Telegraph
Quit Your Band
Jump Up! Ska
Telegraph’s new six-song release is a pleasant enough diversion, while it’s playing. It’s poppy, melodic ska-punk that doesn’t grate or irritate. The only problem is that it’s eminently forgettable, too – so much so that I kept having to put it back on to remember which track was which, even after repeated listens. This may be due to the fact that Quit Your Band was recorded in three different sessions with almost completely different line-ups at each session. It’s hard to get a cohesive picture of the band that way, and I believe that’s probably why this record is not particularly memorable. “Silly of Me (demo version) and “American Way (live)” each appeared on a recent Jump Up! comp, Ska American Way, in stronger versions. Unfortunately, they’re also the best songs here, so that doesn’t say much for the rest of the record, which has two more new songs, and another demo and live track each. I’m not saying Quit Your Band is a bad record – it’s not, by any stretch – but it’s nothing to get overexcited about, either. Fans will like it, and it makes decent background music for everyone else. Jump Up! Records, 4409 1/2 Greenview, Suite 2W, Chicago, IL 60640; http://www.mcs.com/~jumpup/WWW/homepage.html
