topher465
07/12/08, 07:52 AM
Forever the Sickest Kids - Underdog Alma Mater
Record Label: Universal Motown Records Group
Release Date: April 29, 2008
My mom told me today that she couldn’t bear to live in Florida; she’s out of her mind. For a suffering Western Pennsylvanian who has to bear and grit his teeth with every overcast and lousy day, the thought of a year filled with skies of azul and palm trees and warmth, which is fleeting, if not non-existent where I come from, nearly brings me tears - that’s why I like summer so much. But as the rest of the scene understands, summer not only comes with trips to the wave pool and Black Raspberry ice cream, but also days of driving with your windows down, playing some pop-punk band, singing like an idiot. With that said, Forever The Sickest Kids have written you a prescription that will handle the fever you’ll receive after falling sick from driving with your windows down in November, trying to hold on to that last bit of summer that passed months ago, again, acting like an idiot.
For those who only know the band from their EP, Television Off, Party On, Underdog Alma Mater will tickle you in places you’ve never been tickled before and shake you harder than Hulk Hogan on his daughter’s boyfriend. The album kicks off with “Whoa Oh (Me vs Everyone),” which is possibly the catchiest song I’ve heard yet this year. If you don’t find yourself humming the chorus hook while your ice cream is melting over your hand because you forgot to get a napkin (again, like an idiot), you can come to my house and give me an Awful-Waffle (note: see "Salute Your Shorts"). The re-vamped version of “Hey Brittany,” which showed up on earlier demos, improves on past synthesizer efforts, enough to make me believe that this was a b-side to the Top Gun soundtrack. Thickly layered and yet not sounding over-dubbed, Jonathon Cooks' vocals soar. “Breakdown,” another re-recording, is yet another strawberry Blow-Pop of a song, whooping “you might as well, go, go go!” on top of, again, thick guitars and synthesizer.
It’s true that the re-recordings seem to be best songs on the record, with “She’s A Lady” moving and shaking with the poise of a true pop-punk band. And although I dare say that the rest of them are actually pretty catchy, they don’t compete with the aforementioned. Most utilize the same musical concepts and formulas (verses with lots of breaks and electronics, before breaking down into a moving chorus). But of course, this is pop-punk, and like I’ve said on every single pop-punk review I’ve ever done, it’s not supposed to break new musical boundaries: it’s just shameless fun. And that’s what we find on the record, which really only offers one misstep in “Coffee Break”, offering “unbridled enthusiasm” through the sometimes sappy vocals and acoustic guitar which attempts to break apart the uniformity of sound and composition which is so prevalent on this record.
The truth is, if you’re looking for a guilt-free festival of "whoa-ohs" and other endless hooks, then Underdog Alma Mater is probably a good place to start this summer (even though it’s sadly halfway over). It’s just all around feel-good music; I mean, if you like to call bands like Sigur Ros, Rogue Wave and Russian Circles your favorite bands and have too much scene credit at stake to say you actually enjoy this band, then don’t listen to them. Because honestly, you’ll like it and then you’ll have to go back into your Myspace account and change all your favorite bands again, because you just can’t have Forever The Sickest Kids right next to Frodus.
Hellogoodbye, All Time Low, The Maine
myspace.com/foreverthesickestkids (http://www.myspace.com/foreverthesickestkids)
*originally posted on Freshzive.com (http://www.freshzive.com)
Record Label: Universal Motown Records Group
Release Date: April 29, 2008
My mom told me today that she couldn’t bear to live in Florida; she’s out of her mind. For a suffering Western Pennsylvanian who has to bear and grit his teeth with every overcast and lousy day, the thought of a year filled with skies of azul and palm trees and warmth, which is fleeting, if not non-existent where I come from, nearly brings me tears - that’s why I like summer so much. But as the rest of the scene understands, summer not only comes with trips to the wave pool and Black Raspberry ice cream, but also days of driving with your windows down, playing some pop-punk band, singing like an idiot. With that said, Forever The Sickest Kids have written you a prescription that will handle the fever you’ll receive after falling sick from driving with your windows down in November, trying to hold on to that last bit of summer that passed months ago, again, acting like an idiot.
For those who only know the band from their EP, Television Off, Party On, Underdog Alma Mater will tickle you in places you’ve never been tickled before and shake you harder than Hulk Hogan on his daughter’s boyfriend. The album kicks off with “Whoa Oh (Me vs Everyone),” which is possibly the catchiest song I’ve heard yet this year. If you don’t find yourself humming the chorus hook while your ice cream is melting over your hand because you forgot to get a napkin (again, like an idiot), you can come to my house and give me an Awful-Waffle (note: see "Salute Your Shorts"). The re-vamped version of “Hey Brittany,” which showed up on earlier demos, improves on past synthesizer efforts, enough to make me believe that this was a b-side to the Top Gun soundtrack. Thickly layered and yet not sounding over-dubbed, Jonathon Cooks' vocals soar. “Breakdown,” another re-recording, is yet another strawberry Blow-Pop of a song, whooping “you might as well, go, go go!” on top of, again, thick guitars and synthesizer.
It’s true that the re-recordings seem to be best songs on the record, with “She’s A Lady” moving and shaking with the poise of a true pop-punk band. And although I dare say that the rest of them are actually pretty catchy, they don’t compete with the aforementioned. Most utilize the same musical concepts and formulas (verses with lots of breaks and electronics, before breaking down into a moving chorus). But of course, this is pop-punk, and like I’ve said on every single pop-punk review I’ve ever done, it’s not supposed to break new musical boundaries: it’s just shameless fun. And that’s what we find on the record, which really only offers one misstep in “Coffee Break”, offering “unbridled enthusiasm” through the sometimes sappy vocals and acoustic guitar which attempts to break apart the uniformity of sound and composition which is so prevalent on this record.
The truth is, if you’re looking for a guilt-free festival of "whoa-ohs" and other endless hooks, then Underdog Alma Mater is probably a good place to start this summer (even though it’s sadly halfway over). It’s just all around feel-good music; I mean, if you like to call bands like Sigur Ros, Rogue Wave and Russian Circles your favorite bands and have too much scene credit at stake to say you actually enjoy this band, then don’t listen to them. Because honestly, you’ll like it and then you’ll have to go back into your Myspace account and change all your favorite bands again, because you just can’t have Forever The Sickest Kids right next to Frodus.
Hellogoodbye, All Time Low, The Maine
myspace.com/foreverthesickestkids (http://www.myspace.com/foreverthesickestkids)
*originally posted on Freshzive.com (http://www.freshzive.com)