So not too long ago I reviewed Simple Plan’s latest album. Simple Plan are one of the most popular Pop Rock bands out there, and certainly my favourite. A quick word about Pop Punk…If rock music was boxing, I would consider Heavy Metal to be the heavy weight division..Pop Punk would be the light weight division in my eyes. So this is almost a mini series sort of battle, to see who can be the Light Weight champion of Rock music. Today’s candidate all the way from Jacksonville Florida, you guessed it, YellooooooooowwwwwwwCARD!
I must admit, I hopped onto the yellowcard band waggon VERY late. I think I only fell in love with “Ocean Avenue” just as the new album “Paper Walls” came out. My apologies. Anyways It wasn’t long before I started listening to more of their stuff, and I inevitably came across the first single of the new album, “Light Up the sky”. I quite liked it, and based on their older material, I went out to get the album.

Yellowcard are VERY catchy in almost all of their songs. I suppose that is one requirement of a pop punk band. They do bring a bit of a unique edge to their music though. The album begins with 2 fast paced songs, “Take Down” and “Fighting”. Both songs go into my top 5 for this album (“fighting” being 3rd, “Takedown” being 5th). Other fast paced songs don’t quite work out, but I was actually surprised at the high standards the boys from Jacksonville managed to maintain. It must be mentioned that part of their unique edge must be attributed to their having a violinist in the band. The only other band I can think of that has a violinist is “I am Ghost”. It’s been quite disputed, but i personally feel the violin really helps. It just adds that extra dimension of creativity. This is especially evident in the song “Fighting”

Lyrics Lyrics. An often characteristic let-down of most pop punk bands, is shallow lyrics. It was interesting to see that Yellowcard aknowledged said factor, and sought to improve it. It worked in some songs, in others it…well, didnt. “Shrink the World” is an example of a song that did not work. However the song that immediately proceeds it, “Keeper” Is a very nice song in my opinion. Nothing more than nice however, but you can definately see evidence of thinking out of the box. However this wasn’t their best.The song “Shadows and Regrets” is actually quite beautiful. The song “You and Me and One Spotlight” is actually very beautiful. More on these songs later. Yellowcard, I feel, are a bit erratic with their lyrics, but overall there’s enough to suggest some lyrical profiency. What they need to do is stop writing songs like “Light up the Sky”. Wasn’t it Bryan Adams who said the words “I would die for you?” Ever since then, that line has been beyond overdone in my opinion. It’s the last thing you want to hear in a song, it’s like using a pickup line on a woman…It just doesn’t impress them. I think this is the stage in a boxing match where they began to run out of ideas and just tried to end the rounds anyway possible. By hook or by crook. (Excuse the pun in the word hook)

Most pop punk bands are composed of decent musicians. But they are never really exposed are for being less than average. The best example I can give you is the Jonas Brothers. Sure they can play the guitar and they compose nice sounding melodies. But compare them to a band like…Oh i don’t know, Paramore. It’s no contest. It’s so easy to compose something that sounds good and just play it, and sell, and make money, and appear on MTV cribs 2 months later. Yellowcard, however, are fighting in the Jonas Brothers’ corner. They (Yellowcard) are good musicians. The drummer is superb in my opinion (oddly enough, Simple plan’s Drummer also stands out…Is this another pop punk characteristic?) They manage to throw in one or two solos every other song, and you get a feel of the guitarists’ skills, which I think are very good. The only criticism I have is maybe the Vocalist. Ryan Key is good, he reaches high notes very well. However there’s nothing unique about him. Some might say “Good is good, regardless of how unique you are”. Fair enough. Oh and the violinist gives them an extra point to me, I’m listening to the bridge of “5 becomes 4″ as i write this, and the violin just adds a certain je ne c’est quoi to the song. It’s beautiful.

So what are the weak points of this album? I suppose lyrically they could have spent more time improving some of their songs. I’d say about half of the songs on the album are below par lyrically, while about a quarter of the remainders are pretty good, and the remaining quarter are very good. For me, the biggest problem with this album is it doesn’t gell. It has plenty of good, solid songs (in fact, I’d be hard pushed to choose a bad one). However they all stand out individually as good songs. It sounds more like a compilation than any sort of album. There is no flow between the songs, and this is a huge shame in my opinion. Maybe reshuffling the order could have helped? Or cross fading in 1 or 2 points. I don’t know. But I was listening to the album the other day and I was trying to answer my own question “Why don’t I listen to this album more often?” Now I know why.

Okay so what are the strong points of this album? Well I identified a top 5 (open to debate).
5.Takedown
4. Paper Walls
3. Fighting
2. Shadows and Regrets
1. You and Me and One spotlight.

