You, Me, and Everyone We Know – Some Things Don’t Wash Out
Record Label: Doghouse Records
Release Date: October 12, 2010
I’ve never considered myself one of those guys who likes a certain type of music. Whether that’s true or not is irrelevant, because the point is, it’s not style that matters. It’s the statement. As long as the musician is speaking my language, they can do it anyway they want. And that language, I've discovered, is spoken by a certain person: many people call them the underdog. I call them the person who isn’t content with what’s presented to them. They are the person looking for more at any cost; the person who is willing to improve and fight. Whether they do so over a “totally sick” metalcore breakdown, “mad nasty” sample or “slick toots” brass section varies widely, but I appreciate their drive all the same.
And although You, Me, and Everyone We Know’s main man Ben Liebsch is probably tired of the term, he is the quintessential underdog. Whether it be a love for 80’s teen comedies or just plain bad luck, he has found himself in more than a few lousy situations. And because of (insert circumstance here), Some Things Don’t Wash Out works as half album/half therapy session. With his singy/talky vocals, the economical addition of brass and strings and some super catchy choruses, Liebsch basically lays out the bumpy road of his life as a pop-rock refugee. It’s a story that is at times too personal and too music industry-centered (“Shock and Awe” and “I’m Losing Weight For You”), however the underlying feeling of rising above is more than universal. So even if I don’t know what it’s like to be pushed off tours, I know what it’s like to be unfairly overlooked. And on merely a hunch, I bet you do too.
Some Things Don’t Wash Out feels like an album written on a soapbox. It’s a mental fist-pump. Just look to the movements throughout standout “Bootstraps.” After starting sparse with the words, “I want to be uplifting for a change,” it erupts into a chorus that should go on every weird kid's bedroom wall. And whether you consider the following statement blasphemous or not, I still think this is a newer version of Say Anything’s ...Is A Real Boy, at least in terms of self-awareness (and at times, vocally). When I first heard this band on (the Max Bemis-assisted) “I Can Get Back Up Now,” I felt inspired. But that EP didn’t come through on its promise of maladjusted rock jams. But that failure is more than fixed on Some Things Don’t Wash Out; there’s song after song of catchy, intellectual angst. And smart angst is near impossible.
New stylistic attempts for YMAEWK, like the jazzy “James Brown is Dead” or the brass-anchored ballad “Moon, Roll Me Away,” feel well-researched yet organic. Even the handclappy “The Next 20 Minutes,” where Liebsch’s voice is 95% of the song, works because he mixes his in-your-face yell with a near-monotone verse section. Heck, “A Little Bit More,” a song with whistles, which are the worst unless you’re a hot chick in an old western saloon, hits my pleasure center once the offensive cuteness is overtaken by a buds-only gang chorus. So if you haven’t noticed - NOTICE ME! - this is a record I enjoy. While I was very much looking forward to this band’s “big” statement, I was weary of its chances for success. Luckily the fear and worry genes my parents instilled in me were for nothing. Some Things Don’t Wash Out? Thank God.
Recommended If You Like: Mansions, Say Anything, Weatherbox, Doghouse Records stuff
Great review and great album. I think you managed to capture what the album is trying to do and say really well. I think the vocals are better than you give credit for though.
Oh and is Drew still going to be putting up his review?
Great review, and while I see where you are coming from, the album seems all over the place to me and the tunes just don't get me as excited as those in the past.
Great review and great album. I think you managed to capture what the album is trying to do and say really well. I think the vocals are better than you give credit for though.
Oh and is Drew still going to be putting up his review?
Does anyone else think they've gotten a little weaker, lyrically? Some songs are very repetitive... I think this is still a bar or two below Party For The Grown & Sexy. They're missing that spunk they had in songs like I'd be more interested.... Do it Again!.... The Rent is Due.... Happy Birthday, I can get back up now, dirty laundry, etc.
It kinds of reminds me of A Fever You Can't Sweat - Pretty Odd. type of transition... But YMAEWK did it better.
Maybe they've gotten a little TOO whimsical?
Does anyone else think they've gotten a little weaker, lyrically? Some songs are very repetitive... I think this is still a bar or two below Party For The Grown & Sexy. They're missing that spunk they had in songs like I'd be more interested.... Do it Again!.... The Rent is Due.... Happy Birthday, I can get back up now, dirty laundry, etc.
It kinds of reminds me of A Fever You Can't Sweat - Pretty Odd. type of transition... But YMAEWK did it better.
Maybe they've gotten a little TOO whimsical?
I miss their rawness that was in the first 2 EPs
i think it's more whimsical instrumentally, definitely. But I think it's a nice contrast to how "straightforward" the lyrical content is. I think it's a nice mix of playful and oh-my-god-i'm-growing-up
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