Warped Tour 2012

I think the last time I seriously went to Warped Tour before this year was 2007. I was in high school--the age in which you are supposed to go to Warped. This year, though, the lineup was way too good to pass up, so haters can hate all they want, but I'm raging at Warped while they're at home judging. Highlights abound below!

Taking Back Sunday. One of the great loves of my life...one of my great romances, if you will. Finally got to meet them for the first time in St. Louis! I got my Tell All Your Friends album signed along with a poster of Adam swinging his mic. The show was fantastic, somehow landed second row and raged hard until Cute, when too many people were falling on my head so I had the bouncer pull me out. I don't know how these guys bring it for every single show; actually I don't know how any band does it on the strenuous journey that is Warped Tour, but TBS doesn't leave you wanting for anything at the end of their set...except, of course, for a longer set.

The Acoustic Basement. Okay, I'll admit it, I really only went to the Basement (aka miniature tent...) to see John Nolan of Taking Back Sunday. I know what I like, and I like thirty-something hipsters who used to sing for Straylight Run. I found a random folding chair to the side that I commandeered and had a great view of Mr. Nolan's performance. "Done to Death," and "Mistakes we Knew We Were Making," were definitely highlights, but hearing "Existentialism on Prom Night" was a defining moment in my love affair with music, reminding me why music is so important and potentially life-altering. His voice is so much better live than on any of his recordings, by the way.

Yellowcard. Duh. One of my favorite bands from high school who recently wiggled their way back into my good graces with their latest album release. I got to meet them too, and told them how much I love them. I hope they know they still have a loyal following out there, even though it might seem like people have forgotten about them. Oh, and thank the Lord above they started playing "With You Around" live instead of "Hang You Up," the respective best and worst songs from their latest album. From the first time I heard "With You Around," that was my jam. Glad they finally caught on, I should probably be hired as their manager or something. Now if only they'd play a little something from "One for the Kids.."

New Found Glory. I had lost some of my affection for NFG a little while ago when I read an article in AP including some not-so-nice comments about Mark Hoppus (why? why would you EVER do such a fool thing?!), and then they released their album "Radiosurgery," which let's be honest is not the greatest. Unlike Yellowcard, I had a blast during their set simply because of their older music, and I told Chad Gilbert just that at their tent later. "Head-On Collision" is, has been, and always will be, my favorite NFG song. (It makes no difference to me that All Time Low got their name from that song; in fact, it makes it better because all the teenyboppers in love with ATL have no idea they started in such a good place...) They also played some other older songs which I greatly enjoyed and raged to, and I readmitted to myself my love for NFG was still strong.

The Used. I love The Used. I do. I don't know why, but I really, really just love The Used. That being said, I don't think I would enjoy being spit on by Bert McCracken,which he quite frequently does, but that's just me. Not superfan status, I guess, and I'll just have to live with it. Their set was out of this world, and starting off "A Box of Sharp Objects" with the intro to Nirvana's "Teen Spirit" came off without a hitch. I know! Even reading that sentence back to myself, I wouldn't think it would work, but it totally did. I had such a blast during their set, I cannot even describe. And McCracken's voice is still in fine shape, in case anyone was wondering.

Pierce the Veil. Oh, God of all that is holy, do I love Pierce the Veil right now. I mean, I was a fan before seeing them live, but after seeing them twice now, I can truly say I love them; I bought their latest album, "Collide With the Sky" before hearing any of the tracks, and let me tell you, that is NOT something I take lightly. Their set was incredible; I'm old, so I like their first album best and they don't play much from it, but I'll go to a headlining show to see that, I suppose. Their guitarist impressed me, and they can cover Kellin Quinn's and Jeremy McKinnon's guest vocals quite well when those boys aren't around. Vic Fuente's voice is great live, and they pull everything off without a hitch. Incidentally, theirs were also the loudest shows I went to...or maybe after I saw them everything else just sounded duller. Who could say?

