In Defense of Ska

Music journalist Carnes’s blend of memoir and genre appreciation covers at least as many near-misses and might-have-beens as success stories; for every Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Fishbone, there’s a band that managed to record a demo tape in between dive tours in a rented van this close to breaking down. Much of the book centers on the 1990s, when ska briefly attracted major label and media attention in the U.S. But Carnes also devotes a chapter or two to ska’s early history in Jamaica and the UK and gives plenty of space to latter-day developments such as the genre’s burst of popularity in Mexico, where it has become a vehicle for frank social commentary and criticism. Carnes doesn’t trouble himself with chronology, so readers less familiar with ska’s history may find themselves a bit at sea. But that’s part of the book’s charm. Reading it is like attending a ska show: a bit surprising, sometimes chaotic, but ultimately a good time.