The Oddballs
Tales Of Error
FOLC Records
Released: May 17, 2022
Malaga, Spain’s The Oddballs are about to drop a new record, Tales Of Error, and the punk community needs to take note. Santa mierda!
Me gusto! Why has it taking so long for The Oddballs to fall upon my ears? As an absolute sucker for anything up tempo that also incorporates a saxophone, I was intrigued by The Oddballs from the get go, and my interest in them – well, in Tales Of Error anyway, as I haven’t yet heard their back catalogue, has not subsided yet. And if my rabid adoration for this new album is anything to go by – it might not subside for quite some time to come.
At the risk of sounding cliché as fuck – The Oddballs are a highly energetic troupe that blend hand-selected elements of several genres and blend them up into their own style of rock n’ roll. Equal parts punk, oi and ska with strong flavorings of garage rock and a seasoning of stoner rock and rockabilly perhaps too. In short, it seems that the lads in The Oddballs just do whatever the fuck they want to do at any given moment – the true essence of punk rock.
See Also: Hood Rats “2022 Demo Tracks” Review
One of the best attributes that Tales Of Error has to offer, is that feel good esthetic found on early 80s Oi and 2 Tone records from the United Kingdom – that happy-go-lucky with a chance of a boot to the chin and a fist to the orbital bone sort of upbeat sound. That toe-tapping, swing your best pal by the neck whilst swigging back a cold pint type of energy. There is an awful lot of variety spread about these ten tunes. Sometimes sung in English, sometimes in their native Spanish. Traditional instruments like the guitar, bass and a drum kit – but there’s also an organ and saxophone and …is that a maracas?
Title track, Tales Of Error, has a really awesome rockabilly edge to it, like they somehow channeled their inner Reverend Horton Heat to get up and lay down hell. Fire on the dance floor. As I alluded to before; there is a lot of variety spliced about the table here. A little of this, a pinch of that – and it all comes together to form one excellent collection. A rabble of barn burners – anthems to get you dancing with edge and spunk. A strut – a rootin’ tootin’ good fucking time. I can only imagine what The Oddballs would bring to the live setting – and hopefully I’ll get to experience that. Until then, it’ll be just me in my living room, stomping around to my neighbors chagrin.
At times, the vocals are reminiscent of Jesse Sendejas of Days N’ Daze – that snarled trainyard drawl fits so perfectly on Tales Of Error, especially on Invisible Girl. On Wicked Men, the vocals sound of whole lot like something that Turbonegro’s late, great former singer Hank Von Hell would have belted out. There are moments where the pronunciation of certainly lyrics shows that the vocalist isn’t an anglophone as first language, but that adds to the character of the group and the music they create. I really can’t get enough of Tales Of Error.
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With ten tracks that form a running time of roughly twenty-two minutes, I’m left pondering if I wish there was more tracks on this record, or if it is perhaps perfect just the way it is. The final cut, Las Chicas del Drunko, takes up a full five minutes of that track, leaving the remaining nine to slam through just seventeen minutes. So, you can bet your ass that there’s tunes hit hard, get the job done, and sonder off out the door as quickly as they burst in. No nonsense. Full speed and high octane.
Copies of this new record from The Oddballs, Tales Of Error, as well as their previous releases can be acquired through their bandcamp page at this location.
For Fans Of: Angelic Upstarts, Descendents, Turbonegro
Track Listing:
01. Resurrection
02. Shrot Trip
03. Puppeteers
04. Don’t Make Noise
05. Wicked Man
06. Tales Of Error
07. Invisible Girl
08. Last Christmas I wake Up In Jail
09. 7 To 3
10. Las Chicas del Drunko