Senses Fail. It had been a not-so-short while since I'd listened to Senses Fail, and I think it's a little sad they're not on a mainstage, but who am I to judge? We caught them accidentally, but after the show I was immensely glad we did. Come on, "Calling All Cars", and "Can't Be Saved"?! We got so excited for "Buried a Lie" that we made our way to the front row and moshed a little bit. Pretty hardcore for two small girls, but totallly worth it.

Mayday Parade. Obviously one of the best live bands of this genre/generation. I'm so sad I didn't get to see more of their set; I had to pick between them and Pierce the Veil, and I'd seen a Mayday headlining show before, so I couldn't bring myself to miss PTV. But Mayday is phenominal live, and I will never understand how they get the crowd so pumped and so involved with their brand of pop-punk. It's more pop than punk! Until I saw them live, I wasn't even that big a fan! They've got such a big following with older kids too; maybe it's because they pull so much heart and soul into their music. Gah, and let's be honest, the boys of Mayday Parade leave nothing to be desired in the eye candy department...

Four Year Strong. I'm a big fan of FYS' album "Enemy of the World," and I'm really glad I got to see them live. They've been around, making good music for a little while now, and it was really important for me to know they're not too bad live. Had to leave their set early to go meet Adam and the boys of Taking Back Sunday, but I don't think anyone could blame us for that.

We the Kings. Uhhh. I blogged on here once about how much dislike I had for their newest album, "Sunshine State of Mind," but that doesn't change how awesome they are live. Literally probably one of most technically sound bands on Warped this year. It might be because they have what seems like an excessive amount of guitars for the type of music they play, but I'm not complaining. And those guitarists are in the same league as the boys of Mayday Parade. I have a blast to songs like "Skyway Avenue," then just objectify the guitarists during the songs I don't like.

Rise Against. Okay, they were only on one date of the tour that I went to, and I used to be a huge Rise Against fan, but The Used were playing at the same time and I'd already seen Rise Against a couple of times live. So, I skipped a part of their set. Sue me. I was listenting to them back in the days of "Everchanging," and no amount of kids claiming to be huge RA fans now will ever change the fact that I listented to RA exclusively during my freshman year of college way back in 2008. As always, I had a great time listening to their set and they played fantastically.

Twin Atlantic. They deserve a mention because they actually have some pretty great music and there were only about 30 people watching them. Sad! A lot of people could get into them.

So, those are my Warped Tour 2012 highlights...so far. In the words of a great band, When You're Though Thinking about whether to attend (about being too old, or having to work, or whatever other excuses you might be contemplating), Say Yes to going to Warped Tour this year. (I see you Yellowcard.) I also found some really neat charities represented there, many for saving arts in schools and the like; personally, I gave my donation money of the day to the Wishbone Foundation, which supports art in group homes--check them out at their website. I don't know what the URL is, just Google it you lazy punks. I'll definitely have my signed copies of "Tell All Your Friends" and "Ocean Avenue," along with the photo of me and John Nolan, hanging on my wall for years to come, commemorating some of the best days of my life.

And oh, yeah. It's hot out there! It's 105 degrees in the shade in the midwest, but we're not complaining, so suck it up and bring plently of water! The day is totally worth the exhaustion, and this is America--we could all stand to lose a couple calories. And while you're out there, check out the newer bands, that's what Warped is all about. I'm just too old for the new scene--Ronnie Radke literally scares me, it actually makes me nervous to be in the same vicinity as him. See? OLD.

The Wonder Years Tour w/ The Early November Review

I'm really behind on updating this blog, but in May I had the exciting opportunity to see The Swellers, The Wonder Years, and The Early November at Irving Plaza in New York City. Now, I think we've established that The Wonder Years are my current fave, so I could not have been more pumped to see how they performed live.

We got to the plaza a little too early, but I like live music in general so watching the local opening band was fine with me, although I don't remember much about them. The Swellers were up next; I had downloaded a few of their songs prior to the concert, and found out I actually enjoy their music. I wasn't running to load up on shirts at their merch table or anything, but I could easily sing along and be into their set. Then again, I rarely visit merch tables...there comes a time when you're just too old to be sporting band tees everywhere you go.

