Alright. I promised myself I wouldn't be so easy on Olivia the Band the second time around just because they happened to be from the great state of Hawaii. After all, where a band comes from really doesn't make much of a difference when you're listening to their album, unless they make a conscious effort to incorporate local culture into their musical style. And the only thing that Olivia the Band's actual recorded output ever did to remind me of Hawaii was entirely contained in the lyrics, which occasionally bring forth simple images of sun and surf and just thanking God for every exhilarating moment of life in paradise. The music is thoroughly straightforward pop/punk, a style that they could have picked up living in the band's current home of San Diego, California as easily as they could have stumbled across it living on the North Shore of Oahu. (I can think of a few other surfer dudes from San Diego who just happen to be in a kick-butt rock band.) Thus, due to their rather commonplace musical style, I must try to remain objective and judge OTB's music on the basis of their performance (which is generally quite spirited and contagious) and their lyrics (which are generally not all that intelligent).

I first heard about the band when they were signed to Essential Records in 2004, and released their self-titled record (which was sent to me by the label for a review) in early 2005. That was a fun album that I found to be thoroughly addictive despite its occasional shortcomings. But it didn't surprise me when their music didn't catch on at Christian radio (despite the musical style and lyrics being right up Air1's alley - it's hard to stand out in a crowd of similar-sounding hopefuls) and their tenure with the label was unceremoniously cut short. Undeterred, they self-released an extremely short EP in late 2006 called Back to Friends Where Summer Never Ends, that featured five of their catchiest songs to date, being a good catch despite its 15-minute running time. A new album was promised soon after, but hunting for a new label always produces inevitable delays, so here we are in early 2008, and we've finally arrived at album #2 for the band. (Indie releases from back in the day notwithstanding. I've heard one of 'em. It sucked.) As if to beat us over the head with the reminder that "We're from Hawaii and it's absolutely beautiful and we miss it something awful!", the album is titled Where We Come From It Never Snows. Alright, brah, I get it already. And technically, it snows on the Big Island and occasionally Maui. But whatever. It doesn't snow on Oahu, so I guess I'll let it slide.

The cool part about this record is that, having a few years to work on it, they didn't skimp on the track listing. There are 14 songs this time around, and while a few are slight and fly by before you can fully realize it's a different song, the majority are worth listening to, at least on a superficial, put-a-smile-on-your-face level. A few are more convincingly angry, or at least passionately concerned, so it's not all happy-go-lucky sunshine, but these guys aren't your brooding alternative types for a long shot. The rhythm section is incredibly tight, the guitars are noisy, and Reed Cromwell's voice has a sufficient amount of grit to it, even if you can't imagine him singing with any expression other than a smile on his face. If you fell in love with any of the tracks on the band's 2006 EP, you'll be happy to know that all five reappear here, with only minuscule modifications. (Given that well over 100 CDs were stolen from my car, and that EP was among them, and it was a limited release, I'm quite thrilled to know I won't have to bother tracking down another copy.) They fit into the flow of the other new songs almost perfectly, making it easy to forget that some of these songs are almost two years old, and you're hearing others for the first time. If you're new to the band, you won't be able to tell the newer songs from the older ones, because honestly, this band hasn't really changed their M.O. over the last three years.

The not so cool part? I once compared these guys to Relient K, and even went so far as to insinuate that they'd grow at a faster rate than RK did since their debut was already a better start - but that part didn't turn out to be very accurate. Whatever signs of wit were shown on OTB's first album are largely absent here, in favor of a more straightforward, and yet not entirely cohesive, lyrical approach. There are lots of songs where I understand the general good feeling or need to escape from the pain and patterns of sin that they're trying to convey, but many of the lyrics seem disconnected from each other, as if they were so insistent on fitting the words into easily sung patterns that they couldn't be bothered to expand upon a metaphor or rhyme a word with something other than itself. (Having no printed lyrics in your booklet and none on your website also seems to indicate that you're trying to shift the attention away from the actual words.) I'll be blunt - these guys are like the lovable buddies whose pick-up truck you hop in with your surfboard, looking forward to a long, lazy day spent at your favorite beach. But they aren't geniuses. So if you're looking for a more artistic, exploratory take on the punk/rock genre, keep looking.

