I often rant and rave about the ska scene in Wisconsin and Minnesota. It seems like bands in this region just feed on and amplify one another, inspiring each other to be even better. Something To Do, out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is one of those bands that constantly blows me away. I’ve seen them live a few times; in fact, I just saw them last month, and it was better than ever. In 2024 they released Sweet Caffeination, an album of eleven songs, several of which have made their way into my favorites. They are talented musicians writing incredibly upbeat songs with incredible production. Everything feels so clean, begging me to sing along.
This latest album is titled A Little Misdirection, and the cover artwork includes a demon and a magician. The album is full of little references to magic, showmanship, and misdirection of other sorts. Sometimes it’s obvious, and other times it is much more subtle.
A little over a month ago, they dropped the first single for the album, “Hocus Pocus Brain”. I immediately knew this album was somehow going to be even better than the last. That single might already be my favorite song Something To Do has released, which is no small task. Along with being the first prerelease single, it’s also the intro track on the album. I wrote a full review on that song, so I don’t want to spend much time on it here. But it is such a damn good song, with an incredible and catchy horn dominant intro that sets the tone for not just the song, but the whole album. The building and releasing of tension through the verses and choruses are perfect.
The second prerelease single (and third track), “I Only Notice The Beat”, has a completely different vibe, with a steady, persistent rhythm and beat, and a vocal melody that somehow manages to constantly be descending. I’m in love with the vocal melody, the guitar rhythm, the drums, and the horns, but I never seem to be able to put it all together. Instead, I keep getting stuck on the beat. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine: Just one more listen, I’ll get it this time, but if I don’t, I’ll blame the beat, beat, beat, beat.
Something To Do manages to write some of my favorite horn melodies, or maybe they just produce them extremely well. But every time I hear that trumpet, it hits just perfect, and that is as true in “Someone I Can’t Deny” as it is in any song. This song does something extremely fun with gang vocals, where every line in the verses is followed by “Oh yeah” or “Oh no”. While I haven’t heard this song live, I bet it’s incredibly fun to be in the audience participating. The chorus actually serves to break up the verses to make it not feel too much like a gimmick, and the horns punch between the verses to make the entire song hit just right.
Upon listening through the album, one of the songs that stands out the most is “You Never Sent Me One Of Your Band’s T-Shirts”. The song has a different vibe and sound; I think it’s because the horns and most of the music drop out, except for the drums and a simple rock guitar rhythm, during the verses. The music in this song has so many fun transitions, solos, and changes, yet it keeps returning to the same themes.
Another song that really stands out is “I Like That I Don’t Like You Any More”, the perfect song for getting over someone, with the perfect group vocals. I really wanna sing along with this song in concert.
While most of the songs deal mostly with interpersonal relationships, or are incredibly funny songs about hating cilantro (trust me, it’s a great song), the last two songs I’m going to discuss have much more political themes. As always, these are my favorite themes in music, because I strongly believe that art is inherently political.
“Living on Thoughts and Prayers” has several allusions to Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer,” which is fucking incredible, brilliant, and clever songwriting. Beginning with the familiar lyrics “Johnny used to work on the docks” to a completely different rhythm, the song then continues: “But then they broke the union and replaced him with an AI robot that talks.” What a fucking apt description of the current world. The rest of the lyrics stray from the concept of Bon Jovi and focus much more on the current state of affairs, followed by “Somebody should do something”. In reality, we all need to do something.
The final song, “American Exceptionalism”, is the greatest misdirection ever pulled. This song is the closer for the album, and it has a larger, grandiose vibe with an excellent ska guitar riff. This is a fantastic ska rock song: Less catchy, but more epic and powerful sounding than most of the album, with a chorus that grabs your attention but doesn’t beg you to sing along. Lyrically, the song is about realizing that – by the standards and mythos and ethics we teach our children about America – a sober analysis will teach us that we are the bad guys in our own story. And it goes on, and on, and on again.
A Little Misdirection is definitely the best work to date from an incredible ska band. Something To Do has stepped up their game and written an album full of powerful horn lines and intoxicating vocal melodies. I can’t help but wonder what I missed while my attention was enraptured by the music.
Take a listen to A Little Misdirection below.
Written by Gimp Leg