The Wonder Years came out and put on a spectacular show. I was singing along with every song, although I held back because the friend who went along had never been to an indoor punk show before and I wanted to hold in my secret weirdness. The crowd went crazy for songs like "Melrose Diner" and "Local Man Ruins Everything," and also "Coffee Eyes," which surprised me because it really hadn't been one of my favorite songs by them. They closed with "Came Out Swinging," and I finally went all-out. I pushed my way to the second row and sung along loudly. It was one of the best concert experiences of my life when the entire crowd sang the soft part towards the end, and then the harder part came in, the lead singer jumped into the crowd, and everything went banana-sandwich crazy. I happened to be close enough to make my way over and support the lead singer in his crowd-surfing endeavors, but unfortunately most of the crowd had the same idea, and everyone fell over as a group. After a few desperate seconds trying to get back up, I finally accepted death-by-trampling as a certainty and my life flashed before my eyes' I barely had enough time to think, I'm too old for this shit. Then, some kind, large, soul grabbed me under my arms and pulled me out of the crushing mob before it was too late. I quickly composed myself by pulling my shirt back on--not sure how it fell off--and found that I had lost an earring and nearly a shoe. Oops. I made my way back to my friend and acting as if nothing had happened. I should really go into acting.

We then went upstairs to find comfortable seats in which to watch The Early November. I liked this band a lot, and still do, although I'm not one of Ace Ender's fangirls. We didn't end up staying for the whole set, and unfortunately I can't give the excuse that we wanted to avoid traffic. It's New York, we were walking, bitches. We were just old, tired, and hungry. However, the half-set I saw was pretty great. The crowd wasn't as enthused as they were for TWY, but then again November isn't exactly the moshing kind of band anyway. All in all, I had a spectacular time watching these three bands at Irving, and I'd recommend going to see any of them, if you like them...because sometimes concerts suck if you don't know the music. Or maybe you should start listening NOW so when they come to your town you can avoid this problem. Just a suggestion.

The Wonder Years: Suburbia, I've Given You All Review

Last year right before Christmas break, I went into my local mall to look for old used records and CDs at the music store. I stumbled upon a new album by a band I had vaguely heard of (thanks to New Found Glory) for the fair price of $6.99. I mulled it over: was it worth two beers?

I bought the album but didn't listen to it for a couple of weeks. I finally forced myself to put it in the CD player on my trip back to school, and immediately was interested. The first song on this album is "Came Out Swinging" and that's exactly what the album did. This is still my hands-down, holding nothing back, favorite song by The Wonder Years. "I spent the winter writing songs about getting better, and if I'm being honest...I'm getting there." Next came "Woke Up Older", and after listening to the first verse and chorus of this song, I was almost crying crocodile tears of happiness and illegally whipped out my cell phone to tweet about how much I already loved this band. And I am not an impulsive person.

The third song is "Local Man Ruins Everything," which is also super catchy and just all together amazing. The next few songs I also like, one being slower, another having a super catchy chorus, and all of them just being awesome in general. "I Won't Say the Lord's Prayer" was an interesting one for me, because I am fairly religious; however, it didn't turn me off, it actually made me think. It's not really about religion, or maybe it's not just about religion. It's about thinking for yourself, and about not believing in something simply because you've been told to believe it. It's a great message, however it's presented. "Don't Let Me Cave In" is one of the lead tracks from the record, and it is pretty great, but I think there are better songs on the album. My second favorite song comes in at second to last track-wise, "Hoodie Weather." The lyrics ring true to me, and the chorus is so, so catchy. "And Now I'm Nothing" is also very catchy and finished off the album nicely.

When all is said and done, if you are a fan of punk, alternative, or pop punk music and you're not listening to The Wonder Years, you're making a mistake. It's taken me a while to write on this blog since my last post, and that's because it was becoming more of a hassle than a joy--I was listening to some bands I really didn't like, and then recommending them because they weren't necessarily bad. Now I'm back, and I'm telling the world that I love The Wonder Years. Not to be confused with the 90s television show starring Fred Savage...

