Less than one year after Atlanta, Georgia’s Bad Leavers released their debut EP, “Give and Take,” they put out a new single in “Ska Fire,” to make sure the world knows that they aren’t going anywhere.
Ska Fire is a reggae/two-tone jam with simple, repetitive lyrics, beautiful lead and backing vocals, and a nice, danceable reggae melody. The real joy of the song is about halfway through, when there is about a minute-long instrumental portion. The music drops out except for a nice, clean drum rhythm, which is joined by a simple guitar rhythm that layers on top. The bass kicks in, and then a solid 40 seconds of jamming saxophone before it returns to the original melody and vocals. This song just asks people to get out and dance with Charlie Brown on the dance floor for four minutes of ska fire.
Oftentimes, music is the vehicle for building community, education, and addressing the social issues of the day. Music exists to give a voice to the oppressed and to speak up against injustice. But music also exists as a distraction from that injustice. Sometimes, you just need to relax and hit the dance floor and groove for a few minutes, and let all the stress melt away. This song serves the latter purpose with heart, soul, and rhythm.
Written by Gimp Leg
