Review Summary: Somewhere In The Between expands upon the sound produced by Streetlight Manifesto in Everything Goes Numb, creating an album that has minimal flaws, and many, many strong points.
Streetlight Manifesto –
Somewhere In The Between
Expectations are almost never good things. High expectations can lead to disappointment upon the discovery that what one had been anticipating was actually not as good as they thought it would be, whilst low expectations can lead to the producers of whatever is being anticipated being lacklustre in their efforts and making something supremely subpar. So it was with some trepidation that I began to listen to Streetlight Manifesto’s
Somewhere In The Between, an album that many Streetlight fans have been waiting for for 4 years. Since the release of their 2003 masterpiece
Everything Goes Numb, Tomas Kalnoky’s (Streetlight Manifesto’s primary songwriter) album output has been notoriously slim, with only the rerecording of Catch 22’s
Keasbey Nights bridging the gap between 2003 and 2007. So, in theory, Kalnoky has had 4 full years to write this album, and try as I might, knowing all of this, it was impossible to enter into this album without a multitude of expectations. But were they fulfilled?
Were they ever.
The album begins with the first single
We Will Fall Together, and from the first boppy horn line, it’s obvious that this album is exactly what Streetlight are all about; fun, catchy ska punk tunes with clever lyrics and incredible hooks. The songwriting credits can be attributed almost completely to Kalnoky, whose lyrics are witty and whose song structures are intelligent. His ability to write lyrics is evident throughout the whole album, and range from a tale about a trip to hell (
Down, Down, Down To Mephisto’s Café) to the Carpe Diem-esque message in
Somewhere In The Between. The structure of all of the songs are always well thought out, never getting boring or dragging on, as for every chorus which is filled with hooks, there is also a horn solo or a change of pace or two to balance it out. And the choruses themselves are all catchy in the extreme, either having chanted, anthemic tones or memorable lyrics. The depth of
Somewhere In The Between is also quite a compliment to Kalnoky’s writing skills, as no 2 tracks sound the same, each song having its own distinctive qualitites. The only real similarities between tracks occurs between albums (surprisingly), with a few songs containing sections which are eerily reminiscent of
Everything Goes Numb, in particular the horn lines in
Forty Days, which have the same eastern tinged sound as those in
Here’s To Life. In a genre where repetition has come to be expected (read: Reel Big Fish), it’s refreshing to be able to sit through a full length album and hear some variety.
The instrumentation on
Somewhere In The Between is just as good as that on
Everything Goes Numb, with Kalnoky leading the band with his electric guitar work. The brunt of the band however, is composed of brass instruments, ranging from saxophones to trombones, and it’s obvious all the way through the album that the horn work has progressed a massive amount. The horns have several different tones throughout the album, and range from sombre (
The Receiving End Of It All), to upbeat and poppy (
Somewhere In the Between), to eastern European sounding (
Forty Days), ala Kalnoky’s other project, The Bandits Of The Acoustic Revolution. The use of horns has also been increased, as they now not only provide catchy overlapping lines, but also produce excellent solos (see:
The Blonde Lead The Blind) which often lend some songs jazzy undertones. The bass guitar is never extremely noticeable, however, when audible, is always interesting whilst keeping the rhythm at the same time. The only major disappointment in terms of instrumentation on this album is the drumming. Not only is it relatively low in the mix, but the drum fills and overall feel of the rhythm section is lacking, and rarely produces anything awe-inspiring. I mean sure, the drumming is fast, and the fills are pretty good, but it’s all been done before.
The vocal work on the album is another strong point, as Kalnoky continues to sing his heart out, albeit in generally the same tone. Whilst his singing is always heartfelt and matches the style of music perfectly, there is rarely any variation in his pitch, and whilst this isn’t a detractor, may get annoying upon repeated listens. The chanting in
Somewhere In The Between is another positive, as they make any song an instant sing-a-long. The flow of the album is also very good, as none of the songs sound familiar enough (at least in their order) to be a detriment to one’s enjoyment of the album.
We Will Fall Together begins the album with a heavier mood, before
Down, Down, Down lightens the mood with an upbeat, bouncy sound. And so it continues, with each song being different in mood, atmosphere and sound. There is only one track which is slightly weaker than the others (
The Blonde Lead The Blind), and it speaks volumes about the album that this song is still not a bad one by any stretch. Every single one of the tracks are genuinely interesting, in one way or another, all the way through.
Somewhere In The Between is pretty much everything that was expected of it; a progression from
Everything Goes Numb, with the signature Streetlight sound of catchy, technical, intelligent ska punk. With some great horn work, excellent songwriting and above average instrumentation,
Somewhere In The Between is one of the best albums of 2007, and might also be considered their best album with time. Either way, this album is a worthy addition to the already impressive legacy of Tomas Kalnoky, and is sure to please music fans of all kinds, as it is both accessible and fun.
Four and a half stars out of five
On
Somewhere In The Between, Streetlight were:
- Mike Brown - Alto and Baritone Saxophone, Backing Vocals
- Jim Conti - Alto and Tenor Saxophone, Backing Vocals
- Tomas Kalnoky - Guitar and Vocals
- Pete McCullaugh - Bass Guitar
- Mike Soprano - Trombone, Backing Vocals
- Matt Stewart - Trumpet
- Chris Thatcher - Drums
- JumpTheF**kUp (13th Review)
Don't judge me
