My personal favourite third wave Ska group Suburban Legends has put out their fifth full length album out! Titled "Let's Be Friends... And Slay The Dragon Together" (commonly referred to as "Let's Be Friends") the album was released on July 10th, 2008! Self released and produced by Dallas Kruse, this album combines the best elements of all of the previous albums from Suburban Legends, bringing back the feel-good Ska beats, tossing them in with the classic Suburban Legends giggle-inducing lyrics, adding in the Disco-pop feel from their previous album "Infectious", and melodies that will be sure to have you dancing around your place while you listen to it.

The album cover art will give you the comically feel-good vibe of the album immediately, a collage of the six band members in hilariously adorable costumes representing six different styles of music: Brian Robertson (Trombone) as the Euro-Techno musician, Luis Beza (Trumpet) as a Mariachi musician, Vincent Walker (Vocals/Trumpet) as the Rap/Hip Hop artist, Brian Klemm (Guitar/Backing Vocals) takes on the persona of the Metal musician straight out of the Mid-80's, Mikey Hachey (Bass/Backing Vocals) is the lovable Country/Western musician, and Derek Lee Rock (Drums) busts out of the 70's with a Disco getup. To look at the cover makes those familiar with Suburban Legends chuckle even before getting to the music within, and sets the tone for the light hearted fun in the album's 13 tracks.

Album Highlights:

It's hard for me to try and pick out only five songs to highlight in this album, because I love every single track and could speak volumes about every one... but after much deliberation, here are my top five tracks from "Let's Be Friends... And Slay The Dragon Together".

1. Let's Be Friends - 3:26
This song is a great intro to the album, bringing in a driving dance beat immediately and coupling it with a fun sing-song melody. The lyrics drive you forward and keep you singing and laughing as the all-too-familiar club pick-up scene is lightly mocked in the "been there done that: this time I bought real estate" feeling of bar-rejection.

4. Polyester - 3:52
Starting off immediately with snaps beats and "doo doo"s and "la la"s, Polyester brings you in immediately with a falsetto to rival MySpace breakout "Mika", and keeping you entertained with a disco bassline and the mental image of the band on stage, breaking out their dance moves.

5. Fire - 3:41
This song has more of a "Rock" beat than the previous four tracks, the band switching up the sound with heavy bass and driving melodies, the song just pulls you in further the more you listen to it, and every time I hear it, I'm continuously picking up on a sound I hadn't heard previously that keeps me interested.

12. Don't Wanna Wait - 6:26
This track slows it down, with soft love-song melodies and acoustic guitar, it's Suburban Legends unlike you've heard them before. When I first heard that the ballad was on the album, I had a hard time picturing it, the boys that we've come to know and love as goofy, upbeat with their slick dance moves and funny lyrics didn't seem like the type to really pull off this type of song, but I was proven wrong when I heard "Don't Wanna Wait". Not to be pigeon-holed, Suburban Legends proves that they're capable of anything they want to do.

13. Natasha - 3:26
"Introducing: ... Brian Klemm." The album's hidden track really sends the album off with a bang as Guitarist Brian Klemm steps up to the microphone with a big-band inspired song called "Natasha" which, for those of us hard-core Suburban Legends fans know, is the name of his cat. I can't stop myself from the huge grin on my face when I hear this song, it's an absolutely adorable and heartwarming way to close the album.

So there you have it, folks. "Let's Be Friends... And Slay The Dragon Together" is Suburban Legends at their best, and leaves the fans waiting in anticipation, wondering what exactly these guys will think up next, and knowing their current trends, it'll be bigger, better, and absolutely mind-blowing. The album is available on iTunes and through the Suburban Legends Shop Page for $10 USD.

Interested in more Suburban Legends? Check out our Interview with Vincent Walker and Brian Robertson, or read even more about them in the archive for July 2008's Band of the Month Article!