Catch 22 in A Crowd of Its Own

by Scott Medeiros

New Jersey ska band Catch 22 finally whet the appetites of their fans by

releasing their second full-length album in September, “Alone In A Crowd.”

The album shows a more reflective side of the band, which up until this point

has been thought of as just another face in the mob of mid 90s ska bands.

“Alone In A Crowd” follows last spring’s 4 song EP, “Washed Up!” that

did relatively well on the college radio charts and fueled the appetite

of Catch 22’s growing fan base.

The album’s intro builds anticipation as to what the album will be like, going right into “Point The Blame,” a catchy single that has already received a wealth of airplay at college radio

stations across the country.

In its second week out, “Alone In A Crowd” has well exceeded expectations

by climbing up to number 47 on the College Music Journal charts. Victory

Records, seeing a bright future ahead with the band, has pulled out all the stops

with this album making it their top college radio priority for the

fall-winter period.

While “Washed Up!” was a more light-hearted venture for the band, “Alone In

A Crowd” shows the band has matured a great deal over the last year and even

more so than their original release, “Keasby Nights.”

The album is much more philosophical than its precursors, and attempts to be more than a radio- friendly album that markets itself off mentioning pop culture.

A pleasant surprise was to see that the song “Hard To Impress” was redone

for the new album. The song is more aggressive on “Alone In A Crowd” than it

was on “Washed Up!”

In an interview with Kevin Gunther, the band’s trumpeter, Gunther said

that he was particularly proud of the song “Bloomfield Avenue,” the band’s

own miniature “Stairway To Heaven.” The song even features violin to give the

album the added ambiance that makes this album more than just a one hit

wonder.

There is not a single song on this album that would cause a Catch 22 fan

to shudder. The album stays true to the reputation forged by the band over

its last two albums, but still allows their fans to grow with them as they

listen and experience the album.

The album is ska-core in every sense of the word. Although the album has many elements of ska, it also has a pop flavor, a pseudo-punk attitude, and a refusal to conform.

Another treat on the album is the song “Wreck of the Sloop John B,” a

lesser-known but familiar Beach Boys song. The song is slightly more

aggressive, but nonetheless, the intent of the song is clear and the cover

comes across beautifully.

“Alone In A Crowd” is further proof that Catch 22 goes beyond the standards

of most generic ska bands. The album shows no signs of being rushed and, all

in all, the production of the album is fantastic.

The album comes across as being slightly better produced than the last two albums, however, it isn’t so

overproduced that it sounds like a major label rehash of commercial ska of the past.

This album is recommended for those who want a break from the monotony of

many commercial ska bands. “Alone In A Crowd” stands out as possibly the best ska release of 2000.

5 Sinatras out of 5