Victims Of Circumstance

Roll The Dice

Written by: PP on 28/11/2009 17:17:52

Ska punkers Victims of Circumstance are based in Clearwater, Florida, which is about 153 miles from the vibrant music scene of Gainesville, but their sophomore album "Roll The Dice" has the distinct Gainesville sound that we've learned to love over the years. You know the drill, a brass-section driven ska-punk sound deeply rooted in melodic punk and the understanding that great choruses are what makes a song. In fact, the short version of this review is that Victims Of Circumstance sound almost identical to Less Than Jake's fantastic "GNV FLA" from last year.

The long version? Victims Of Circumstance sound so much like Less Than Jake it's unreal. The vocalist even shares the same dark melodic croon as Chris Demakes, not to even mention the way the trombone and the saxophone translate the soundscape from just mere chord-based punk to the ska-punk realm. On a few songs they disappear from the mix almost entirely, however, making way for a sound that's not too far removed from, say, Goldfinger. But I guess such a combination was to be expected when your producer is in a little band called The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

Every now and then you feel like comparing "GNV FLA" with "Roll The Dice" and concluding that the only difference between the two is that "Roll The Dice" isn't nearly as catchy and good as the former. But there are more than a handful of tracks where Victims Of Circumstance are on par with their idols, such as "This Riot Used To Be A Party", and the raging "Had Enough", and as a whole "Roll The Dice" isn't as bad as I make it sound. It's a cheerful, joyous, mood-setting summer album that's almost certainly a blast experienced live. Plus we all know how good Less Than Jake are, so is it really a crime to successfully copy the sound of the best band in the genre? I think not.

7

Download: Tiny Sleeves, Had Enough, Number One Hit Single
For the fans of: Less Than Jake, Goldfinger
Listen: Myspace

Release date 25.08.2009
Financial Records

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