Their latest album is not only spectacular music, but listening to it as a whole can be truly thought-provoking if you let it. Go. Buy Suburbia, and while you're at it, buy "The Upsides," the album that preceeding this one. Top recommendations from both albums if you're just starting to get into them: "Came Out Swinging," "Logan Circle," "Melrose Diner," "Hoodie Weather," "Local Man Ruins Everything."

Blank Pages EP Review

This is probably the newest and most unknown band review I've done yet, and maybe will ever do. However, these guys stuck out to me because I'm from Indiana, so their Indianapolis-base makes them kind of seem like hometown boys to me. Not only that, but maybe it's because they are hometown boys who have the confidence to do what I never did: actually believe in myself enough to start a band and try to make it in the big, bad, over-saturated world of pop-punk.

So, I went to the Blank Pages facebook page and played the five songs from there. Let's just get it out there right now that you'll never see my review a band or an album of which I'm not at least fond, to some degree. I know that doesn't seem like equal journalism, but why would I want to spend enough time listening to a band or an album that I didn't like just to be able to review it? And anyway, I'm not going to put a band down just because I didn't like them--everyone has different tastes. Unless we're talking about Nickelback or Hinder in which case they are terrible. 


I liked the sound of this band right off the bat. They caught me enough on the first time through the album that it made me want to listen again and actually "get" the album, and that's the first step. They have a kind of early/mid-blink sound, but softer, that comes off right away on the first song, "Goodbye." I really liked how they ended this one. Next up was "Reach For the Stars," which is my favorite of the five songs. The chorus is really catchy, and it was definitely this song that brought me back for the second time through the album. If I chose one song to download from the album, this would be the one. Next is just a clip of the song "Always," which I also liked, at least what I heard of it--seems like it might be an overall softer song. "Just Fine" is good; I'm really down for the dual voices, as always--my second favorite. "Everything and More" is also just a short clip, and it seems okay. It's not my favorite, but I like the lyrics.

All in all, I'm rooting for this band. I really like their sound and I hope that in a few years I can say I reviewed them back when. My advice to this band would be to explore the vocals--the back-up on "Just Fine" sounded like he had a pretty good voice too, so possibly give that voice a few more parts. I'm only saying this because while the current lead has a good voice, it sounds like any other pop-punk band's lead singer at this point. Not necessarily a bad thing, it just doesn't set you apart right away. Do a few more change-ups with the song order, like the bonus lines at the end of "Goodbye." Those are my opinions, take it or leave it.

Check out the band and get the album, which is apparently on iTunes, if you like them. The link to their facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/#!/blankpagesband. And to Blank Pages, good job guys. If you ever need another review, opinions on new songs, or whatever, hit me up on twitter, @noiseaboutmusic.

Angels & Airwaves Love Album Review

Its been a little while since I've done a review, but Angels and Airwaves' latest addition to the rock world has inspired me. I've been an AVA fan since We Don't Need to Whisper, and I'm not really sure what it is about their music that does it for me. The best I can do to describe the reason is to say that the band takes a genre of music that I already love, then twists and turns it into something new and different. Or maybe its just the fact that I've never been able to get over Tom DeLonge's voice...

Either way, I was excited for the release of Love Part 2. My favorite AVA album is I-Empire, but Love Part 1 has comparably high numbers on my iTunes play count records. Now, the physical double album is already on my Christmas list, but until then I'll be satisfying my Angels cravings with Spotify (search Angels & Airwaves for the Love album...search Angels and Airwaves for the first two. You're welcome).