The top 2 especially, I feel are beautiful. They are songs you will carry on listening to for a long time. I also really like the idea of “paper walls”. It’s very sweet, and almost beautiful. Lyrics just need to be a bit stronger. The album, musically and vocally hits the right Keys (excuse the pun). If they sharpened the lyrics, and solved the afore mentioned gelling problem, We’d have a superb album. However we just have a pretty good one. You and Me and One spotlight is the best song overall. Musically they did a perfect job of marrying the song with the actual lyrics. A very difficult technique I feel (you can see they failed that in “Light up the sky”). It’s just so passionate, and the lyrics for once are stronger than you’d expect from a pop punk band, especially seeing as they can be interpreted in more than one way.

Overall I think Yellowcard can be somewhat pleased with their efforts. Obviously the album could be much better, but I do think the hard work has paid off. Think of it as a lightweight in a battle royale lasting until the latter stages. They’ve done more than enough to hold their own against other light weight bands (all bias aside, I will state that yellowcard knock simple plan out) however they still need to work on more if they are to beat the big boys. Lets hope the next album is stronger, but not monotonous!

Summary:

Lyrics: 7/10
Instrumentals: 8/10
Vocals:7/10
Originality:6/10

Overall: 7/10 (A Solid showing, and they are ahead of the other lightweights for now)

When this album came out, I was only really starting to get into the rok scene (late 2006) and I had begun to listen to their older stuff (without knowing that a new album was impending) and I took a particular liking to the mainstream hits “Helena”, “The Ghost of You” and other less mainstream songs such as “The Jetset life is gonna get you”. When I heard “Welcome to the Black Parade” my immediate thought was “The 21st century Bohemian Rhapsody”. I was honestly awesstruck, and was expecting this song to be BIG. I didn’t care to wait for the other singles to come out, I got the album as soon as I could, listened to it, and loved it. It was the only, the only album i have ever listened to and have liked EVERY single track. Correction- It is the only album I have ever listened to and have loved every single track. It is a musical masterpiece.

