The W's - Fourth From the Last

Ahhh, Christian ska bands, how I miss thee. This album was released in 1998, amidst the popularity of bands like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Five Iron Frenzy, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. It's a shame that The W's kind of got lost in that third-wave ska/swing era, because damn they're good. Kind of like The Cheese, awesome band far before their time, and another reason I can cite for hating the Nirvana/grunge movement.

The amount of information on these vast intertubes about The W's is meager and sad. Really. Google them and you'll get one page of results. At least their Wikipedia entry is half decent. Thank you to whoever made that page. If you search Wikipedia for The Cheese, you get nothing...except some results from Wisconsin.

Onto the band...formed in 1996 in Corvallis, Oregon, they became an immediate hit in the Christian market, touring with Five Iron Frenzy and DC Talk, eventually doing the "Holy Rollers Tour" with The Insyders, playing skating rinks across the country. They even had a song on Veggie Tales. Ooooh creepy, talking Christian vegetables! If you're really bored one day, go watch Larry-Boy and the Rumour Weed, and listen for "The Rumour Weed Song".

The band broke up in 2000 after releasing only two albums, this (in case you're dense, W is the fourth from the last letter in the alphabet) and The Trouble With X.

This debut album from The W's is fun, slightly religious and downright silly sometimes, as all ska should be. Really, the only "religious" songs on this album are "Moses", "The Devil Is Bad", and "Open Minded", the latter two being two of the best songs on the album. Then you have "The King of Polyester". You're just not a ska band until you've sung about polyester.

This album has those swanky vocals and blaring horns that remind me of being 14 years old, skanking my ass off in friends' basements sipping warm PBR and smoking Lucky Strikes. Jesus (no pun intended), just look at the cover. I can SMELL the hair wax. Plus,  I've always had a soft spot for those young Christian boys. I should have been a priest.

Also, I love horns! Honestly, you can get a copy of this album for $3.32 on Amazon right now, INCLUDING shipping. Just do it. B

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLO2-_emvDY&hl=en&fs=1&]

They don't even have a website, so here's their Wikipedia entry.