Customer Reviews
An absolute masterpiece! - By: Luke Dawson, 02 May 2008 
There's not much else to say really.If you like ska this album will definately rock your socks off & pure genius is a serious understatement.Buy it & i guarantee it won't leave your stereo for months.
Pure Gold - By: A. Dodd, 03 Mar 2008 Utter the name Tomas Kalnoky to any self-respecting ska fan & not only will you be greeted with recognition but also with a pat on the back. It is an unsung victory when the biggest namein a genre is also one of universal idolisation, especially when these days every fan is a critic, hurling buzzwords like `sell-out' & `overrated' to every band on a major record label. Streetlight Manifesto, it seems however, has managed to douse the competition while still retaining every one of their fans.
Four yearsin the making, their latest offering Somewhere In The Between is finally released, & with much anticipation the boys from New Jersey can't slip up, lest their spotless reputation be tarred.
It does not disappoint. And their last album Everything Went Numb, critically acclaimed as the Bible of Ska, was a hard act to follow. It is obvious that the endless touringin the past four years has not faltered Streetlight, instead proves that the band has mobilised their efforts, & their battalion of fans. The record boasts a fuller, warmer sound, giving the listener a flawless well-rounded experience. Kalnoky himself has matured, giving his social commentary on various matters with song titles like `One Foot on the Gas, One Footin the Gave', while the band have pulled it together since the last time we saw them, with horn lines ranging from delicate to aggressive, stuttered to streaming & chirpy to melancholy. It's what you'd expect would happen if you gave Eric Clapton a trombone.
The album starts with the strongest opening track I've heard since Say Anything's Is A Real Boy, & it only gets better. The title track of the album is one of the best songs released this year, & not just ska-wise. Combating the somewhat clichéd trials & tribulations of life with prose such as "and somewherein the between, you live the life of which we all dream", it is done with such effectiveness that you will be singing along & shouting the back vocals after the first listen. The horn soloin the breakdown is played with grace & elegancein order to allow you gather enough energy to unleashin the final chorus that will give every ska band, old & new, a run for their money.
The rest of the album is on a similar par, & when so many ska albums fall short & become stagnant & repetitive after the fifth track, Somewhere In The Between prevails & provides song after song of very listenable material, ranging from the upbeat fast tempos commonin the genre, to the very Streetlight-esque down tempo, darker offerings.
And then it ends, clockingin at 44 minutes & 36 seconds, giving me the only negative aspect of the whole album. Or so I thought. Pondering over the short life of the album, I came to the conclusion that any longer & the boys run risk of falling into the trap of spewing out filler songs to pad out the CD. What we have here instead is 44 minutes & 36 seconds of pure gold,in contrast to the 5 or 6 minutes of two strong songs on an otherwise poor album that ska has been susceptible for far too long. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
top notch ska - By: Mr. R. G. Cairns, 14 Dec 2007 This album has been giving me sore ears...purely because i cant stop listening to it ,in the car...at work...on my ipod ! i always classed less than jake as my fav band , but since they have moved away from sounding ska i have got into other bands & streetlight manifesto are quickly becoming my fav band . this album is immense with fast , catchy songs that you can listen to over again . the horn section is superb & the vocals are top ! this has got to be my top album of 2007 . this is a must buy !!!
Fantastic - By: G. Rigby, 13 Dec 2007 As one of the other reviewers said, we've been waiting for this album for 4 years, & it was definately worth the wait for this superb album. If you arent sure whether or not this is for you then you should take a punt & buy this album, even if the Ska-Punk label (and the stigma that seems to be attatched to it for no good reason) puts you off, this is pure musical joy, plain & simple. Perfect melodies & a tightness that you rarely see with any type of band, let alone ska.
Only critism is that I feel the lyrics arent *quite* as good as those on Everything Goes Numb, this is probably down to EGN being my favourite album of the last 5 years, but still far outstrip any other lyricists out there at the moment.
The title track is probably my personal fave but it really is difficult to choose any track over any other.
Ive babbled long enough, hurry up & click buy, make your friends listen to it, spread the word, then see them live next yearin Feb touring with Reel Big Fishin the UK. :D
What can I say? I'll tell you! Amazing!! - By: J. D. Tree, 10 Dec 2007 I've often been tempted to write a review of an album before but I've always found that while the album's I've got have been great they've never made me want to sit down & write a review.
Finally though I can say this has changed. I'll leave the track breakdowns to those who've already done a great job. All i'll say is that if you're thinking of buying this album go ahead. Its probably the first time that i've thought to myself that I should go & get as many of my friends to listen to this albumin the hope that more & more people can appreciate its quality.
Now where's the button to give reviews more than 5 stars.....?
