Thursday, September 19, 2013

Save Rock and Roll Review -- Fall Out Boy

I've been reading a lot of reviews of Fall Out Boy's latest album, Save Rock and Roll, and I have to say that I disagree with a lot of them. My humble opinion is that the popular music reviews, such as Billboard, Entertainment, etc., are swayed by a personal writer's prejudice that FOB is "too punk" or "too alternative" to work well in the popular scene. Meanwhile, the punk blogs writers have the opposite prejudice that FOB has SOLD OUT! They think FOB used to be so punk and so much heavier, and these critics demand to know what happened!

First of all, these men have never been that punk or that heavy. They have always lived on the pop side of punk, even from their first albums, their barely-produced, not-even-on-Spotify beginning albums. And here's the thing--maybe their album doesn't fit in any specific category, or maybe no one wants to accept them into their folds--but this album is good. It's great, even. FOB topped the charts with Save Rock and Roll, and rightfully so.

I would like to claim that I only listened to FOB in high school and that I'm totally cooler than that now and so over it. But the truth is, I saw them at Riot Fest last weekend and it was awesome. Songs like "Saturday" and "Grand Theft Autumn" took me back, and songs like "Alone Together" and "The Phoenix" brought me into the future.

The bottom line is that Save Rock and Roll is super listenable. Sure, those who are *only* in to hardcore or punk music probably won't like it...or will claim to not like it. But me, I'm not music prejudice, and I'll listen to any artist in any genre, as long as I'm impressed by the music. Few artists could write an entire album this catchy...few artists could write even one song as catchy as the ones on that album. I just need everyone to stop thinking for a minute about what FOB is or what category they fall into, and simply enjoy the poppy but not-too-poppy sounds coming through your speakers. Patrick Stump's voice has only gotten better, and while the lyrics have gotten more sugary, I don't think anyone will regret giving this album a chance.

So get out there, get on Spotify, and queue up Save Rock and Roll.  IF you can do so with an open mind and no prejudices about what you think Fall Out Boy should or should not be, I'm confident that it will be quite the enjoyable experience. And if you don't like it, at the very least, you will have some mid-road songs to play at parties that will satisfy the whole crowd.

I'll say it: damn, I'm glad that Fall Out Boy is back. Talent is talent, regardless of the genre. Thanks guys.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Warped Tour 2013 Review (aka My Summer Playdate with Thousands of Like-Minded People)

Warped Tour...the greatest day of the year for a great number of people. This year's line-up is stellar, and if you were wondering who to see, this is your lucky day because I am always here providing my (probably) largely-unwanted professional opinion. Logistically, the tour was run very well and smoothly as usual, and parents shouldn't worry about sending their kids out to play with the Warped masses.

The highlight of my day was The Early November. Not only did they have a great set, Ace Enders' stint in the Acoustic Basement was a day-maker. I think a lot of people are missing out when they choose not to wander over to see The Early November; this band is a classic, and there is so much to be learned from their songwriting and performance. I'm always impressed by how Ace can literally "ace" every note (hehe), and how well the rest of the band executes the technical aspects of performance, along with the energy of the band as a whole.

The Wonder Years were great as usual, and I felt that their set incorporated old tunes and new perfectly. Always enjoyable!

While The Early November made my day, initially I was most excited to see my new favorite, The Story So Far. I was overjoyed at the number of people who swarmed to the Tilly's stage for their set, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I must admit that they are not technically great live, but they are a young band with a lot of talent, and I have high hopes for them. They obviously put a lot of heart into their performance, with Parker Cannon leaving the stage before the end of the set and vomiting off-stage. It was an anticlimactic end to a performance that was overall enjoyable.

The surprise of the day for me was Reel Big Fish. I won't lie--I was inordinately excited to see this band, probably because I'm getting old but maybe because I had a feeling they would be awesome. Their set was easily the most fun I had all day; this band is so quirky and cool, and they are comfortable making fun of themselves. I would recommend not missing this set at all costs.

