Hot damn! This is the best god damn emo/indie rock/whatever CD that Victory has released in a long time. I like this better than Thursday, I like this better than Taking Back Sunday, I like this better than all of those not-so-big bands that suddenly became huge. Therefore I'm willing to bet right here and now that this band is going to end up being huge as well. They damn sure ought to be, because this disc throws out 10 tracks and just over 35 minutes of killer Texas is the Reason meets Jimmy Eat World type action that's catchy as hell and immediately memorable. I've been listening to this thing almost nonstop since it hit my mailbox. It's not really innovative, but the songwriting is dead on, and that's what makes this thing so killer. The singing is great, there are plenty of vocal harmonies, the songs are punchy and effectively combine smooth distortion (without getting too heavy) with clean parts, there are tons of rhythmic changes and tempo variations... it's just fucking awesome. Just check out the variety and the infectious chorus of "Five Days and Counting". You can't fucking lose with that shit. Perfection. And "Make My Heart Attack" opens with a chord progression that was damn near stolen from an 80's pop/rock tune. It's part Yes via "Owner of a Lonely Heart" with something else mixed in, I just can't place it. It rules, though. The recording is definitely pretty nice. The bass tone is really well defined and pops out from between the drums and guitars very well, and the percussion sounds totally perfect. The vocals are mixed well and I like the prevalence of harmonies, and the guitar tones are really natural and crisp too. At times the sound feels like it could be barely brighter, but I wouldn't really mess with anything because it sounds really good. One plus is that there are a lot of subtle little things going on as far as using different mixes and different tones here and there that don't get lost because of the detail of the mix and whatnot, so that's cool. I really like the layout. There are a lot of really cool photographs of cityscapes that all have interesting color palettes and the date, time, location, and temperature at the bottom. The text is consistent, everything is balanced, etc. The lyrics are personal but not sappy or anything like that, so while they're not all that interesting they're not bad. "He shuts the door it locks behind he checks his watch a third past nine he thinks to himself 'I'm late again' he climbs the stairs he takes his time then all at once, the door swings wide to his new life wonder if tomorrow he won't go but they'll both know they're under the same sky in the same life..." The bottom line here is that these kids can write some fucking songs. The energy is awesome, and I'm loving this CD. Highly, highly recommended.
[Victory]
Running time - 36:49, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Five Days and Counting, I Loved the Way She Said "L.A.", Stolen From Some Great Writer, Am I Ready?, Make My Heart Attack]
Victory Records - http://www.victoryrecords.com
