Album Review: The Johnstones - Can't Be Trusted

Album Review: The Johnstones - Can't Be Trusted
Review by Music Vice editor Brian Banks - October 24, 2009

Can't Be Trusted is as much a warning as it is a very apt title for the album from Ajax, Ontario ska punk favourites The Johnstones.

The Johnstones are all about the party. Their music is bouncy, interminably upbeat and absolutely laddish. Brash chord progressions mingle with perky keyboard segments, trombone and trumpet . Yes dear, we have brass - welcome to the ska zone... but not as you may know it. Hip-hop and punk rock influences can also be heard.

The album has eighteen tracks but six of these are pure filler - short comedic skits that are mildly funny the first time around and but from then on you'll be wanting to skip them. At least if you download the album onto your mp3 player you have the freedom to add just the actual songs.

Vocal duties are shared by drummer Ryan Long and guitarist Jarek Hardy who are equally as loud and crass as each other. The singing is often grating, The Johnstones dance a fine line between loud & fun and loud & irritating. It was more a case of the latter for me - I found my attention-span and tolerance for this music waned fast.

The Johnstones are hyperactive and raucous, no doubt, but they tap that energy into creating music which epitomizes the identity of the band. The band and their music are about having a good time, chasing girls, hanging with bro's, smoking weed, and just chillin'. Immature? You bet.

If you're a teenager with any kind of interest in rock, punk, or skate culture then there's a good chance you'll like this record. That's roughly the target audience: pretty much anyone who fits the weed-smoking, ritolin-popping, ADHD-diagnosed stereotype of today's North American youth.

The Johnstone's saving grace is that they are having fun making and playing their music, and that's always nice to see, even if it's not my cup of tea. Well, its not any kind of tea...The Johnstones are more like the musical equivalent of a brightly packaged, sugar-loaded energy drink - fine in small doses for a quick buzz, but far from wholesome. I think that's just what they're aiming for. A band that are here for a good time, not a long time.