Motion City Soundtrack was, of course, a lot of fun to see, and I've always thought Justin Pierre connects very well with his crowd. They do a great job live, and if you like them I'd say this is another not-to-miss show. I also witnessed The Summer Set, another fun band with catchy, dance-inspiring tunes.  Hawthorne Heights was a throwback, and played older music to a great extent, which seemed to be crowd pleasing. I ran over to The Swellers for a bit as well, and the only thing disappointing about their set was that they were on the smallest stage and didn't draw a large crowd. I think The Swellers are a lot better and have more potential than people give them credit for; if you don't believe me, pull up their song "Runaways" on Spotify. The Swellers – Runaways

I also witnessed Chiodos' set, along with Craig Owens' Acoustic Basement performance. While I attempt to listen to Chiodos like any good new-school-punk loving soul, they have never been among my favorites, so you can trust that my opinion is not skewed when I say that they were very good. Craig Owens' voice is better than most, even live, and the whole crowd, including me, seemed to really enjoy their chosen set. They were a good choice for the tour this year because I think they pulled a big crowd, and roped in a few older people who may not have otherwise went.

Sleeping with Sirens overlapped The Early November and The Story So Far, but I truly didn't mind missing them--as much as I love their first two full-length releases, Feel leaves a lot to be desired, and thus I likely would have boycotted them anyway.

So, this is where I'll stop with my specific band reviews. Soupy Campbell had a little rant during The Wonder Years' set, stating how he is never going to put any bands down, but made it very clear who he thought we should be listening to. And not surprisingly, he was right on the money as far as I'm concerned. Regardless of the type of music a person enjoys, there is a great disparity between truly talented and well-intentioned bands, and other bands that seem to have no desires except shocking people as much as possible, often encouraging young impressionable kids to follow a lead that will likely take them astray.

Be yourselves and be punks if you want, kids, but remember the difference between right and wrong, and support the bands who also know the difference and take pride in making truly good and meaningful music. Go forth with this unsolicited advice, pack up some Gatorades, and get out there and rage at your nearest Warped Tour!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

The Wonder Years--The Greatest Generation Review

I read an interview with Soupy Campbell about a year ago, in which he commented that he plans for The Wonder Years albums to be progressive--to tell a story not only within each album, but within The Wonder Years' entire anthology.

Did this album live up to that? Lyrically, musically? Perhaps, I suppose, it depends what they were reaching for. In my mind, The Upsides was an album about being a kid. It was about starting to figure out who you are, but still reaching back for your youth and not being completely done growing up. This is portrayed not only in the lyrics, but in the overall feel of the album, the catchy choruses, and the upbeat, not-quite-punk-but-definitely-not-pop sound of the guitars, percussion, and vocals. Then, we had Suburbia, which quite frankly blew everyone else's album out of the pop-punk water and set the standard for the new generation of punk music. It didn't try too hard to reel you in with overtly catchy choruses--it didn't need to. It proved at every turn that yes, growing up was a rough time and we're still trying, but we decided we're coming out swinging, and we're going to pound relentlessly through until we make it. And pound relentlessly, the album does. And it does it in the best, sweetest, play-on-repeat-all-day, possible way.

And now The Wonder Years have given the world The Greatest Generation. Other critic sites have touted it as lyrically advanced, and indeed a fantastic progression for this band. Okay--opinions are what let us enjoy bands like this when not everyone in the world understands it. But this album left me a bit confused. Did they succeed? Did those kids we heard struggle in The Upsides and start to grow up in Suburbia move forward with their lives? I thought that with an album title like this one, the album would have screamed YES--those kids made it through, and I can too.

But this album is sadder than the last two. And not sadder in an angsty-teen way, but rather because they did grow up, but they aren't better. They apologize: "I'm sorry I don't laugh at the right times...I'm awkward and nervous." They're waiting for something bad to happen. They just want to "be enough for everyone." They ask, "If I'm in an airport, and you're in a hospital bed, what kind of man does that make me?"

The thing that I have always and will always appreciate about The Wonder Years is the honesty in their lyrics, somehow making the simplest, most honest words sound smart and relatable. Honest lyrics abound in this album, but I don't feel like they hit the right spot as much as they normally do. This is a good album, but not what I was expecting from their progression and the album title. Maybe that's the point--we expect all the problems in life to go away as we age, but we really just end up with different problems.

High Points: The overall darker feel of the album, the 4-5 outstanding songs, the progression of Soupy's voice and the musicality of the band. Additionally, the fact that they stayed true to themselves, and made the album they wanted to make. 

Low Points: Though not often, some of the lyrics feel like they're trying too hard to provoke a sad reaction rather than just letting us feel it naturally. Also, the soft/slower songs don't necessarily fit in as well as expected.