So the song begins with quite possible the best intro I have ever heard. It’s called “The End”. Fantastic way to begin an album, with the end. The Black Parade is a concept album. It follows the story of a charater named “The Patient” and I suppose “The End” is introducing us to his present situation (in which he happens to be near the end of his life). The rest of the album tells the story of how he got to this particular place. If i had to compare this album to a piece of literature, I’d compare it to The Catcher in the Rye.  The few pages tell us of where he is, and the rest of the novel tells us how he got there. Anyways back to “The End”. Lyrically, It’s beautiful. Musicall It’s beautiful. If i had to delve into any further detail, we’d be here all day.
“The End” cleverly cross fades into the melodically catchy song that is “Dead”. This song has a very happy sing-along sort of feel to hit, especially in the bridge where after a very good guitar solo, Gerrard Way proceeds to sing a chorus of “LaLaLa’s” . Some might describe it as a little bit on the loopy side, but one cannot ignore the great mood of this song. It really gets you comfortable for the rest of the album.
However this mood changes and becomes less subtle and more serious in the song “This is How I Disappear”. A song with a much more hardcore sound to it, the first of the album. I feel the song gives us a better impression of the somewhat grave moments in the patient’s life. It doesn’t seem to have been a walk in the park.  Musically, this song is one of the best on the album. MCR are incredibly talented all round, and they exhibit this talent in various ways over the first few songs. “Dead” shows their unlimited creativity, it really is quite amazing. TIHID gives us a better impression of their musical aptitude- which is somewhat better than most bands..How good are they vocally you wonder?
Listen to “The Sharpest lives”. Gerrard Way’s harmonizing is nothing short of amazing. This song has recieved plenty of attention despite not being released as a single. It’s a fantastic song, although not one of my favourites but by most people’s standards this song is brilliant. The end of the song then triggers another change of mood.
And then it begins.
The simple piano melody. So simple it stands out and just grabs your attention. I’m not going to continue describing every detail of this song. But I honestly feel it’s one of the best songs on the album. One of the best songs I’ve ever heard in fact. And despite recieving plenty of mainstream attention, I think this song is underrated. It’s arguably one of the greatest songs of the 21st century. I still feel that there’s a Bohemian Rahpsody-esque feel to the song, I think you can safely say there’s some Freddy Mercury influence there. But take nothing away, the song is top notch.
Then we proceed to one of the weaker songs of the album. “I don’t love you” Is a little bit simpler, lyrically. Slightly slower tempo, and has a bit of a poppy feel. To MCR’s credit, they still pull it off really well, but such are the high standards of the album that this songs seems a bit poor. However the fact that they can do this kind of song is a true testament to their versatility. I must admit, I do love the way Gerrard way sings the hook in a lower key just before the final chorus. It’s just so solemn and you can feel what he’s saying. This song, in my eyes at least, was probably the closest to mainstream standards and had girls everywhere singing along. I really don’t think MCR meant for the song to be recieved in that way, and perhaps it’s its commercial-ness that makes me a bit weary of liking the song.
The song “I don’t love you” sort of leaves one with a bit of a sad, empty feeling at the end, so we imagine the patient is going through some sort of emotional hardship. My interpretation is that the song that follows, “House of Wolves”, is a metaphorical reference to the patient going to a bar and getting completely wasted and just living life with a lot of non chalancy about him (“Tell me I’m a bad man, kick me like a stray”). This song, is quite possibly the best song on the album lyrically. It’s very very underrated in my opinion. “Play ring around the ambulance, like you never gave a care…” insane creativity. MCR are on another lyrical level, every other band out there is pretty much fighting for second best.
Again, the mood is toned down, and we hear a rather different piano melody to that of “Welcome to the Black Parade”. This is the point of the album at which we really learn more about the patient’s ailments, and it’s pretty obvious from this point that he has been diagnosed with cancer. I like the song. It’s not my favourite on the album, in fact it’s arguably the weakest, but I still like the sincerity of the song.
“Mama” has got to be one of the most different songs I’ve ever heard. I think the patient has accepted that he’s going to die, and begins to reflect on the sins he commited while at war. In a way, it sort of comes back to haunt him and although he’s offered help, to try to ease the guilt, he admits he’s done too much wrong. I think this is a very unique song, but then again it’s a very unique album all round isn’t it? The song really gives you an Eastern European WW2 sort of feeling. Liza Minelli happens to feature in this song. I don’t think they could have picked anyone better for the vocals.  This song is simply of the highest standards, but very, oddly, different.
Ever heard a song about nightmares?  Apparently Gerrard Way wrote this song based on the nightmaric (is that a word?) experiences he suffered while the band was in LA. This song is another one of my favourites on the album. But I like it more for it’s musical aptitude rather than lyrical (not that I think the song is lyrically weak- anything but). I can’t really figure out what part of the patient’s life this is, maybe he’s going a bit senile because of being so sick? It’s up to you. Needless to say another superb song.
Another song that recieved plenty of media attention “Teenagers”. I feel this song is more vintage MCR, which is why I prefer it to “I don’t love you”. It’s a very catchy track, and again show’s Gerrard Way’s ability to make you want to sing along with him. Oh and the fact that he urges us to sing along (When he says “All together now…”) doesn’t really hurt.
Right, now the main reason why I chose this longer and arguably more tedious format for this review, is because I wanted to analyse my favourite song on the album in enough detail. Disenchanted. This song is beautiful. I love the acoustic guitar in the beginning. Gerrard Way’s voice is perfect for this song, during the more serene parts, he dampens his voice enough for us to feel the emotion. During the outbursts of emotion he screams his lungs out for us, and we feel the passion of the song. His unique way of harmonizing really just makes the chorus. Lyrically, this song is great. It’s one of those songs that will mean something to almost everyone, and can be interpreted in various ways. I think it’s about the patient talking to an old best friend, going through their memories but realizing that even after all that time, that best friend just didn’t come through for him, and unfortunately he just might be on his own. He questions his friend, and asks for answer as to whether or not their friendship meant anything at all. In my opinion, the most beautifully mastered part of the album is the last 30 seconds where he echos the words “At all” with the acoustic riff in the background.
I love the way my two favourite songs on the album follow one another. Famous Last Words, as a whole package, is another song I feel is extremely underrated and has got to be one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. However, I suppose what makes it better is the context in which we hear this song. After traversing the patient’s journey, this song is the best ending to an album I’ve ever heard. I think the patient has realized that he has a choice as to how he can carry on living his life. He’s made up his mind, he’s going to live his life to the fullest, and he is not afraid of this life any more. However to the person to whom he’s talking (lets assume she’s a paramour, maybe past, maybe present). He gives her the choice to stay with him or not, but nothing she does or says is going to make him change his mind about how he’s chosen to live his life.

I’ve said enough about how I feel about the album. However I will admit that I may be inclined to some bias, seeing as this is my favourite album, and others of you might not feel that it’s as spectacular as I’ve made it out to be. However there are certain aspects of this album that cannot be doubted- MCR’s lyrical aptitude for example. I’m also prepared to admit that I may have gotten the patient’s story line a little bit wrong, but like this review, that is my interpretation. If yours is different, so be it. This album is brilliant.

Summary:

Lyrics: 9/10
Instrumentals: 8.5/10
Vocals: 9/10
Originality: 8/10

Overall: 9/10 (simply brilliant.)

