Record Label: Self-Released
Genre: Ska
Band Link: link
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Bison are a 10-piece ska-esque band from Sheffield UK. I say ska-esque because they don’t rely too heavily on the ska beat; you can tell that they were at one point a pure ska band who eventually wanted to diversify their interests. Fortunately, unlike many other ska-slash-something bands, they didn’t try to incorporate punk or hardcore or anything like that. Instead, they added some pop, soul, and other influences. This works very much in their advantage, since their music shows a great variety of instruments and sounds. They keep within the 2-tone-esque ska, but dabble in a bit of 3rd wave not unlike the Pietasters and Toasters. They also have some fun slower rocksteady numbers – ‘Huge’ has a fantastic beat and could have come right out of the mid-70s Jamaica.

That said, Bison’s biggest shortcoming is that without being a strict ska band, this isn’t an absolutely essential ska album. As a pop album, it’s too diverse, and the song writing is nothing to write home about. Still, they more than make up for it with tight musicianship and generally pleasant vocals. Better production would also make these guys much more interesting. I’d love to hear something with a bit more reverb and energy; I also imagine Bison have a killer live show.

Of course, as with any ska band still going in the late 00s, they’ve missed the boat for even relatively substantial popularity. Still, at least it’s good to know that there are above average bands like Bison still going.

Bottom Line: Catchy and diverse ska band with a tight sound but no really big thrills.
Notable Tracks: Boring, Sleepwalker, Huge, Halfway
Overall Rating: