Baile de los Locos

Back in the day, the Greeks had these wild parties in honor of the god Dionysus. Later on, the Celts invented Mayday, a k a Beltane, another holiday meant for dancing around and acting crazy. Now, we have skapunk. And sure enough, the titles of the new Voodoo Glow Skulls album translates as 'dance of the crazy people.' But it's a good crazy. Hailing from a particularly dismal SoCal clime, Voodoo Glow Skulls make their escape from Nowheresville with a mix of furious thrashing, macho posturing, and Latino pride. Listening to Baile De Los Locos is like being plunged into a mosh pit, and the recording does a great job capturing the energy of the band. Singer Frank rarely says much that can be understood, but he seems to be a pretty good guy. 'This ain't no disco!' he bellows on the last song, and truer words were ever spoken. The slow song 'Los Hombres No Lloron' would pass for anyone else's rave-up, and even 'Feliz Navidad' gets a savage reading. Don't try for any deep analyses: This is just fun and noise, in the best ska-punk tradition. Either you'll cover your ears, or you'll just start dancing around the Maypole. -CMJ