Kona Town in Bloomington, MN

From
Blondie
to
the Police
the Clash
, plenty of rockers have been influenced by
reggae
over the years -- and that isn't counting all the
ska-punk
bands that emerged in the '80s and '90s.
Pepper
certainly isn't the first band to blend
alternative rock
,
punk
, and
, but while the Hawaiian trio's second album,
Kona Town
, isn't groundbreaking, it is definitely above average -- not to mention quite likable. Although not innovative,
isn't one of those faceless, cookie-cutter
combos that sets out to emulate
the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
, but isn't nearly as impressive.
is smart enough to do its own thing, and that means having an attractive sound that could be described as
by way of
Steel Pulse
punk-pop
. Overall, the tunes on this
Steve Kravac
-produced disc are memorable; when accessible tunes like
"B.O.O.T"
and
"The Good Thing"
are playing, one cannot help but admire
's sense of melody. This trio doesn't use angst for the sake of angst to grab your attention --
obviously sees the value of a memorable hook and a straightforward, easy-to-absorb melody. It is clear that
's three members have spent a lot of time listening to '70s and early-'80s
; although
Bret Bollinger
(bass, vocals),
Kaleo Wassman
(guitar, vocals), and
Yesod Williams
(drums) belong to
rock
's post-Baby Boomer generation, this CD recalls a time when many
new wave
artists were seriously checking out
greats like
Dennis Brown
Burning Spear
Peter Tosh
.
isn't recommended to
purists, but those who hold
in equally high regard will find a lot to appreciate about this release. ~ Alex Henderson