If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Lisa Johnson This one is a Big Deal(TM). We all desperately want an Operation Ivy reunion, and we seemed to be just a step or two away back in February of last year when Jesse Michaels joined Tim Armstrong on stage for a rendition of the punk legends' iconic song "Sound System." We're not quite there yet, but the pair have formed a new band, Bad Optix. They've released a new single, and it's spectacular. Even if it wasn't a project featuring Jesse Michaels and Tim Armstrong, "Raid" would be considered a great song. It's a laid back but down and dirty ska song. At this point, they definitely can afford to make a shiny and clean song in a fancy studio, so the aesthetic choice to make this sound like an older recording is perfect. I can't imagine any fans of Operation Ivy, Rancid, or any other associated projects aren't going to adore this song. You can listen to "Raid" below. The single is out now via Hellcat Records ...

Photo via Facebook It's been interesting seeing the reaction of Bosstones fans to the band's new singles. The first two ("The Final Parade" and "I Don't Believe in Anything") have been fairly divisive, with fans either loving or hating the songs. For the record, personally I loved "The Final Parade" but didn't really care for "I Don't Believe in Anything," and I've seen others declare the exact opposite. For their latest single, "The Killing of Georgie (Pt. III)," fans seem to be united in appreciation for the song. It seems to be making even the crankier, older fans happy, which is interesting since it's definitely a more mellow, less raucous song than their early material. Maybe it's just that "The Killing of Georgie (Pt. III)" seems to embody the spirit of the early ska-core favorites, just an older, more mellow, middle aged version. Which pretty much describes us all at this point. Plus, it...

Photo via Facebook The word "epic" doesn't usually apply to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but their latest single is epic in both length and scale. Coming in just shy of eight minutes long, "The Final Parade" is about three to four times the length of the ordinary Bosstones song. Dicky Barrett has called this new song "a love letter to ska music and the people that make ska music," and "The Final Parade" is certainly more ska than anything else the Bosstones have ever put out. This isn't ska-punk, and it's certainly not ska-core. And then there's the amount of guest stars involved in this song. It's a tired joke that ska bands consist of huge amounts of musicians, and the Bosstones alone have nine members ordinarily. How many guest stars could "The Final Parade" possibly have? If my count is correct, it's thirty one: Tim Armstrong (Rancid) Aimee Interrupter & The Interrupters Stranger Cole Angelo Moore (Fishbo...