I remember when rap used to be cool.  When you could actually say you wanna be a rapper one day and folk would take you seriously, and clap for you. When you could listen to rap when you were a bit down and really get in the zone. Where rap stood for Rhythm And Poetry. Sure the rappers swore more than anyone else, but they made up for this with songs that made sense and meant a lot to all of us, and we respected them. And then the first few rappers got famous…Started earning money and thus begun the demise of rap music. Nobody sensed it yet, even at the turn of the century, nobody was concerned because Eminem was dominating, and he was the creative fulcrum for mainstream rap…He was that influence of sense above the rest of the pretense (you can tell I used to be a rapper haha) 50 Cent burst onto the scene and I feel rap was at its highest point in music around here (not only because of 50 cent) but because of the way that rap was dominating the grammys. However nobody noticed when about 5 or 6 artists rose to fame using 50 cent.. Nobody realized that they were only topping charts because of the “G-unit” not because of actual talent.  Nobody noticed when Kanye West won the only non-rap Grammy in 2005. Nobody paid attention when Nas said Hip Hop is Dead. Nobody saw it until it was too late. It’s December 2008 and lyrics such as “Stacks on deck, patrone on ice…You can have whatever you like” Will get you to the top of the billboards. That’s just the thing isn’t it? A lot of us dont notice the precarious position in which rap is as genre, simply because it’s still popular. “Oh sure rap is still alive then if people like it, right?” No i disagree. Rap as we used to know it, is dying. Soulja Boy is not rap- give him his own genre, Rhyming Crap works for me. But those that care about music as a whole, will honestly admit that rap is in decline. There are one or two artists out there who are trying to save rap, however their attempts appear to be in vain, because the general public that loves Rhyming Crap (RC) don’t want meaningful music…

However that doesn’t stop Lupe Fiasco. One of my favourite artists and certainly my favourite rapper. Lupe is better than Kanye West, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, T.I, T-pain…and I’d say when they’re both at their best, he’s tied with eminem. I won’t dwell too much on his story and I’l skip straight to the review coz i’ve wasted so much of your time with my earlier rant!

So I heard Lupe had a new album, Oh and i heard superstar on the radio. It grew on me i admit, but it didn;’t take long to do so. After analyzing the lyrics, i realized It had a deeper meaning than what i though. “Wow” I thought, as a my eyes slowly watered, I just love beautiful lyrics, especially clever ones. Not too long afterwards, I had the album in my hands. Here we go, the next Rap Rescue mission.

The album starts with what sounds like two introductions..”Baba says cool for thought” and “Free Chilly”…two of the recurring themes in the album (the cool, and Free chilly-no idea what either of them means, i apologize sincerely). And then the album begins with “Go Go Gadget flow” Now i believe to be a good rapper you have to have 2 things…Lyrical Aptitude, and a good “rap-tongue”. i.e. You have to be able to “spit” fairly quickly, (although not all your songs have to be quick, you just have to show you have the ability). Lupe shows us this in several tracks (the rap tongue) including Go Go Gadget flow, and at first I thought he was just talking a whole bunch of mindless “modern-day-rap” trash…However upon listening carefully you realse, Lupe does speak sense in most of his songs. He attacks other rappers and attacks the concept of what rap has become  in msot of these tracks. However he shows versatility in the way he can deliever slower more emotional tracks, however with the same amount of eloquence and class. His overall delivery is of very high standards, and compare this to popular contemporary rap artists and he wipes the floor with them. This is shown in the song “Hi-Definition” where at the end of the 2nd and 3rd verse respectively, He and Snoop Dogg deliver the exact same line but Lupe just does it so much better. I dont think there are many rappers out there whose vocal delivery is as good as lupe. Perhaps Eminem or Twista would have something to say about that..

Onto my favourite part of it all. Lyrics. Lupe is a lyrical genius, not just for a rapper, but for any kind of artist. His lyrics rival the best in my opinion. I honestly think all the songs on the album (except “Gotta Eat”) have brilliant lyrics. Another weak song is “Intruder alert”. I say weak by Lupe’s standards, by any other rapper’s standards this song would be brilliant. However Lupe has that wonderful ability to be able to write a song in two ways- It has a simple meaning that makes sense upon hearing, but after further analysis you find deeper hidden meanings. And some of his songs e.g “Streets on fire” have various interpretations that make sense. As I’ve always maintained, that (being able to have a song interpreted in more than one way yet still make sense) is what makes a good song(lyrically). I think a brilliant song on this album is “Dumb it down”. Where he really ridicules the rap industry for what it’s become, but he does so in such a clever way, you really have to appreciate the man’s cleverness. It’s very difficult to single out more songs, you just have to take my word for it, the lyrics are fantastic.

People say Rap has to have beat- no shut up- Hip Hop is all about beat. RC is all about beat. Rap is about Rhythm And Poetry. The music in this album is pretty…technoey and a little bit poor sometimes. I admit, some of the songs on the album would not grab my attention first time, (and they didn’t actually) because of the way they sound…and despite the importance of other aspects of music, sound does count alot. Lupe sounds like the kind of artist who has control over what he wants done in an album (i say this because so much of his true personality is reflected in his music) however i think he needs to fine tune his ideas in the sound department. Songs such as “The die” and “dumb it down” actually have strong deeper meanings, but the backing music isn’t great at all…Having said that, ”fighters” has got such a lovely haunting melody to it that suits the album really well, so it’s not all doom and gloom.