The album starts off with "Saturday Love," which starts really space-y, then takes off into quickly-sung lyrics that get you engaged in the song right away. This song follows the trend of "Call to Arms" and "Flight of Apollo" from the previous two albums--a fast catchy song right away to get you hooked and keep you listening. Next comes "Surrender", which I think is a great catchy song. The chorus is simple, but it completely works. If it wasn't for the next song, "Anxiety," I would venture to say that "Surrender" would have been one of the lead singles from the album. "Anxiety" is a great song, and the only one so far (that I've found) that has a music video. I didn't want to like "Anxiety" because its the song I'm supposed to like, but I just can't help myself; I love how the word "anxiety" is spread out over entire lines of other lyrics during the chorus. It's definitely one of my favorites on the album.

Next come a few songs that are good compositions but not quite standouts. "Crawl" starts off slower and picks up around 2:00; this works for the album as a whole because the past three songs were fairly quick. "Moon as my Witness" also starts off slow and with a fairly long intro, but again, it works and I really like the song. "Dry Your Eyes" has some weird-sounding alien speak at the beginning, but it just reinforces what Tom and AVA want you to think about their music: it's space rock. "The Revelator" has a really nice pre-chorus that changes things up from the typical AVA song-structure progression. It also seems kind of minimal in instrumentation, so this song is a worthwhile change-up. "One Last Thing" reminds me of "Rite of Spring" from I-Empire, and is an okay song; I wouldn't call it anything special by itself, but it helps round out the album.

The next song, "Inertia," makes me glad that "One Last Thing" was not actually the last thing on the album. Inertia is the closest song comparable to Boxcar Racer that I've heard from Angels & Airwaves yet. That one Boxcar album is in my top 10 punk albums, so I obviously love "Inertia." Even after the heavy guitar riff ends at the verse, I love the sound of the verses. The only problem with this song is that around 3:00, I was expecting a repeat of the beginning guitar riff, and I didn't get it. Oh well, I can't complain--its still a great song with a fantastic quote at the end: "Remember that what you've done in your life may change what someone else is doing in their life." It's so, so true and just the type of introspective lyric that I love. The last two songs, "Behold a Pale Horse" and "We Are All That We Are," so terribly sorry are classic AVA songs and nice ones to finish out the album; I especially like that the latter starts slow and builds.

Normally, I would say something like "I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys blah blah and blah. However, I'm not really sure what to compare with AVA, so just give it a listen--I'd be willing to bet you'll enjoy it, and even if you don't, at least you can say you tried something new. I keep waiting for Tom DeLonge to put out a bad album, because then I would be able to end this rock-star crush I have always had on him; however, he just won't oblige me--he keeps being awesome. Dammit.

I also have to recommend AVA live; I can't wait to get to another Angels & Airwaves concert. I went in early 2010 and raged hard, front row style. (Aka I got every bone and organ in my body smashed.) There aren't many musicians or bands I would suffer such pain and abuse for, but it was totally worth it. I was surprised at how great the show was--with all the synthesizers and just general odd sounds in their music, it would have been easy for the live music to sound weird, but it was surprisingly great. I'm also excited to see what the new drummer can do.

So go. Buy the album. Mosh at the concerts. Enjoy the greatness that is Angels & Airwaves. Angels and Airwaves? I'll never know. 

The Noise Tour with Mayday Parade

I originally agreed to go the Noise Tour because a good friend loves that type of music and wanted someone to go with. Obviously I said yes because I love all music, especially live music...and the tickets were only $20. Then, I looked up the bands on the tour and was actually pretty excited; I wasn't a huge fan of any of the bands, but I knew a few songs by almost all of them; I'd also heard from several different people that Mayday Parade is incredible live. I started listening to all of the bands (Spotify) and discovered I really liked them all.

So, I went to the venue only semi-knowing what to expect. The first band up whose songs I had seriously listened to was You Me At Six, who I discovered I actually like. They were really very good live and put on a great show. The lead singer actually jumped into the crowd to mosh with us, which I thought was fun. However, I did feel bad for the band; Indianapolis isn't exactly the mecca for punk rock kids or any type of rock, but nobody really seemed that into it at all. In my concert experience, regardless of whether you know the music or not, if it sounds good you should be moving to show appreciation for the band. I mean, these guys came all the way over from England and this is the respect we showed them? Come on, Indy. Anyway, I thought they were really talented live. The only thing I wish is that they would have played some older stuff. Save it for the Bedroom is my favorite song by them, and despite my enjoyment of their set I would have really liked to hear it.

