The Managers: Special

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * *)


A ska band calling their album Special is a bit like a guitar pop band calling theirs Beatle. But the Auckland live institution might be forgiven their lack of originality. Especially as their debut album feels more of a roundup of their near-decade together and revolving-door line-ups than an attempt to drag the genre and the pork pie-hat look into the 21st century.

As such, it's hup-hup-hup energy almost all the way, right from the amusing beginnings of Capt Ska and their nifty cover of Split Enz' My Mistake which manages to up the fidget-factor of the original.

Many of the tracks don't go much past just being exercises in brassy ska vigour, and only a few tunes shine through the frenetic requirements of the genre.

That said, some such as live fave Loosenut sound amusingly berserk. The likes of Out of Breath benefit from a slower reggae pace and Charge!, with its tangential swerves into various national anthems shows the Managers deserve a gig at the next Olympics. And maybe an entry into the team sprint event.

Label: Global Routes