It seems that with ska punk’s ever–growing popularity over the past year there seems to be a never-ending supply of ska bands offering kids the length & breadth of our fair isle an alternative to mundane school PE lessons as a way of burning off the calories gained from canteen chips & beans and cheesy puffs from the tuck shop.

Because, if we’re honest , that’s the level at which these bands are operating here. There’s little or no songs concerned with anything more taxing than going to work/school or having a good time. A mild generalisation there but Buck-O-Nine are no exception, releasing this their ‘best of…’ album just after their debut UK tour with King Prawn.

Spanning ten years this CD ignores the band’s two major label recordings instead focussing on their independent releases, put out by Taang! Records (home of Mighty Mighty Bosstones) and incidentally contains some of their more popular faster numbers. Playful, carefree and overall fun songs like ‘Calling In Sick’ & _‘Poor Boy’ _contain the same lyrical content as bands such as the Descendents but mix in that frantic poppyness with a slick, well co-ordinated horn section, adding that extra ray of sunshine that only a trumpet & sax can bring out of a song.

But before you write them off as ‘just another’ poppy ska band it’s worth noting their acknowledgement to the forefathers of this movement in slower laid back and downright groovesome ska numbers ‘Dr Kitch’ and ‘Pass The Dutchie’, which give a friendly nod to the Slackers et al.

Definitely going out for the kids this one.