Trip the Off

Lay waaay back and trip out to this dub-reggae-ska-funk mix out of Montreal. I don't know what exactly Trip the Off means, but this is the mellow-ist stuff this side of legal. The tinny production sound lends this debut album (a follow-up to two four-song EPs) a feeling of authenticity and island chill so lacking in the all-too-slick sounds of today's contemporary ska recordings. The entire overall mood on the album is wavy, out there and generally stoned - be advised; this is music to get high on. You can almost smell the bud coming off this 12-song CD and it is potent indeed. Trip the Off have been kicking around Montreal for a few years now and have tended to avoid the pigeonholing and scenester status of their more famous ska colleagues, perhaps to their ultimate advantage. This is not teenybopper music and while widespread commercial success may not be in the books for this talented five-man band, this album will keep you dazed and glassy-eyed long enough to forget about the whims and caprices of the corporate bugaboo.