From Castillo Y La Rabia's "Si Vuelves" to Los Defactos with their contribution "Baila Conmigo," this album is definitely musically great. Track four by Skatala is a very upbeat ska song with a great horn section. It is sure to please anyone! Soft mellow drums start off track five, "Kolore Bizia" by Negu Gorriak, before the ska guitar picks everything up and starts the dance craze! At this point your jumping up and down dancing along to the song. This happens to be my favorite track on the album. Then we come to track ten. It starts off pretty heavy, with a big emphasis on the vocals, and then it slows down, the guitar mellows, and the vocals calm down. At this point it's a very upbeat song that will get you moving in your spot. Track seventeen starts off with some piano while the vocalist is introducing the song, I believe. Some mellow horns play into the steady beat, the vocalist says something, and then everything starts to get faster.

Overall this was musically a great album. The tracks had a lot of power to them, and the music was enjoyable. But the one thing that took away from it was the fact I couldn't understand what they people were saying. I love the idea of letting the consumer know about ska in other countries, but to not understand what the bands are saying just took away from it. Some may enjoy it, and some may not be able to handle it. I was one of the ones that couldn't handle it. I would have to give this CD a B-. I put a lot of emphasis on vocals and lyrics, and this time I couldn't understand them. But don't get me wrong, the music was great!

Moodswings: Horizontal

Mooney Suzuki, The: Electric Sweat

[Issue One // July-August 1997]