Next was We Are the In Crowd, who I was really excited to see. I've seen Paramore and Hey Monday, and since I kind of consider WATIC the group to round out a triangle of pop punk girl lead singers, I was excited to see how they did. What I really do enjoy about this band is that while a girl is the lead, a guy is the backup and does a lot of lead singing himself in certain songs. They played everything I wanted to hear (my favorite by them is Lights Out) and their new songs, which I really hadn't heard very much of, sounded really good as well. They also had a fun show and tried to get the crowd pumped up. Unfortunately, the problem was the same for this band: no matter what they did, this crowd wouldn't really get into it. I've been to enough concerts to know that it wasn't the band's fault--they were genuinely trying to have a party. The crowd I experienced is just exemplary of Indiana. In sum, We Are the In Crowd is a really talented band and they have a lot of potential, especially considering that their first full-length just came out and most of their fame up to this point was riding on a single LP.

Next up was the headliner, Mayday Parade. I was excited for them because as I mentioned, they sort of have a reputation for being awesome live. They opened with their latest single, Oh Well Oh Well, which (a) I absolutely loved, and (b) was a really gutsy move--most bands wouldn't begin a concert with a song that starts slow, but it totally worked for them. Oh Well Oh Well was one of my top songs of the night, along with When You See My Friends, Miserable, and Three Cheers. I also liked that they started off with this one, because its got some great higher/belt-them-out notes in it--I was ready to see right away how talented the lead singer is live. Decision: he was just as awesome as everyone promised he would be.

Mayday was really interesting to me, because normally I have a penchant, when it comes to just about any band, for liking the lead singer more than any other member. Derek Sanders was incredibly talented and so cute, but truly all of the members put on a fantastic show. The guitarists never stopped jumping around and on top of things, and swinging their guitars around. Then the drummer... As I said, I listened to Mayday before the concert but I didn't really research the band too much. I knew there was another singer in addition to Derek, but naturally I assumed it was one of the six-strings or the bassist. I couldn't figure out for a while where the voice was coming from at the live show, then I realized it was the drummer. Listening to the music, I have always thought the backup/harmony guy had a voice that is just as good as Derek's, just not as definitive (you can always tell its Derek when he's singing).  And believe me when I tell you, playing drums and singing at the same time is not easy. Guitar and singing? Not too bad. Drums are a different story. I have the greatest respect for this guy.


The thing about both Derek and drummer Jake Bundrick is that they are so natural about their voices--it doesn't seem like they have to focus too hard or strain to hit the notes. And the fact that they stopped everything to let Derek do an acoustic song on a keyboard was absolutely clutch. Mayday Parade has this weird way of being able to play slow or sad songs, but still keeping the crowd pumped. Probably this is the factor that makes everyone say they are incredible live. If I had one bone to pick with Mayday Parade it would be that they neglected to play The Silence; it might be old but its an incredible song, maybe my favorite by them. Oh well...


All in all? Mayday Parade is without a doubt a fun show to attend, but for someone like myself I was stunned at the actual talent in this band. For most bands I like, I will readily admit do not have the most natural performing talent. Songwriting and lyricism are two things my favorite bands have in spades, but natural singing and playing talent is sometimes lacking. The only reason Mayday Parade isn't more famous than they are is because of the slew of bands in their genre and the fact that its hard to break out when there is so much competition. Its also hard to be a band that's more in the pop side of the genre than rock, because many people who like pop music don't get the fact that you might have to listen to a rock album a few times before really getting it. 


Anyway, this is an great show and if you have any opportunity to ever see Mayday Parade live, it will be more than worth it. Trust me. 

In reference to my earlier ramblings about incredible artists who don't have much natural singing talent...I often wonder what would happen if there was a mix-and-match band gathering the best songwriters with the best lyricists with the best singers and instrumentalists. If one band had everything? Either the world would implode...or it would suck.

