album of the week: 6.1

Streetlight Manifesto
The Hands That Thieve
(2013)

why you'll love it:  music so powerful you'll become a one man army
why you'll hate it:  bad pacing, still has the ska-punk stigma

The story of Streetlight Manifesto needs to be written about in great detail years from now.  It's the ultimate example of how cruel and stubborn a record label can be.  I'd love to recall the whole tumultuous affair, dating all the way back to the mid-90s, but that would take ages.  All you need to know now is that Streetlight's back and forth with their record label (who has gone as far as canceling full albums, and removing their own content from the internet in efforts to NOT promote this band), is seemingly over with the release of The Hands That Thieve.  It really happened.  I'm listening to this album right now as I type this.

I could just write about the endlessly fascinating tales of horror Streetlight Manifesto has had with their label, but maybe I should drop that entirely and actually tough upon the music.  Streetlight is big band folk-rock outfit from New Jersey, grandfathered by Tomas Kalonky.  He had a taste of success in his formative years, writing a ska-punk album called Keasbey Nights, in a time where ska-punk was a big huuuuuge deal in New Jersey.  He abandoned ship suddenly and unexpectedly, to get a real world education, but returned to music about 5 years later.  From the ashes of Keasbey Nights came Streetlight Manifesto.

Kalnoky has always had a unique songwriting style.  A very sharp and speedy delivery.  Noir-esque lyrics seemingly about crime and poverty, but really about philosophy, religion, death, and so on.  The core foundation of Streetlight Manifesto's sound are a lot of horns and gang vocals; but tons of world music influences are what sets them apart. Whatever shame triggers that are going off in your brian due to the word "ska", subdue them right now.  You're denying yourself the joy of an incredibly talented, eclectic, and inspirational band.

The Hands That Thieve is just as an impressive and powerful piece of work as the band's previous two albums.  I'm a little exhausted by the pacing (probably one too many ballads in the second half), but the big "bring the house down" numbers are still giving me goosebumps with each listen.  "The Three of Us" is possibly the most thunderous song they've ever made; in both the multiple climaxes in the music, and fascinating metaphors and powerful statements in the lyrics.  "Oh Me, Oh My" continues to prove that Kalnoky writes the best songs about life and death.  

Every Streetlight album takes forever to happen, and thus never lives up to the hype.  It's only after repeated listens over a long time you realize how well crafted and thoughtful each of them are.  This album already has its hooks in me much more than Somewhere in The Between (2007), so I'm looking forward to further unraveling it with repeated listens.

I suppose this was more of a review of Streetlight Manifesto than the actual album.  Honestly, check any of their albums out.  They're probably one of the most under-appreciated bands in the world.