808
The band actually released this album on January 8, 2008, which can be written as 1/8/08, and of course, 1-808 is the area code you would dial to call Hawaii. HILARIOUS!!!!! Okay, not really, but I'll admit that it was cute. Anyway, the album starts off at breakneck speed with a dissonant squeal and a slightly messy guitar riff - it's just about the perfect mess of punk-inspired sloppiness and pop-inspired tightness. Reed's voice is close to sounding like hell as he begins to run through his daily routine, remembering what it was like back in the day when he'd kick back with his buddies after knocking off work, and wondering if he'll ever return to that place, "back to friends where summer never ends". (Odd that the EP got its name from this song, and yet this song wasn't on the EP. Maybe it was the other way around.) Nothing terribly deep here, but it's a good way to kick off the record, with the loud, triumphant blast of the chorus inviting the listener to shout along.

Sunrise
This was the new song I anticipated hearing most, since the band debuted it during their live sets last year, and it turned out to be a frenzied concoction of slick melody and frantic shouting that climaxed in a surprising, three-part acapella breakdown at the end. Sadly, that last aspect doesn't translate to the final album cut, but it's still the standout among the new tracks, as the bang and clatter of Josh Tamaoka's drums is torn into by Justin Abilla and David Hashimoto's loud and proud guitar riffs. There's some vague analogy about getting through a long night here, but really it's just another ode to Hawaii, as given away in the bridge, which is a temporary break from the fast-paced mayhem around it: "Palm trees, and ocean breeze, the thought alone brings me to my knees". The chorus ranks among the band's best, with the background vocals shouting, "So far away! So far away!" and repeating some of Reed's lines behind him - what often sets apart bands in this genre that might otherwise sound too much alike is their ability to dole out different parts to multiple vocalists. Even if it's all meaningless, it sounds awesome.

Something Greater
A quick drum roll at the beginning is the only difference I notice between this and the version that led off the Back to Friends EP. This one's got the sort of rhythm to it that was just made for a lot of hyperactive jumping up and down. The cheery chorus melody does all that it can to reinforce that feeling, as it rises and falls and makes it most merciless attempt to get stuck in your head. And it's a fun tribute to all of the faces in the crowd at their concerts, bringing their spirits back up after the frustrations of long, hard days on the road, and whatever else Reed is going on about that gets him feeling so restless. The only problem with all of this bouncy goodness is that there's a bit of grammatical awkwardness to the fun sing-along: "Written all around us, faces that surrounding all the people that we love." I find myself trying in vain to find a succinct way to correct that little boo-boo every time I sing along. It's the last line of the chorus, which means that I wince roughly once every 45 seconds over the course of a three-minute song.

What I Need
The gentler, shimmering guitar melody that leads you into this song should indicate early on that it's going to be more of a power ballad. I guess every pop/punk band's gotta have their more relaxed-speed radio hopefuls, but as far as those go, this one sure ain't no "Heaven". Reed's vocal approach is too ragged to really gel with the calmer atmosphere, and he makes the mistake of being egregiously non-specific during the chorus: "I know things are gonna get better, wait and see. I've been getting back into what I need." There's some nice guitar work here, but for the most part I think the song is trying too hard to fit in on radio playlists - and nobody who wouldn't touch them when they were on a major label is gonna change their minds now, so it's all a bit futile. There's even a mild-mannered fade-out at the end. Come on, you guys are too good at the slick song transitions to let yourselves settle for that!

