Gravity Is What You Make It

Album Review

California ska-punk outfit Chase Long Beach's sophomore effort is a wide-eyed, high-energy blend of sunny, Cheer Up!-era Reel Big Fish and mid-'90s Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Produced by Big Fish's Aaron Barrett, Gravity Is What You Make It is straight-up modern ska with one foot on the curb and the other on the street. For the most part, the classic template of guitar intro followed by drums and horn section and eventually call-and-response vocals is observed more often than not, and the band does it as good as anyone. But when they step outside of the skankin' party album (songs like "A Diamond Bullet to the Brain," "Useless," and the chillout instrumental "The Beginning" signal a willingness to expand the genre, though not enough to clear the dancefloor) and throw a little atmosphere into the mix, CLB set themselves just enough apart from the third-wave ska revivalists that came before them that they could help lead the way to a fourth.