The Good Age – Apologies in Advance
Record Label: Unsigned
Release Date: January 2011
How bad does it suck to hear some new music, think you'll like it, only to end up wondering where it all went wrong? As I’m perusing the list of albums available for review, I find only a select few that really catch my ear. On first listen, The Good Age’s Apologies in Advance was one of those albums. After more listens, I think that I overestimated how much I’d like this album. I’ve given it several spins and it just won’t stick.
Don’t get me wrong now; I’ve underestimated bands before after the first, second or even third listen and have grown to love them - Paramore’s All We Know Is Falling being a prime example. Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave is another. For The Good Age, I’m going to try and figure out and write down for you what it was that wasn’t really keen to me.
First, most of the album sounds too melodically similar. Many of the more up-tempo songs could be mistaken for each other, which is never a good quality. Secondly, the slower songs, while they showcase the vocals a little bit more, still leave a lot to be desired. For me, there is a definite pitch and tone similarity to Yellowcard, but Ryan Key is much better. Third, the production is all over the place. It feels like it’s mixed weirdly in parts, with certain instruments fighting each other for attention.
There are a few positive things to be pulled from the album, however. For one, the guitar work in “The Run” is some of the best on the album. Secondly, aside from production quality, the instrumentals are pretty decent. The light acoustic guitar work in “Lover’s Game” and “A Whole New Twist” is simple, but pleasant. Other than that, I found the album pretty forgettable, which pains me to say 'cause I hate not liking music. I’m quite certain they worked hard on this album, and I never like panning a record when I’m sure they put their all behind it.
I remember when I first heard Hit The Lights. Many people didn’t like the nasally sound of Colin’s voice (and Nick’s now), but there was something about the overall aura of the music that I liked. I think that when I first heard The Good Age, I was nostalgic for another HTL-type sound. I fell in love with This Is A Stick Up, Don’t Make It A Murder, and I even really liked Skip School, Start Fights when others didn’t. The review for SSSF was that the album didn’t stick; it was forgettable. In the end, that’s about the only similarity I can give Apologies in Advance, which is now ironically titled after listening to it for this review.
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