Lupe doesn’t seem to run out of ideas in this album. It is very well planned, and I think if you’re like me and haven’t heard his previous albums, you can still get away with it, and understand most of what lupe is saying in this album. I think, amongst many things, what lupe is saying in the album is that he can do what most rappers can do- except better. Songs like, Go Go Gadget flow and Go Baby, sound a little bit like what you’d expect to hear from other rappers however he brings his own unique style to them, his brilliant lyrics and delivers it so smoothly that he puts Kanye or Wheezy to shame. He does sound a little like eminem in certain verses of certain songs (again apologies for not being detailed enough) however i dont think it’s a case of him copying, I think it’s just a case of him being good. Sadly, no matter how good he is, his efforts seem futile. People want Lil Wayne’s simple lyrics. Dont get me wrong, simple lyrics are not the end of the world, but when all you talk about is cars, sex, women, drugs, guns…It’s just pathetic, and perhaps the majority of people just aren’t deep enough to appreciate lupe. It’s a pity. It’s like having a talented player, on a poor team. He’s a gem of an artist, unnoticed because he is in the rubble of the genre that is rap music.

I recommend this album for all who want assurance that Rap is not going down without a fight. She’s still holding on until I hit the scene, the self proclaimed saviour of rap I will be But we’l talk about that another time…Lupe’s work really pays off with this album, it must be hard to make 19 tracks and to have 18 of them be above the normal man’s standard for what is “Good”.

Summary:
Lyrics: 8/10
Instrumentals: 6.5/10
Vocals: 8/10 (would have been a 7.5 had it not been for Matthew Santos’ contribution to this album)
Originality:9/10
Overall: 8.5/10 (what music should really about, still a shame he won’t get the credit he deserves for this)

Like most teenagers in the early adolescent phase, i lived by the lyrics of pop punk musicians. Like most teenagers in the early adolescent phase, I was rebellious, and lyrics such as those of simple plan (songs such as me against the world..) were anthems to me. Like most teenagers who have decent taste in music, my standards increased as i grew older. However, unlike most teenagers I did not let my love for pop punk die. Maybe it sorta faded from “Love” to “Like” but there’s still a little something there. Like that ex who you never completely over and have a fling with from time to time. I loved simple plan when i was 14, that was when “Still not getting any” came out right? Yeah. They immediately became my favourite band. 3 or so years down the line, my lyrical standards increased dramatically, and my judgement of good music had grown stricter. No longer did i admire 50 cent, no longer did I believe that westlife were the greatest artists in existence…It was always going to be an interesting day when Simple Plan came back into my life with their self titled album..The girl who still loves me even after all this time..

So I’d heard “When I’m gone” on the radio, and it happened to be the first track on the album. I must say, i liked it quite a bit on the radio but i usually decide to buy an album is after 2 or 3 singles have been released. Think of it as getting to know a girl before dating her. But with simple plan, it’s more like you hear she’s back in town and you immediately arrange a date but dont know what to expect. So the after 3 minutes and 47 second’s i didnt know what to expect..

At the end of the album i remember thinking “Wow. That was amazing.”. She’s changed, I’ve changed, but she still knows how to get to me. Maybe I’m a little biased, I dont know…But the album was damn good upon first listening to. It became one of my favourite albums and I’ve listened to it several times since. After When I’m gone, the next two songs (Take my hand and The end) are adrenaline filled punk rock tracks, and they do sound a touch different from what we’ve come to know of simple plan (especially The End). However as much as i love this girl, I can’t deny her flaws…That’s just not who I am. There was always something that bothered me about this album. I will make it very clear right here, despite this being a pop punk band and a pop punk album i loved it. There i said it. I thought it was very good. Not brilliant, not sublime by any means. But very good. So what are the problems, lets list them
-Poor lyrics on the whole, very predictable.
-Some of the songs sound like attempts to recapture old glory
-Its embarrassing to admit you love pop punk in public, and it’s hard to convince ppl to give this album a try.

In terms of lyrics, I am very strict. It’s such a shame with this album. Simple plan are very good musicians, but the lyrics let them down terribly. Some songs you can get away with like “When I’m gone” “no love
and maybe “what if”. However there are some truly beautiful songs on this album like “Save you”, “What if” and “No Love” but honestly for simple plan standards the lyrics are okay at best. Compare them to any half decent band like, Oh i dont know, Taking Back Sunday? Lyrically, Taking Back Sunday slaughter them. The lyrics are often very predictable and downright weak in songs such as “Time to say goodbye” and “Running out of time” (personally i feel those two songs let down the album completely).

Lyrics aside, Simple plan do have a knack for catchy tunes, and wonderful melodies. “Take my hand” Is a fantastic way to really get into the album after “when I’m gone” (seeing as I’d heard it before). However that line, “Take my hand” doesn’t it sound like something we’ve heard before? Anyways ITO sound in this album, I can’t tell whether simple plan are trying to change completely or are in slow transition. When you think about it, alot of the songs on this album that you think are really good and very different…actually sound similar to what we’ve heard before from simple plan. “Generation” sounds alot like “Me against the world”, “Save you” sounds alot like “Crazy”, …And then you get songs like running out of time, which to me is a very very lazy attempt at a song. So is “Time to say goodbye”. Honestly speaking, my two year old sister could write better lyrics.

