inthemidst
07/23/09, 12:05 PM
The Dangerous Summer - Reach for the Sun
Record Label: Hopeless Records
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Ode to the method of self-reproach. The common tale of "It's all my fault, it's my problem" becomes easily relatable when you're pouring your heart out, especially when thousands of others around the country are listening through the medium of music. The Dangerous Summer have become the new poster boys for humble, honest, straight-forward powerpop that is so approachable with its charm that you're completely blindsided. Maybe it's due to your constant listening to the All Time Low's of the world with their formulaic use of teenage parties and the constant need for sex. But is it honest? Are you able to relate?
Reach for the Sun is The Dangerous Summer's first full-length to reach stores across the United States and second release if you include the EP If You Could Only Keep Me Alive. Musically, the album does not reinvent the wheel, but for the most part is set aside in order to better magnify the vocals of vocalist/bassist AJ Perdomo who tells his life story through each note of every song. Reach is an honest expression of the common man, and Perdomo does an incredible job of telling it. It's an album that feels like it was written "just for me," and it, more than likely, was the goal of The Dangerous Summer during the writing process.
"I spend my weekdays in my car, and the weekends drinking hard enough for two...I feel the weight of the world on my back, but I'm not feeling sick to death," relays Perdomo during the song "Settle Down" over a driving beat, alive, active, and hopeful. "I'm an optomist, but only in a perfect world." How much more honest can you assess yourself?
This isn't self-loathing complaint emo rock. There is a hint of hope in each song, no matter how detrimental the story is. Perdomo conveys his outlook on faith, love, relationships with others, and the world around him through telling melancholy stories with a disturbing mix of redemption and apathy.
The only unfortunate part of Reach is that musically, The Dangerous Summer hasn't matured much since the release of the EP; not to say that it's bad obviously, but nothing worth mentioning. Most of it is just a nice background for Perdomo's exceptional vocal delivery reminiscent of Kenny Vasoli. Either way, it's a great listen.
Record Label: Hopeless Records
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Ode to the method of self-reproach. The common tale of "It's all my fault, it's my problem" becomes easily relatable when you're pouring your heart out, especially when thousands of others around the country are listening through the medium of music. The Dangerous Summer have become the new poster boys for humble, honest, straight-forward powerpop that is so approachable with its charm that you're completely blindsided. Maybe it's due to your constant listening to the All Time Low's of the world with their formulaic use of teenage parties and the constant need for sex. But is it honest? Are you able to relate?
Reach for the Sun is The Dangerous Summer's first full-length to reach stores across the United States and second release if you include the EP If You Could Only Keep Me Alive. Musically, the album does not reinvent the wheel, but for the most part is set aside in order to better magnify the vocals of vocalist/bassist AJ Perdomo who tells his life story through each note of every song. Reach is an honest expression of the common man, and Perdomo does an incredible job of telling it. It's an album that feels like it was written "just for me," and it, more than likely, was the goal of The Dangerous Summer during the writing process.
"I spend my weekdays in my car, and the weekends drinking hard enough for two...I feel the weight of the world on my back, but I'm not feeling sick to death," relays Perdomo during the song "Settle Down" over a driving beat, alive, active, and hopeful. "I'm an optomist, but only in a perfect world." How much more honest can you assess yourself?
This isn't self-loathing complaint emo rock. There is a hint of hope in each song, no matter how detrimental the story is. Perdomo conveys his outlook on faith, love, relationships with others, and the world around him through telling melancholy stories with a disturbing mix of redemption and apathy.
The only unfortunate part of Reach is that musically, The Dangerous Summer hasn't matured much since the release of the EP; not to say that it's bad obviously, but nothing worth mentioning. Most of it is just a nice background for Perdomo's exceptional vocal delivery reminiscent of Kenny Vasoli. Either way, it's a great listen.