track, but still enough to keep you interested. After this song comes the straight ASOB-styled ska song "Stubborn!" Some of the best horn lines on the entire album are present here, and you can't help but want to skank listening to it. Skipping ahead, the album's eighth track, "Monarchs Can't Dance Like the Punx Can," is truly the best song on the entire album. Alternating between chaotic ska/punk passages and gypsy passages, this song packs one hell of a lot of energy. The chorus is bound to get stuck in your head, and the song is bound to make you want to move.
Overall, Grim Luck! is one of the most unique ska-punk bands I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. The only real shame is that this band won't tour, keeping their audience very limited. I imagine that with a sound as unique as this they would get noticed almost instantly though.