Are You Out There?
The second song making its reappearance from the EP is up next, and this one's a definite winner. Reed explores the more aggressive side of his voice (it's aggressive even when he's happy, but you get the idea), and it's appropriate for a song that expresses a feeling of total helplessness and having no recourse but to reach for God's hand and say, "I screwed up bigtime". The two-guitar attack is crucial here, with one guy going for the gritty power chords while the other guy takes a more fluid approach, helping Reed's bass line to really stand out. The shouts that erupt during the chorus do so without sacrificing the melody - it's one thing to scream mindlessly into a microphone, and another to pay attention to the pitch and make sure it fit's a more melodic approach like the kind this band pretty much always takes. Reed crams a lot of words into this one, making singing along a fun challenge, and I might prefer "Kill the Grey" in terms of songs by this band that attempt to take on frustration with sin, but this one's a close runner-up. I'm baffled as to why they clipped the last half-second or so of the song's abrupt ending - the vocals get cut off during the last word, which kills a smooth transition to the next song. (It could have been a mastering error. But it sounds like what happens when your mp3 player needs a fraction of a section to start up the next song, leaving a noticeable gap between two songs that are supposed to run together. Yeah, I know, it's such a nit-picky detail, but these things bug me, and yes, it is actually that way when listening to the CD itself.)

It's On
Olivia channels their inner Anberlin on this fierce little song, which is one of their most aggressive yet, basically challenging an unseen enemy to either put up or shut up. I'm amazed at how much they've managed to cram into two short minutes here - moody verses, a slamming transition into the chorus courtesy of some snarling guitar action, and warp-speed drums crashing up against shouts from the entire group. I have no idea who all of this pent-up aggression is directed at, but who cares, it's a freakin' awesome performance.

Letters in White Lines
My favorite track from the EP is up next - this one takes a more radio-friendly, mid-tempo approach as well, but without scaling back the rock factor. It's a simple song about needing to let go of the past, stop worrying about the future, and just live in the now, accepting that God can handle whatever the consequences might be from the decisions you make today. The band commit's a few songwriting faux pas here - rhyming "hand" with itself in the first verse seems rather daft, and the chorus whips out the old standby "tomorrow"/"sorrow" rhyme, and honestly, I'm really not sure what the mention of "Letters in white lines" during the bridge has to do with any of the rest of it, though. But man, just give that sweet guitar solo a whirl and you're likely to forget all your complaints by the time the final chorus rolls around. These guys are nothing if not highly motivational.

Never Snows
In case you didn't get that Hawaii is pretty, here comes another medium-speed, happy-go-lucky song about how the seasons change everywhere else in the world, except for the place that Olivia comes from. Seriously, that's about all I'm getting from this one - that touring is grueling and the weather's depressing, and... man, these guys sure get homesick, eh? I can't hold that against them, but the subject matter's wearing a bit thin. Some good backing vocal melodies on this one, and Josh's drumming is almost energetic enough to make up for the more laid-back pace of the song, but it still could have been stronger, given that it's the album's title track and all.

What Dreams Are Made of
We've kicked the tempo back up a bit here, and this time around we've got a song that takes a bit more deciphering, because on the surface, you'd expect a song about dreams to cast them in a positive light, but the band seems to be telling us that fallible humans can have dreams that end up hurting them in the long run - it's kind of a battle between their dreams and God's dreams, I guess. More spirited shouting and some nicely overlaid vocal parts near the end make this one a keeper in the end, though I think they could have made their point better by being a bit less vague with their lyrics. I do like the repeating bit at the ending where Reed compares his "happy ending" to an alternate scene that got cut from a movie, though. I'd have liked to hear a little more expanding on that metaphor.

See You Never, See You Soon
Song #4 from the EP was probably my least favorite of the bunch at the time, but either it fits into the flow of the album better here, or I just wasn't paying attention, because this one's a pretty slick performance, with some of Reed's most frustrated vocals, particularly during the ragged chorus, and a stellar guitar solo in the middle eight that actually goes on for longer than I'd expect from a band who records such short songs. Maybe I thought the song was a bit judgmental, due to Reed's cry of, "How can I help you when I know you're wrong?", but in context, this works a bit better, almost as if Reed is looking back on his false dreams and follies from the last song, and cons taking on the point of view of a friend who had to speak up him some tough love. Anyway, songs like this are what remind that for all of their cliched shortcomings, this band can seriously rock.