It seems all I’ve done is critisize Simple Plan’s efforts on this album. But the thing is, you cant exactly say much about the good things?  11 of the 13 songs Sound really good and would immediately grab my attention were I to hear them anywhere else. 3 of those 11 are completely unique and different to simple plan’s sound. and as a collective package, those 11 songs are fantastic. Can’t really go into any more detail about them to be frank.

After pondering upon the aforementioned criticism, we begin to really think about Simple Plan’s aptitude as a band, and it begs the question, ” How good are they as a band really?” To get a clearer idea of where they stand, perhaps compare them to some of the best bands. I mentioned that they are good musicians, however compare them with bands such as Panic! at the Disco and My Chemical romance, Bands that have retained their unique feel in the face of main stream attention. Simple plan are put to shame- Although I feel it’s worth mentioning that the Simple plan Drummer is exceptionally good, he stands out compared to the rest of the band, and could, in my eyes, keep up witht he best. Vocally, I feel Pierre Bouvier has a brilliant voice- However there’s not much unique about it. Compare it to Gerrard Way, Chris Martin or Brandon flowers…However his voice suits simple plan’s style of music.

So that’s it then? Well what can I say, She’s a great girl to hang out with but i really can do much better. Simple Plan will be cool to drive to I guess, But really The album lacks depth and despite their having fixated themselves on my “favourite bands” list, I’ve come to realise that this is due more to sentimental reasons than unbiased judgement. I would recommend this album, certainly, just dont expect anything supernaturally different.

Summary:

Lyrics- 5.5/10
Instrumentals- 7/10
Vocals-8/10
Originality-6/10
Overall-7/10 - A Decent Buy I suppose, but nothing mindblowingly original

Recommended tracks:

Take my hand
The End
Generation
Save You
What If
No Love

The Long anticipated debut album finally has some substance!

I’ve decided to call it AA- Adolescents Anonymous.

This album has many inspirations. But the one biggest inspiration, and one could even say is the core of this album, is My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade”. The two albums will be similar- perhaps not in content- but in that both albums seem to tell the story of a character’s progression. Although the black parade is neither the first nor the only concept album portraying a theme through the different songs in a manner one can describe as story-like, it is one of the few that is centered around a character, in fact going so far as to give that character a name (The Patient). AA’s main character will simply be known as “T” Short for Teenager, but also short for another name beginning with T.

So onto the main part of this briefing- The story.

AA Begins with an intro- the idea behind this is to deliberately be cliché in order to show T’s vulnerability to being easily influenced, as we often are during our early adolescence. The first few songs will certainly display hints of lyrical depth, but mostly arrogance with clever rhymes to polish it all up. However after suffering a pretty bad break up T is dealt his first realy emotional blow, and he reacts in what’s fast becoming cliché in the modern age, the emo like self depression absolutely no pride justwantyouback or else I’l cry myself to sleep every night for 7 months sort of reaction. And I suppose it’s fitting to put this sort of song in, in order for one to really get the teenage feel of the album (Particularly the immaturity that is expressed in this song) Instead of maturing, as one would expect him to do after being set back as so, T begins to degenerate as things begin to fall apart.

His relationships with his friends begin to show signs of frailty as tension begins to mount. This tension reaches a point of climax when he decides he is better off alone and seeks to leave his friends. We notice that not only does the music change in that the lyrics are sung rather than rapped as they are in the first few songs (this change is done to symbolise a growth in maturity, as rap is associated with the character’s youth) We also notice a substantial increase in the depth of the lyrics. Almost as if T is growing in talent. Clever plays on words, along with implicit meanings show that he is learning to channel his emotions into a more artistic product rather than the angst over-emotional products seen earlier.

However he begins to regret his decision to abandon his friends, as one of them becomes comatosed following an accident of some sort. A song entitled “Winter” will show a more humble maturity coupled with feelings of regret and a touch of self hatred (like most teenagers feel). It will also be the greatest example of his progress as an emotionally mature person as it will be one of the more difficult songs to decipher (unless some background is known) due to it being laced with a running metaphorical theme.

We are given hints earlier in the album that T is a religious Teen. Any suspicions are confirmed in a song that can be described as an epiphany in the character’s life. Most albums tend to use an interlude in order to shift theme, however I find that using the concept of finding yourself regiously and being Born Again is a rather original way of signalling a change in the theme of the album. In this song, T comes to terms with who he really is and admits his faults graciously, without- we notice- any of the previous arrogance that we had come to know in the earlier songs.

