Scooter Chronicles

School of Fish - “School of Fish”

Tracks:

1. Intro
2. 3 Strange Days
3. Talk Like Strangers
4. Deep End
5. King of the Dollar
6. Speechless
7. Wrong
8. Rose Colored Glasses
9. Under the Microscope
10. Fell
11. Euphoria

My first exposure to the School of Fish was on rock radio. “3 Strange Days” was being played on a pretty regular basis. They might have been on the pop-side of alternative, they weren’t out of place at all on rock radio.

The two main conspirators to School of Fish were Josh Clayton-Felt (vocals, guitars - on right) and Michael Ward (guitars - second on right). On the album bass is credited to Dominic Nardini, and drums to someone that only went by the initials M.P.

The thing that sticks out the most for me about this album is that it’s filled with great, hook-laden tunes. And they don’t languish too long on something. If they only two minutes and forty-seven seconds for a song (”King of the Dollar”), then that’s it. Yet they have a couple of tunes that are over 5 minutes (”3 Strange Days” and “Euphoria”). Nothing sounds like they are showing off, or trying to do too much. All the songs are very well arranged, making it a great listen.

They also have a nice range of styles. A few slower more thoughtful tunes, like “Speechless” and “Deep End”, almost sounding a bit like late 80’s new wave. Then there is the more rockin’ tunes like “3 Strange Days”, “Wrong”, and “King of the Dollar” which also included a nod to the Rolling Stones. Again, nothing flashy, no political message being pushed. Just an overall feeling that it’s about the music and not about being too self important. Therefore, I find myself throwing it into the player often.

This being their debut, School of Fish did one other albums with another rhythm section a few years later. It was their last. Their was a reunion concert with Ward and Clayton-Felt getting back together. But any ideas of them getting back together for good would have been short lived. Josh Clayton-Felt succumbed to cancer only a few months later.