Feelings
Another spirited drum fill keeps us running along with no chance to catch our breath, as Reed laments a society in which people treat each other like strangers and always maintain their poker faces. You can probably tell from the title that this is gonna be one of those touchy-feely songs where we're encouraged to reach out and be real with one another... and yeah, it pretty much. "Feelings let us know we're alive... will we ever reach the sky?" This is probably why this band doesn't print their lyrics - they look pretty silly on paper sometimes. When you've just finished listen to this band slam their way through this song for two and a quarter minutes, though, you might start to think that reaching the sky is a totally attainable goal! So yeah, I still love the song despite the silliness.

The Search Is Over
This is one song where I think Reed doesn't quite carry the soaring melody effectively enough. Maybe I've already heard too many similar-sounding songs on this album, but this is the track that never seems to stand out to me, despite its best attempts to describe the grace of God making sense of a person's confusing life. Something about it just sounds not entirely on key, like they're putting too much force into the vocals. Once again, I can't knock the guitar solo. I just don't want to see these guys go the way of Pillar, and become known as one of those musically tight bands whose lyricist is the only thing holding them back.

Ending Circle
Things are getting worse as the album winds down, unfortunately. Reed's sounds even more weathered and off-key as he shouts his way through the verses of what's supposed to be a more relaxed, melodic song about saying goodbye to someone whose absence is obviously going to hurt - the line "I love you enough to say goodbye" could say so much if not surrounded by such banal sentiments as "I don't know if I can go on any more" and "I'll be alright, I'll be OK". Sorry guys, but I just can't take any more sub-par pop/rock songs about being alright. There are too many of those in the world already.

So Much Going On
Speaking of sub-par songs about being alright... The band decides to wrap up the album with the obligatory acoustic track, and unlike "Missing" from the previous album, which had its charms despite being a bit obvious, this one seems like it barely has anything of substance to say. The gentle strumming in 6/8 time is promising at first - an unexpectedly intimate turn for such a gleefully aggressive band, but then the predictable strings appear and you realize there's only one verse to the song, before Reed gets to a repeating coda of "We're alright, we're alright" only about a minute into it. The whole song is over by the two-minute mark. It was barely even worth putting it there in the first place - it's like they wrote a half-song, couldn't finish it, and decided to just throw it on the album anyway.

Despite my annoyances with this band's tendency to play hard but not think terribly hard about what they're saying, I've definitely found a good stockpile of solid rockers on this album, that I find it to be worth owning just for that half-hour or so of unrelenting joy. This is one case where my rating system kind of contradicts itself, as the album would seem to be worth less money-wise if a few of the "slightly better than OK" tracks were removed, but doing so would likely streamline the album and convince me to give it a higher star rating. So it ends up getting three stars (which really should be three and a half, but four's not quite right because that's what I give almost everything these days, and this album doesn't quite earn it), but I'm claiming that it's worth spending more on it than some four-star albums I've reviewed. Consider your own priorities when it comes to music (i.e. How much lyrical inanity can you stand in exchange for a fun rock album?), and apply liberally when deciding whether to purchase this sucker. It's obscure enough that I doubt many other than the band's existing "ohana" will go to great lengths to seek it out, but then again, a lot of CCM fans are listening to other bands do the same thing much less capably, so from that perspective, it couldn't hurt to give Olivia a try. I still like 'em. But I hope they do something on album #3 that makes me love them again.

ALBUM WORTH:
808 $1.50
Sunrise $1.50
Something Greater $1.50
What I Need $.50
Are You Out There? $1.50
It's On $1.50
Letters in White Lines $1.50
Never Snows $1
What Dreams Are Made of $1
See You Never, See You Soon $1.50
Feelings $1.50
The Search Is Over $.50
Ending Circle $0
So Much Going On $0
TOTAL: $15

Band Members:
Reed Cromwell: Lead vocals, bass
Justin Abilla: Guitar, backing vocals
David Hashimoto: Guitar, backing vocals
Josh Tamaoka: Drums

Website: http://www.myspace.com/oliviatheband

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving