Kicking it off with the title track, a soft buzz of the guitar chimes in before the horns signal the arrival of the band by leading the way for the action to begin. The drums jump in next, followed by the rest of the band. Coming together with a light-punk rock jam, the band is ready to rock and proves it by diving into some highly danceable ska. Bouncy and full of life, the music won't let you ignore it. It wants your full attention, and by the way your body moves and shakes you'll be giving it your attention. Even if the music is playing in the background while you do something else, you'll still notice your body moving to the tunes. When the chorus hits you might even go as far as I did and start singing along with it. "Carp" starts off with some horn-driven punk rock, before converting into some bouncy ska beats. At first the music seems a bit stale, but the percussion helps to prove that theory wrong. Very energetic and hard hitting, the drums get your feet bouncing around with them. And with your feet moving, the rest of the band is able to persuade the rest of your body to move. Dropping the upbeat for a few seconds, the guitar turns into a thick hammer, giving the song some muscle to flex. Then they slide right back into more bouncy ska, getting you dancing and singing along. "The Fly" has a nice organ hum start it off, before diving into some carnival ska. After a horn blast, the song then turns into one of the most energetic, intense, and humorous numbers on the album. Sweaty and fast, the number teases you with its fast upbeat, hard hitting drums, massive bass, and strong horns so much so that you can't take it anymore. You then bounce to your feet and dance along, of course, because its the only thing you can do. But if you must, you can sit down and enjoy the music while your upper torso shakes (as mine is doing right this instance, while I write this!). Because no matter what position you're in, this song has too much hyper beats not to rub off on you. "Misfit" has to be my favorite track on this CD. The verses are good and have a lot of bounce to them, but the chorus is so infectious and loaded with power I just can't resist this song. "Why am I such a misfit, I'm not such a misfit, I guess I should just quit," rings out through the chorus, and backed with the stop-and-go power of the snare drum I just become putty to the song. Ending with "S.R. Sexin'," they keep the up tempo, fast paced ska beats strong. So strong in fact that even though you're tired, you'll quickly jump and hit repeat to do it all over again.

Blindspot's brand of high-energy ska is very enjoyable. No matter what kind of mood you're in, this CD will call out your name and stick with you from the moment you hit the play button. I'll give this CD an A.

Blind Herd of Sheep: A Compilation of Berkeley High Bands

Blink 182: Dude Ranch

[Issue Nine // June 1998]