Voodoo Glow Skulls

Southern California Street Music

[4/5>

Voodoo Glow Skulls always knew how to open a record with a bang (“Insubordination,” “Shoot The Moon,” etc.). With what seems like their gazillionth LP, VGS continue that tradition, unleashing “Exorcism.” “Fire In The Dancehall,” “Morning Air Raid Sirens” (a biting political critique with an understandable air of immediacy) and “Discombobulated” maintain the same fiery energy with their fast tempos and clearly hardcore bent (something that forever made VGS the fiercest ska band around). This all ends, however, with the lone clunker: The overly poppy “Home Is Where The Heart(ache) Is.” But the long-running band, led by the Casillas brothers, pick it up with the killer “While My City Sleeps” and keep the quality high the remainder of the record, climaxing with the “Dog Pile”-esque “Death Wish List.” One glaring misstep, though, is the absence of any songs en español. Those consistently have been among their best. (VICTORY; victoryrecords.com) Janelle Jones