Having been around for some 28 years, albeit with a 3 year hiatus around the middle of the last decade, the Bosstones have returned at the arse end of 2011 with their 9^th full-length studio outing 'The Magic of Youth'. While many may claim the band single handily invented the ska-core movement and certainly 1997's single mega hit single 'The Impression That I Get' is a genre defining classic, one can't help get the feeling that the band got a bit lost somewhere in the shuffle and Reel Big Fish swiped their horn honking crown.

The album kicks off adequately with 'The Daylights', featuring a riff that instantly puts me in mind of Joe Jackson's 'Got the Time' (Anthrax's version of course). It's kind of more garage punk than a skanking dance fest with the brass section adding polish but little else. Things kick into gear with second tune 'Like a Shotgun' which is not a million miles away from the classic 'The Impression That I Get'. This is more like it! 'Disappearing' has got a cool bouncy vibe, while 'Sunday Afternoons on Wisdom Ave.' notches things right up into Bad Manners territory. 'They Will Need Music' brings things back down to a gutter level with a kick ass chorus that would make Reel Big Fish green with envy.

'The Package Store Petition' offers little more than its' predecessors but is pretty cool none the same. 'The Horseshoe And The Rabbit's Foot' is another "okay but not awesome" tune, as is the album's title track 'The Magic Of Youth'. Sadly 'The Upper Hand' and 'The Ballad of Candlepin Paul' don't really buck the "good but not great" trend. While album closer 'Open and Honest' is one final step further into the land of average.

So what does 'The Magic of Youth' offer that the band's 8 previous albums didn't? Not a lot really. It's good without being great and satisfying without being splendid. While The Bosstones may have the wrong kind of horns for many Uber Rockers, it's got more chance of getting your arse shaking round the Christmas tree than most of the metal tosh floating about at the moment. Check it out if you're in the mood for something different. It's a grower!

http://www.bosstonesmusic.com/