No.84 - ‘Wind Up Toys’ by Capdown (2006)

“I'm tired of having to look good, pretend that we feel good; Never let it show that we could be anything less than completely obsessed; With the contents of our wallets and the way that we're dressed…”

A band i always wanted to see live, but never had the opportunity, Capdown were probably the headliners of the UK ska punk scene in the early noughties. The genre generally stayed underground in the UK, and I was surprised to find their ‘New Revolutionaries’ CD single in HMV, back in 2003. Perhaps they broke out of the underground?

I didn’t enjoy that single as much as their previous two albums, but the album that followed three years later, “Wind Up Toys” was excellent. The aptly named track ‘Surviving the Death of a Genre’ shows that ska punk in the UK had pretty much died out by that point and was to remain underground.

Capdown have an ability that seems to escape other ska punk bands. The likes of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Less Than Jake, for example, have a clear distinction between the ska and punk in their songs. Not that this is a bad thing! But Capdown merge the two so well that you almost forget you’re listening to a ska band. 

This album follows the same hardcore punk feel that their previous outings have offered, and the sound that Capdown are well known for, but ‘Wind Up Toys’ is rounder, fuller and more coherent. The lead vocals have a more mature and interesting tone. Still some great alto sax additions and a little less ska than the previous albums. But the punk songs are more melodic without losing the band’s edge. 

I’m not a big fan of the hardcore side of Capdown (basically screamy shouty high tempo punk) but without it merged into their overall sound, this album would just be another ska album lost to the ages, so I’m grateful it’s there! The songs are primarily political in their lyrical content and stand up against social and class injustice.

 

Capdown formed in 1997 and hailed from Milton Keynes. Unfortunately ‘Wind Up Toys’ was their final album, although the members are involved in other band projects. The album was never released on vinyl.

Favourite songs -  Keeping Up Appearances, No Matter What, Truly Dead