Sound Check
By Angel Bennett
(April 25, 1997)

Buck-O-Nine - Twenty-Eight Teeth
(TVT Records)
Release Date: 4/22/97

This, their third full-length album, is a fruit punch made of Buck-O-Nine's best influences; Operation Ivy, The Clash, and The Specials. Okay, so mixing ska, punk, and reggae is no longer "new," but that wasn't the case when Buck-O-Nine started making this flavor over five years ago. Thanks to Sublime and No Doubt mainstream pallets have become accustomed to the fun taste of fast guitars grooving into a dance hall skank. Buck-O-Nine's sly humor and boundless energy shine particularly bright on "Record Store" and "What happened to my Radio?" and will no doubt (no pun intended) prove that if there is a "ska throne" to inherit, Buck-O-Nine deserves the crown. And if the album art looks reminiscent of Blockhead Skateboard graphics circa 1989 don't worry, both were created by the talented designer Ron Cameron.

visit bobgoblin.com

Bobgoblin - The Twelve-Point Master Plan (MCA)
Release Date: 4/8/97

The ranks of bands that have become synonymous with perfect pop-rock such as; Cheap Trick, The Cars, and Jellyfish, have been infiltrated by the new foursome, Bobgoblin. Shrouded in a fantastically fictional biography, the band joyously delivers the sound of the future (2036 AD to be exact). If you follow the plot laid out in the liner notes and play the movies on the enhanced CD, you'll learn that Bobgoblin is comprised of government spys-turned freedom fighters, who (in a Ziggy Stardust kind of way) are living and creating this pop extravaganza through their characters. The resulting twelve songs are designed to overtake your audio-neural sensibilities and infuse your brain with pop-coated messages from the resistance. Bobgoblin has arrived; resistance is futile.

Climb - [ real audio ] [ .wav ] [ .aiff ]
Nine - [ real audio ] [ .wav ] [ .aiff ]
Pretty In My Uniform - [ real audio ] [ .wav ] [ .aiff ]

Daft Punk - Homework (Virgin)
Release Date: 3/25/97

France is often accepted as the romance capitol of the world, but with the release of Daft Punk's exhilarative debut, France may become the capitol of new wave dance music as well. The youthful Daft Punk duo: Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter wash you in sound so invigoratingly unpretentious that dancing is not an option, it's an imperative! The Debut is teeming with delirious grooves like "Around The World" and the Uber-vivid "Da Funk" (which has already topped several European pop charts). From thunder-thick beats to simple handclaps, and soothing drones to piercing flashes of glam-disco, Daft Punk embody the jollity that house music is all about. Homework is the best thing outta France since the French kiss!