Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down

The Toasters pretty much ruled the New York ska scene in the mid-1990s. Led by British expat Bob “Bucket” Hingley, the band’s membership shifted quite a bit over the years, but what never changed was their defiant embrace of a Two-Tone-style, soul-inflected second-wave ska sound. The title track of this album says it all; of course, their joyful cover of “Gimme Some Lovin’” and the snarling “Everything You Said Has Been a Lie” shows part of the band’s collective soul as well. The ska wave crested and left the Toasters lying on the sand, but they left some great records behind and this is one of the best.