The Talks are a Kingston upon Hull based four piece that play ska punk around the
Yorkshire area and beyond. It's fitting having 'Kingston' in the title, when we
look at what the Kingston, Jamaica has given us over the years, including the
raw elements of The Talks, although their sound is firmly buried deep inside
Coventry 2 Tone ska. The four piece supported The Specials on their reunion
tour. Vocalist Neville Staple actually collaborated with The Talks on
last years "Can't Stand the Rain", the first single from West Sinister.
We
have a few things in common, The Talks and I. They sound similar to one my favourite
2 Tone artists The Beat, I share the same Fred Perry argyle sweater as bassist
Iain Allen, and we both listen to Leicester reggae export By The Rivers. Just
like "Mirror in the Bathroom", The Talks "Friday Night" is
a ska song with happy vibes. Like many American bands, The Talks have added a
'punk' sound to the mix, known as 3rd wave ska. "Friday Night" is the
second single taken from The Talks upcoming EP West Sinister.
I'm positively
not the only listener to be put off by an overdose of ska. Going through
my ska catalogue is a painful experience, because not all ska releases are
good, hell, only a few rare ska tracks are important and listenable as a
collection. One exception would be Toots & The Maytals who have always
impressed me, even live they have the skill, passion and vibe to keep
listeners entertained for hours. I wouldn't be able to cope with a ska
festival, my ears would drop off.
"Friday Night" is an interesting two
minute ska punk track. The bass / drums have been mixed well and the electric
guitar has a powerful, loud feature to it. Its noise and it's what punk
consists of. Without this extra musical nature, The Talks wouldn't have a platform
to work from. Bands in this genre can keep churning out the same old mediocre
music and never lose a fan for it. The Talks have more instrumentation to
belong in mediocrity. The keyboard riff is needed, as is the lack of guitar
on the bridge. Ska really does need variations to keep listeners entertained,
it's something The Beat have managed to do on all their albums, and in their
live performances over the past 30 odd years. The Beat can be an example to The
Talks, because having musical variations, structural changes and a meaningful
song can be the difference from short term, to long term - and the long term
vision of ska belongs in The Talks court.
~Eddie