After this song we find that T has his first shot at romance (that we knowof at least) Since that horrific break up earlier in the album. A difference is noticeable in the way he goes about his songs, the emotion is ever present, yet it is presented in a much more appealing package than the full on raw emotion that accompanied his earlier lyrics. We find a mini series of 3 songs at the stage of the album, where he seems to find his dream girl (first song) ask her out, (second song) only to be rejected but to move on with a bit of grace about himself (3^rd song) The mature way in which he handles romantic misfortune (not to be confused with apathy by the way) really shows how far he has come, and this growth is epitomised in the song “Walk on” which is the first and only song written in 3^rd person and that focuses on anybody other than himself. The song is meant to be a song within a song…A song that the character himself writes as opposed to the other songs which simply tell the story of the character, but in first person.

The second last track on the album Will be entilted “Valedictory” and deals with the emotional phase of having to leave friends behind. However, T realises that he just can’t leave his friends behind, particularly one who he’s been very close to recently, but at the same time, he cannot afford to not realise his dreams..He ‘s stuck between a rock and a hard place, until eventually he leaves the choice to the friend…To see if this friendship is worth losing his dreams over, he leaves the friend with an ultimatum:

“If there’s anything you want to say, If you think it may change my mind, Say it now”

Hello all. Wow i feeel so amatuerish doing this for the first time. I almost don’t know what to say maybe I should stall…

Have you heard the joke about the blind man who walked into…Oh? Okay sure..Well I may as well get to business then.

The very first STAR (SilverTin Album Review!)

And it goes to our Aritst of the month, Mayday Parade (I will soon find a way of putting up an artist of the month picture)

The album begins with the very catchy tune, “Jamie all over” I like the way they didnt use an Intro or anything. I have nothing against intro’s (So long as they’re good!) I just find that it’s becomming more and more cliche and more and more difficult to be unique. ALIR goes straight into the action. Now one thing you must know about me is that I’m a hopeless romantic, but I’m also an admirer of great lyrics. Terribly weak cliche lyrics make me cringe…I love Westlife, but i hate their pathetic lyrics sometimes. Unfortunately, most artists that make entire albums dedicated to love songs are usually Poppy artists whose lyrics have been overdone like your favourite dish being given to you 5 times a day. Anyways, Mayday Parade with ALIR sought to give us exactly that…A LESSON. So back to the first song. Jamie All over is the kind of song that would have caught my attention on had i heard it anywhere else- for me, when an album is full of those kind of tracks, you know it’s bound to succeed. Jamie all over has reasonably strong lyrics, Lyrics that guys would dedicate to girls, and girls would find cute..Perhaps the chorus is a bit reminiscent of lyrics we’ve heard before, but Mayday can be forgiven. Very good track none the less and a great way to kick off the album.

We then proceed to the song Black Cat, which i must admit is not my favourite song on the album. In fact it is one of two songs that i did NOT immediately take a liking to (The otherone being “Champagne is for celebrating..) I feel the boys were trying too hard to be deep in the writing process and this song comes off as rather immature to me, but that’s just my opinion.

Just when i was beginning to get a tad disappointed, i hear “The words are comming i feel terrible…” This tangy intro IMMEDIATELY catches my attention And after the slight pause I’m hit with the loud but infectuously welcome tune that is “When i get home, you are so dead”. All i can say is WOW. Arguably the best song on the album. This is the first hint of uniqueness Mayday Parade offer us on their version of a love album. My word, when was the last time Westlife wrote a song about an ex leaving them? Oh that’s right, they always do, and they always sound the same “I want you back please dont leave my life.” No, this track takes a VERY different approach to what I’ve seen, and the character seems not to care and “Hopes he’s leaving you empty baby this is just a fix, for such a simple little…whore”. They certainly show more of their vibrant personalities on this track, and my hope in this album is immediately revitalized.

The mood changes however, another catchy intro but this time less provocative and more …looking for sympathy i think? Just when i think they are straying into grounds that have been trodden on and sapped of their fertility by Westlife, Take that and the Backstreet Boys, Mayday surprise me by showing that they can do what these other artists do…but MUCH MUCH better. The song Jersey is simply brilliant, one can almost feel as if they are being left out in the New Jersey cold by a lover. The Key change in the final Chorus seems to give the listener a bit of hope though haha.

And then the first of the long titles “If you wanted a song written about you all you had to do was ask…”. I always think long titles are fun, much better than boring old short titles such as “Walk away” “I miss you”. No a long title is usually a mark of creativity and, provided one successfully links it to the song lyrics, a touch of genious. This song is another one of my favourites on the album. From the word go we are hit with a  very catchy bass intro (where do they get the catchiness from? My word..). The song itself is very sing-along-able and relateable too, but still unlike what I’ve ever heard. The first line is a little bit suspect of straying into the forbidden Western Land (i.e. Westlife-ish lyrics) However  once again, the boys prove me wrong and the line “I hope you like your pictures facing down” in the chorus is absolutely amazing. At this stage of the album I’m beginning to realize that Mayday indeed are good lyricists, but more than that, they are talented musicians!

