Review: Channel One - Pose & Posture
Pose & Posture is the premiere album from the six-piece band Channel One and has been released by Megalith Records. The band hails from San Antonio, Texas and its influence can clearly be heard in their music. This is Texas ska: contemporary ska combined with country-style compositions and delivery. It is something a little different, yet also familiar. In short time the album rose to become one of my favorite releases so far this year with a secure position on my playlist. Click through for the full review...
Channel One certainly delivers the goods for dedicated ska fans, but it stands out as one of those few bands capable of projecting an appeal beyond the standard niche base. The lyrics are down-to-earth and relatable. When music works well, such as the case with this album, it is able transcend the labels that we impose. It is infectious and simply fun without resorting to meaningless lyrical gimmicks like chants. Each song tells a story.
“Let Her Run” is easily the standout track on the album. Once you hear it, you’ll understand the appeal. The song is about accepting a girl’s decision to run away after a confrontation with her mother in order to take control of her life. At its core is a catchy country song, but Channel One is able to seamlessly infuse it with ska to make it something unique.
As a sucker for good acoustic ska, “Til It’s Too Late” naturally became a favorite as well. It’s about the pain of looking back at love lost and how you don’t recognize that you’ve lost it until it’s too late to do anything about it. For sure just something that just about any of us can relate to and, in this case, very elegantly worded and beautifully sung.
There’s plenty of more straightforward ska on here as well to get you moving. Overall, it’s a fun album throughout. While there’s certainly room for improvement, I certainly look forward to how they manage to top this release. It is quite a solid first album and is well worth a purchase as it may likely become a fixture on your playlist too.
Listen to Channel One on their MySpace page.
Buy Pose & Posture on iTunes
Buy the Pose & Posture CD from Amazon
Buy the Pose & Posture MP3s from Amazon
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