The description reads “ska/rock/melodramatic popular song”. Melodramatic is right! There’s certainly something a little larger than life about Wakefield quintet The Bundesrats. Musically it’s pretty much a mixture of third-wave ska, straight-up rock and a less than subtle doffing of the cap towards Madness. Vocally, well, it sits somewhere between obnoxious drama-school thesp and eccentric professor. Whichever it is it’s not your by-the-numbers brand of skacore.
Naming your band after the German equivalent of the House of Lords should be the first sign that there’s going to be an ‘aristocratic’ feel to your music, and that your MO is either social satire or pompous self-worth? In this case, fortunately, there appears to be a knowing wink. Opening with the upstrokes and organ of “Whipper Snapper”, The Bundesrats flail straight into an up-tempo ska number that escalates into a meatier guitar middle. “Why Do You Have To Know?” is more of the same, although the keys here give off a sense of steel drums, a very nice touch.
“Response” is every bit a Madness inspired track, harking back to the two-tone era (although the vocals are so unique you couldn’t throw them in the ring with Suggs). “Don’t” returns to the blueprint of the opening two tracks whilst closer “Hush It!” puts the ska on the backburner to focus on a big guitar number. Sure they’re some keys but the guitars and bass definitely propel this track forward. Nathan Smith’s vocals also appear less OTT here than at any other point on the record, hinting towards a concoction of The Hold Steady‘s Craig Finn, Mike Patton (on weirdness duty) and Boris Karloff. Well, maybe.
Whilst it’s refreshing to hear a new approach to the genre the extravagant vocals really do prove a hindrance. For one, it takes a lot of spins to get over the ‘comedic’ value. For another, even when you’ve come to terms with this it still feels a little silly. It’s a shame because the music here is actually impressive, varied enough to prick the ears and not to come across as more-of-the-same. Still, if you’re looking for something unique, a little madcap, ‘Half Finished Horse’ isn’t a bad place to start.
Alex