Well I was wondering when it would come, and eventually it did. The Ballad. So far they’ve been beating Westlife at the love game, but could they do it playing by Westlife’s rules? Miserable at Best was the first song by Mayday Parade that ever blessed my ears. The fact that I’m doing this review suggests it was good enough to have me going back for more! Miserable it best is THE BEST ballad i have EVER heard (Unless Iris and I dont wanna miss a thing count as ballads). The song, despite being 5 minutes long, is something you can listen to over and over and over again. Okay fine, very soppy emo lyrics, but the way in which they’ve executed this song is brilliant, they dont sing too high, keeping it very solemn and serious, and you just cannot help but love this song. I’ve heard “I would die for you” I’ve heard “I will do anything” I’ve heard “I’m on my knees” ..It was always going to be tricky to come up with that wonder line that characterizes any good ballad. “I can live without you, but without you I’l be miserable at best” Is probably the best I’ve heard so far.

After a bit of a break in the form of Miserable At Best, We then go straight back to the action with My favourite song of the album. How awesome is the title, Walk on water or drown? I love this song. Again it explores aspects of love which are unique in music, the line “Play me a song it’s been too long since I’ve heard you sing” Is just wonderful in the context of the song, you have to hear it to appreciate it i feel. The song really is a breath of fresh air. I Love it

Then something a little different…Ocean and Atlantic. The sign of a good set of lyrics is when they can be interpreted in many different ways and make sense. Walk on Water or Drown Is a great song lyrically, due to the afore mentioned notion. Ocean and Atlantic is no different, But what aspect of love does it deal with? I think it deals with the aspect of avoiding love. A girl who just never settles down long enough to fall in love. A breath of fresh air..Oops did i already say that? I’m running out of superlatives with this album…

I’d hate to be you when people find out what this song is about…Loving the long titles mates! Before hearing this, you can be forgiven for expecting another “When i get home…” But no, expect the unexpected with this band. One thing i should mention, Mayday Parade have FANTASTIC vocalists in Derek Sanders and Jeremy Lanzo. They are simply brilliant. But what makes them special is that not only are they great individual vocalists, but their harmonies are brilliant. The opening to this song has probably the best harmonizing of the whole album. Such fantastic lyrics, If i was a girl, and a guy sang this song to break up with me…well i wouldn’t be too hurt. It’s a very solid song, and really they’d have to mess up pretty badly in the remaining tracks to not make this a brilliant album

But  oh no the Baton is handed to another brilliant song. Take this to heart. I think this songs strong points are…Well everything bar lyrics. The lyrics for once are slightly ordinary, but they more than make up for this with superb vocals (are the vocals ever NOT superb?) and superb melodies. This song is one of my favourites by Mayday, despite it sounding a little bit like “Used to” by Daughtry.

Champagne is for celebrating (I’l have a martini). Very quirky title. I dont know what it is about this song, but for the first few thousand times i listened to this album, I didn’t like it. It, and black cat, were the two weak points for me. But lately it’s grown on me. It’s a tale of regrets in the end, and they pull it off quite nicely. It’s just one of those songs i guess, it’s actually really good, just needs to grow on you. It’s actually one of the best on the album if you ask me. I love the line “And how she hopes he missed her, coz Gosh, she missed how he would kiss her” and also “Coz its nights like these i wished I’d said don’t go”.

And then we go for the grand finale. After what’s been a sensational album so far, this last track would have to be a touch above average if they wanted to make this album truly memorable. Last words always last the longest i feel. So They give us a mouthful of a title “You be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground, I’l be the wings that keep your head in the clouds”. and then it begins, quite ballady I must admit, But it’s just a slow song..I wouldn’t classify it as a ballad, It doesn’t have the ballad like lyrics. The lyrics in this song aren’t the best on the album (Thats no insult by any means, this album is just very good) However the overall vocal package given to us in this song is the best. They are probably just showing off now, as if we didn’t know they were great singers already. i think the best part of this song is the Bridge. Harmony-solo-Harmony-Solo-Jeremy Sanders’ exceptionally brilliant high note (and please-dont–let–me–GOOOOOO). Upon first hearing, the lyrics might seem cliche, but many think that the character is actually singing to God rather than to the girl that broke his heart. and in this song he is seeking retrospection and wanting to know where he stands in this life. I think it’s a brilliant way to cap off what has got to be one of the best albums I’ve ever heard.

It’s not an album to make love to, It’s not something to play at a picninc with your girlfriend. It’s just something to listen to if you really love good music, and it’s almost like a library of love, A song to suit almost any possible situation. Mayday Parade are talented artists, and Lets just HOPE they do not sell out. I would love for them to be famous, really, They deserve the recognition, But i hope they maintain such high standards of production.

Summary:

Lyrics- 8/10
Instrumentals- 8.5/10
Vocals- 9/10
Originality- 7.5/10

Overall- 8.5/10(superb album, Highly recommended)