REVIEW: Dance Hall Crashers, Blue Plate Special (MCA)
- Jason Cahill
When it comes to EP's, bands like Luscious Jackson and Alice In Chains set the standard with "In Search of Manny" and "Jar of Flies" respectively. These albums, albeit abbreviated, contained enough new and challenging material to equal, in content if not size, most full length major label releases. At some point, however, the EP changed from a format where new ideas were explored and risks were taken to one which became synonymous with terms like "throwaways" and "b-sides". Now when a band releases an EP it's usually to support one new single, with little concern for content. What was once an outlet for musical experimentation, the EP has fallen far down the music ladder, securing itself just one rung beneath the remix album. Sure, bands will tell you that it's a format which gives their audience an opportunity to hear previously unreleased songs (i.e. songs that weren't good enough to make the albums in the first place) and one or two new singles, but discerning fans should spot the obvious lack of effort a mile away. The latest band to opt for the EP format, while at the same time preparing their next full length release, is the San Francisco ska band Dance Hall Crashers.
The album, Blue Plate Special, is the band's third for major label MCA and contains six songs, only one of which was never before available. In addition to the songs, the CD also acts as a CD-Rom, complete with four of the band's music videos, band photos and links to DHC related internet sites. Not bad considering a list price of just below six dollars, but the question which remained was whether such a DHC fan oriented release would appeal to the average listener simply looking for some adrenalized ska sounds. The answer, of course, lies in the music.
The album opens with "She's Trying", a track originally released as a part of Taylor Steele's film soundtrack to "The Show". In typical DHC fashion, the song combines fast paced ska beats with the dueling voices of lead vocalists Elyse Rogers and Karina Denike. Another track, "Lady Luck", first appeared on the soundtrack to "Meet The Deedles" (try finding that in a record store). There isn't much to distinguish this song from anything DHC has recorded in the past, but it still serves as a perfect example of how DHC are able to perfectly mesh traditional ska sounds with their melodic pop sensibilities. The album's finest track, and perhaps reason enough for purchasing Blue Plate Special, is "All Mine", a song from DHC's 1997 release "Honey I'm Homely". The song, a remix by Sam Sever, who has worked with everyone from the Beastie Boys to 3rd Bass to Big Audio Dynamite, is given a completely new dimension as Sever skillfully adds textured piano loops and understated beats to an otherwise generic song, giving it much needed life.
The remainder of Blue Plate Special, however, fails to distinguish itself from anything else in DHC's modest catalog, breaking no new ground, taking no new risks. An acoustic version of "Shelley", a song featured on 1995's "Lockjaw", is little more than filler and "I Did It For The Toys", DHC's contribution to the Christmas season, seems slightly out of place, an afterthought. As for the videos and Internet links, they are interesting to look at once, but any repeated viewing seems unlikely even for the band's biggest fans. In fact, with the exception of one or two standout tracks, Blue Plate Special is an EP which, like so many others, represents a missed opportunity to bring creativity and distinctive flavor to an otherwise lifeless and hackneyed format. Recommended only for core fans.
