Reviews

There are three things I remember from junior year Warped Tour: The Ataris singing Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” not being able to afford water, and the Mad Caddies.  Of all that (it’s a lot, I know) the Caddies were the most enjoyable.  Not that dehydration isn’t fun.
 
Well the Caddies aren’t on Warped this summer. Instead, they released an enjoyable, mellow and notably more mature sounding album, Keep It Going, their fifth full-length.  “Mature” can be a pretty scary title for long-standing fans of any band, but in the Caddies case, I’m pretty sure it’s a good thing.
 
Keep It Going is predominately a reggae album, mixed with some ska, swing, polka, and even a little Latin flavor.  Although the Caddies have been known to throw some punk sounds on their albums, this isn’t really one of them; any punk influence is pretty minimal.  Not that this is a bad thing.  These guys are musically talented and entrenched in a variety of styles, and they bring that talent to each style they play.
 
The album starts out with a fast kick, immediately followed by a slowing of pace, sticking with a reggae-ska groove.  As usual, there’s a huge mix of peripheral sounds going on as well, especially with the excellent horns section. Some songs sound like they could be played in a smoky jazz club in the thirties, while others could be heard in a Polish polka club or perhaps while knocking back a few south of the border.  The various styles actually serve to complement each other, making the album hang together quite well.
 
There are no gaps in quality when it comes to lyrics either.  Generally, they fit well with the music and sound great coming out of Chuck’s mouth.  With pretty much every base covered, this is an absolutely solid release off Fat Wreck (which, come to think of it, has exclusively put out pretty solid releases lately).
 
With Big D and the Kid’s Table’s recent release and an Aggrolites due out later this summer, the season is shaping up to be a good time for reggae.  Even after the leaves start turning, Keep It Going will still be a standout record, sure to keep Caddies fans happy.