The Propagumghis - The Rise And Fall Of Nothing At All

The Propagumghis - The Rise And Fall Of Nothing At All
This UK 'meat free ska-core' band were around during the late '90s and early 2000s. This cd collects together various EPs and split releases along with some unreleased tracks.

The first two tracks are fierce, straight ahead punk tracks. The singer, Lee, has a classic punk rock voice, gruff with an aggressive edge like an angry Dicky Barrett. Barrett's band, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, are a point of reference here also (although I'm thinking their earlier material rather than the commercial, major label material) while the punk bits have a Capdown feel.

Red Reminders mixes fast punk with jaunty, bouncy ska. Moral Highground has a great memorable riff from the tight horn section. Label, Designate & Grade is the sunniest sounding track while Diluted is uptempo and dynamic. Today has it all; punk energy, bouncy, soulful ska and even some Clash style cod reggae.

There's an authenticity about their sound. The punk sounds angry and energetic, like it's been honed in dives up and down the country. There's a northern soul edge to parts of this, and the horns are punchy and memorable. The ska parts make me want to dance and, more importantly, don't sound cheesy.

I used to love this and would go and watch these guys play live all the time, but thought that time would have aged this badly. I suppose this isn't helped by the fact that I'm not the biggest ska punk fan, but this is still excellent.