No.95 - ‘Sundown to Midnight’, by The Dingees (1999)

“The City’s on fire; will burn to the ground; Man’s evil desire; Has brought himself down…”

Heading to the clear-out section at my local Wesley Owen and I’m drawn straight to this fauvist hyper colourful cityscape. For the album artwork alone, I purchased it. Later on in the day, I was very pleasantly surprised to be listening to a newly discovered ska punk band, and what a great album it is!

It’s a mature sound. Not a hint of fromage, as you can so easily get with some ska albums. Really catchy songs with very complimentary horn arrangements. A good variety of ska, punk rock and reggae, in both the major and minor keys. And a mention for the superb clavinet on ‘Trial and Tribulation’.

Lyrical content covers a little politics (as most punk bands do) but generally stick up for the little man, the outsider, the unfairly treated and against the greed of this world. Wholesome values run throughout the album. A couple of the more punky songs are not the greatest, but most of the album is superb. A great listen for fans of all genres mentioned above.

This is the second of four Dingees albums, who formed in 1996. A little known group from Orange County, California that includes ex O.C.Supertones sax player Dave Chevalier. I would also recommend their third release, ‘The Crucial Conspiracy’. The album never charted and has more than likely gone under the radar of most ska fans. The album was only released on CD in physical form, unfortunately.

Favourite songs - Trial Tribulation, Radio Freedom, Dark Hollywood