State of Emergency “Ska-Terbrain” 1990. Debussy Records. 6 song EP from the short-lived ska (obviously) band from the Chicago area; State of Emergency dissolved/evolved into Skapone. I’m not familiar with either band; this LP was in a gift-crate of LP’s from a couple of years ago that I’ve finally worked my through. It’s bright, peppy ska with a new wave/pop sheen. Very little horn – in fact unlike most ska bands that have a zillion members, SoE just had four members, playing guitar, keyboards, drums, bass (and shakers!). John and Marie Calahan share lead vocals (no idea if they are/were a couple or siblings though my money is a couple) – both have soft, whisper-edged voices, John’s a bit reedy. It’s a bit refreshing to hear female vocals on a ska record as I honestly can’t think of many/any others. That said, while typically ska-upbeat, the EP is pretty boring. I like “Far Away” pretty OK – it features Marie mostly. The final track “Pinky” is…weird. It starts off as down-beat, mellow with some ridiculous snorting effects and then briefly devolves into a punk rager complete with screams and shouts, before slowing back down. Total head-scratcher. I won’t be hanging on to this one.