Scott Weber
11/21/05, 05:03 PM
A Day at the Fair - The Prelude
Release Date: April 13, 2004
Record Label: Springman
Within the first 45 seconds of the first song, I could tell that this EP wasn’t going to be anything special. The singer cries out lyrics such as “dreaming of California”, the most overused lyric/theme in music today. While Day at the Fair managed to fulfill nearly every pop-punk stereotype within the first minute of the album, the chorus did stick in my head. I moderately enjoyed the first song. But by the second track, “The Blame Anxiety”, I couldn’t take it anymore. Gratuitous obscenities and lyrics about drinking turned me off immediately, then what I thought was the final pop-punk cliché was fulfilled – a quote of a man talking (probably from a movie or something) during the bridge. But wait – the fifth and final track “Homesick Angels” is a 7 minute acoustic ballad. Cliché maximum achieved. Full of straightforward lackluster drumming and typical pop punk vocals, it’s needless to say that Day at the Fair’s debut EP did not impress me.
Day at the Fair’s sound is generic and tired. The vocals have a whiney drone to them, and the songs are uncreative. The drumming grows old and tiresome, the guitars don’t add any energy to the songs. This EP is poorly produced, but there’s only so much good production could do – there’s too big a discrepancy between the current quality and the potential for this EP.
On the other hand, if you look back several years ago, a young band with a similar sound released a 5 song EP much like Day at the Fair’s. That band was The Starting Line. They moved on to Drive-Thru and proceeded to write an excellent album. Who knows, maybe Day at the Fair hasn’t come close to tapping into their potential...but let's be honest, probably not. There’s no denying Day at the Fair’s ability to write catchy music, it just doesn’t come close to pushing the envelope, not even once. It doesn't even move the envelope. If you’re a fan of spoon-fed pop-punk, you may really enjoy this EP. But if you if you’re like me and desire more out of a listening experience, then skip this.
Release Date: April 13, 2004
Record Label: Springman
Within the first 45 seconds of the first song, I could tell that this EP wasn’t going to be anything special. The singer cries out lyrics such as “dreaming of California”, the most overused lyric/theme in music today. While Day at the Fair managed to fulfill nearly every pop-punk stereotype within the first minute of the album, the chorus did stick in my head. I moderately enjoyed the first song. But by the second track, “The Blame Anxiety”, I couldn’t take it anymore. Gratuitous obscenities and lyrics about drinking turned me off immediately, then what I thought was the final pop-punk cliché was fulfilled – a quote of a man talking (probably from a movie or something) during the bridge. But wait – the fifth and final track “Homesick Angels” is a 7 minute acoustic ballad. Cliché maximum achieved. Full of straightforward lackluster drumming and typical pop punk vocals, it’s needless to say that Day at the Fair’s debut EP did not impress me.
Day at the Fair’s sound is generic and tired. The vocals have a whiney drone to them, and the songs are uncreative. The drumming grows old and tiresome, the guitars don’t add any energy to the songs. This EP is poorly produced, but there’s only so much good production could do – there’s too big a discrepancy between the current quality and the potential for this EP.
On the other hand, if you look back several years ago, a young band with a similar sound released a 5 song EP much like Day at the Fair’s. That band was The Starting Line. They moved on to Drive-Thru and proceeded to write an excellent album. Who knows, maybe Day at the Fair hasn’t come close to tapping into their potential...but let's be honest, probably not. There’s no denying Day at the Fair’s ability to write catchy music, it just doesn’t come close to pushing the envelope, not even once. It doesn't even move the envelope. If you’re a fan of spoon-fed pop-punk, you may really enjoy this EP. But if you if you’re like me and desire more out of a listening experience, then skip this.