Call of the Weasel Clan is the debut album of UK ska punk

Ska punk

Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...

 band Lightyear

Lightyear (band)

Lightyear were a UK 7-piece ska punk band. They formed in 1997 in Derby, England.They signed to Household Name Records in 2001, and the band released two full-length albums via the label...

, who originate from Derby

Derby

Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...

, it features a blend of ska

Ska

Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...

, pop punk

Pop punk

Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...

, hardcore

Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 and reggae

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...

 styles. It was released on October 10, 2001 by Household Name Records

Household Name Records

Household Name Records is a DIY punk rock record label, based in London, UK. It has been home to notable artists including Howards Alias, Lightyear, and Adequate Seven. It was started in 1996 by David "Lil" Giles and Katherine "Kafren" Vik to promote unknown UK bands...

 and has received critical acclaim from the likes of Kerrang!

Kerrang!

Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...

, who have described Lightyear as: 'pure ska like Sick Of It All

Sick of It All

Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...

 play hardcore, and it's as authentic as the Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...

, as English as The Specials

The Specials

The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...

, and as entertaining as Less Than Jake

Less Than Jake

Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...

'.

Several tracks include samples from various sources, including a quote from satirical TV series Brass Eye

Brass Eye

Brass Eye is a UK television series of satirical spoof documentaries. A series of six aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001....

 on "Shatner's Bassoon" and the following excerpt from Police Squad featuring Dick Clark in the introduction to "A Pack Of Dogs":

'Johnny, uh, some kids on the show yesterday mentioned a new kind of music – Ska. You
know anything about it?'

'Nothing but a modern off-shoot of Reggae, updated white rock influences...definitely
upbeat. It'll never become really popular, because even though they’ve made the backbeat
more conventional, it’s still too exotic for mass acceptance.' http://music.yahoo.com/read/interview/12030554

Track listing

1. "Tread Lightly Speak Dearly"
2. "24:04"
3. "Blindside"
4. "Three Basics"
5. "Bye Rights"
6. "They Left Today"
7. "Bomb Ibiza"
8. "Pre-Teen Propaganda"
9. "Shatner's Bassoon"
10. "George, My Shit"
11. "Positive Outlook"
12. "A Pack Of Dogs"

This album's name and cover was taken from a Native American painter named Urshel Taylor, who was not given credit. "Most tribes have clans. When they meet they have a good time dancing, feasting, and visiting with old friends. It's a good time to dress up and show off their outfits. In this painting, I thought it would be fun to reverse the clan."

Members

• Chas Palmer-Williams - Vocals
• Neil Draycott - Trumpet, Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
• Richard 'Bars' Barling - Bass Guitar and Vocals
• Neil 'Nelb' Cowie - Guitar
• Ben Ashton - Tenor Saxophone
• Jim Harrison - Drums
• Mark Wood - Trumpet

External links

• Household Name Records' profile of Call of the Weasel Clan