I Want "U" To Know The Power Of The Underground

Band: Union Jack

Country: France (I KNOW RIGHT)

Notable Album: Tales of Urban Freedom

Favourite Song: Non-Commercial Activity

I have no exciting things to use as an introduction, so today is strictly music.  Actually that's a lie. I watched Death Race 2 tonight.  Don't ever watch it.  What a piece of garbage.  If  I could un-watch a movie, it would be that.  Or the Human Centipede.  Actually, I'd rather watch Death Race 2 than the Human Centipede.  But just don't watch either one.  Seriously.  Ever.  They're gross.  Moving on to things that won't give me nightmares.

This is at KOI Fest.  But for Anti-Flag.

How cool is this?? A French ska-punk band that also raps and uses turntables!  I first heard about Union Jack a few days before KOI Fest this past September and although I didn't get a chance to see them perform, I was able to pick up their album - lucky me!  This is a super cool band, a very unique mix of ska, punk, and hip-hop, but it's really the use of the turntables that make them stand out.  




Tales of Urban Freedom is Union Jack's first and, currently, only full-length album.  The use of sampling and scratching vinyl on almost every track make this album super cool to listen to.  Although they're a French band, the lyrics are almost all in English.  That being said, the French accents make many of the lyrics hard to understand anyways, but if you can get past that you'll catch your feet tapping in no time.  There aren't really any super fast songs like most ska-punk bands, but the aggression of a ska-punk band is there - it's just used in a different, more controlled way.  In this case, it's the way the two lead singers share vocal duty - it's almost like a call/respond sort of deal.  It would be really cool to see these guys perform live - watching them call the lyrics back and forth to each other would be quite the sight to see.


Non-Commercial Activity is a sweet track off this album.  It's slow-ish but doesn't get boring - just keeps going in a steady skanking rhythm.  I don't know where the quote came from at the beginning, but it goes really well with the song and sets the tone for the rest of the track.  The title is very obviously a poor translation, but that's to be expected with a foreign band.  So get over it and love this song.  Other great songs from this album are Some Hope, Take Action! and a cover of the Clash's Guns Of Brixton.


Support Union Jack by buying their album here, and stay tuned as I try to find a ska band that starts with "V" for tomorrow!