Skeleton

Is it good to label yourself into a musical genre or do you let the overpaid journo come up with the goods and brand you something you are clearly not? Or worse still let them come up with something as ridiculous as ‘Nu Rave’ for anything that has a tiny bit of a 90’s dance influence… Well in this instance, Abe Vigoda (the band not the very famous actor who starred in the Godfather) got in there first, proclaiming themselves to be Tropical Punk and it's as good a description as any to grasp what these boys from California are all about. The LA-based band mix afro-Caribbean sounds with stentorian guitars at break neck speed that invite you in to enjoy the party.

As regular's on the stage of the famous Smell Club in LA - an all ages nest for those wishing to witness the DIY Punk movement - Abe Vigoda have played with No Age, Mika Miko and HEALTH yet are more comparable in ethos with all quite individual in sound. Skeleton, the band’s third long player in three years after Sky Route/Star Roof and Kid City starts perfectly with 'Dead City/Waste Wilderness' throwing you right in the middle of a high-octane soundscape that you won't want to leave. Because the album is a brisk 32 minutes long, it's velocity is swift.

The wonderfully timed ‘Bear Face' would almost have you thinking of Vampire Weekend, only with ten times more zest and spunk, a tougher vocal and probably the best drumming on an album this year from Reggie Guerrero. Other highlights include ‘Animal Ghosts’ which has a spirited Animal Collective pathos and ‘Cranes’, a more straight forward rock song that will linger a bit longer in your head than some of the other album tracks.

It all combines to make Skeleton a refreshing release in a year when Indie rock has dominated the music press. Get it before they do.