Drop Out of Life

I was reading a review of this album, the latest from This Time Next Year, and the author mentioned how the pop-punk era that happened about 10 years ago brought about some annoying bands, but it was worth it to end up with legends like Yellowcard and Taking Back Sunday. First off, this author and I are obviously of the same soul in that respect. However, this author then (in a deceivingly nice voice) basically said he/she didn't see much in a new pop-punk/punk revolution. 

Hmm. That part was curious to me because I do see some potential in new bands. I will be the first to admit that there are many new bands I don't like and will probably never listen to, but This Time Next Year does not fall in to that list. About a year ago I was cruising the interwebs for some new music, ended up stumbling upon "New Sensation" and never looked back. I bought Road Maps and Heart Attacks with real money, and rocked out hard in my car for months. When I found out Chad Gilbert was producing their newest record, Drop Out of Life, I was beyond excited. (Have I discussed my A Day To Remember/New Found Glory obsessions yet?)

Anyway, it took me some time to get around to listening to this album due to its release date of September 27th...(we all know that despite my excitement over TTNY, blink had to take the forefront on this magical day). Now, I've listened to it multiple times, and I'm ready to give a solid, well-thought out review. Spoiler alert: It ends with me wishing sincerely, even more than before, that the Pop Punk's Not Dead tour was coming a little closer to where I'm at. 

Drop Out of Life, the album's namesake, is the lead track, and it was a great idea with which to begin the album. Its such a catchy tune and I really do like the meaning behind the lyrics. He gets cheated on, and just wants to drop out of life for a second and forget it all happened. I love the lead-up to the chorus: I let you run around and do me like this/Now we're falling out, she's falling over this fucking prick... it sounds better with music added in, trust me. 

The next three songs (Better Off, Living Hell, and Last Call) are all good songs, just not quite standouts to me. All are catchy and I especially like the intro and verses to Last Call. However, next comes two of my favorite songs from the album: Modern Day Love Story and Spoontonic. Modern Day Love Story just has such a great chorus and is one of those songs that on the fourth album run-through, you're like oh! I get this now, and its awesome. Spoontonic is generally recognized as the standout song on this album, and for good reason. In the chorus, it really gives some tension with some accidentals or minor chords, maybe both. And the lyrics are great: In the middle of the night, it's not that easy/In the middle of the night, I am alone. 

The rest of the album generally reflects how I felt about that aforementioned run of three songs. Great stuff, definitely great, catchy music and lyrics, just not the standout tracks. Matchbook is good, and a sing-along for sure; I also love the slowdown at the end of the chorus on My Side of Town. This tune will ring true for anyone who feels a certain connection to their hometown, or any town. Get it, Got it, Good is a bit of a harder tune, and I truly enjoy the punk-ness of it. Note has real potential to become my favorite track on the second half of the album with the guitar riffs in the intro and verses. The album closes with This is an Airport Train, and this is also in contention for one of my favorite second-half tracks: such a great chorus. I'm not waiting for you/This time I won't be back again/I'm not waiting for you/Life's not over yet. 

This band may have a little growing up and practicing to do, but they have real potential. And as with any rock album in this genre, you need to give it a couple listens to really get it. I know I like this album because every time I hear it, I have different favorites. Don't start off this album by comparing them to any certain band, just listen with an open ear. It may or may not rock your world, but it definitely won't be a waste of your time. The one piece of advice I have to give to this talented band is to change things up a bit more in their songs: more slowdowns, more tension, maybe more minor chords and/or key changes. I sincerely hope the Pop Punk's Not Dead tour drums up some new fans for This Time Next Year, because they deserve it (obviously, or they wouldn't be touring with a legend...duh). 

If you haven't heard of this band, here are some tunes to start off with:

From Road Maps: New Sensation, Alex in Wonderland, Liquid Diet (my personal favorite), Rhyme and Reason

From Drop Out: Drop Out of Life, Spoontonic, Modern Day Love Story, Airport Train