Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 11/13/2007
Run Time: 44:28
Although
Somewhere in the Between is the third full-length release by
Streetlight Manifesto, longtime fans are more likely to view it as the band's sophomore effort. 2006's
Keasbey Nights was, for all intents and purposes, a refurbished replica of the
Catch-22 album by the same name, complete with the same vocalist and few (if any) musical changes. This makes
Somewhere in the Between the band's first effort of all-original material in nearly five years, and
Streetlight Manifesto is no longer the fresh-faced group that once rose from
Catch-22's
ska/
punk ashes. They've spent a half-decade on the road, touring with
ska stalwarts like
Reel Big Fish while weathering lineup changes and several robberies of their equipment-filled van. Losing treasured bandmates and expensive instruments would dampen anyone's spirits, and
Streetlight Manifesto does sound a bit less reckless here, but not at the expense of the group's peppy
ska/
punk appeal. While 2003's
Everything Goes Numb saw vocalist
Tomas Kalnoky rushing through his lines, cramming them chock-full of syllables and raspy melodies,
Somewhere in the Between shows him improving as a lyricist and vocalist. The rasp is still there, but so is a focused tone that we haven't heard before, particularly during the subdued intro to
"Down, Down, Down to Mephisto's Café." Despite his improved vocals,
Kalnoky remains the most punked-out member of the band, whose other members play their horn lines and guitar chords with crisp, bright precision. It's this balanced relationship -- clear orchestration and jaunty tempos paired with rasped melodies about the macabre (
"Would You Be Impressed"), war (
"Watch It Crash"), and sin (
"Forty Days") -- that ultimately governs the album, and even if
Somewhere in the Between can't match the raucous nature of the band's debut, it's nevertheless a catchy follow-up.
~Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
;)
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