pearl-drum-man's Full Review: The All-American Rejects by The All-American Rejec...
INTRO
The current trend of pop-punk and emo music continues to chug along. Though pace setters Blink 182 have sort of fallen by the wayside, they’ve been replaced by the likes of Good Charlotte and New Found Glory. Where does that leave The All American Rejects? While their sound has elements familiar to pop-punk and emo, they are really just a top flight power-pop band. Different enough to avoid being lumped in with the glut of pop-punk wanna-be’s, but with enough modern twists to capture a lot of the same mainstream audience.
THE BAND
Tyson Ritter- Vocals, Bass
Nick Wheeler- Guitar, Programming
Mike Kennerty- Guitars
Chris Gaylor- Drums
THE MUSIC
This album is chock full of great music. As mentioned, the general style is power-pop/rock, but several tunes exhibit current trendy sounds, but not to the point of sounding over formulated.
My Paper Heart kicks things off in upbeat fashion. This song shows one of the subtle musical touches the band uses throughout the album, and that’s electronic/sequenced overdubs. This song is a meat and potatoes mid tempo rocker, with big soaring vocals. It’s a great way to kick off the album, and sets the tone for what’s to come.
Your Star continues in similar fashion, though instead of the sequenced material the band uses some piano to add a slightly different flavor. Ritter’s vocals continue in epic fashion, and have a bit more of an emo feel in the choruses. The band also kicks in and offers some great harmonies.
Swing, Swing is the first video/single, and has an interesting beginning, using an organ to fade in. The chugging guitars and vocal melody remind me a bit of Weezer, as the song has a bit of a quirky alt-pop vibe. The chorus continues in mega melodic fashion, again sporting some great harmonies.
Why Worry takes things down a bit with the acoustic guitar intro, less ambitious tempo, and the slightly more understated vocals. It is a strong track that offers a nice change of pace, albeit not radical.
The Last Song starts off with a keyboard induced “orchestra”, which gives the song a more ethereal feel initially. The song then kicks in into what are probably the most aggressive verse/chorus parts on the record. My favorite piece is toward the end, the “orchestral” break returns, with some additional vocals and sound effects, and it sounds awesome.
The album has several more strong tracks, and the gap from the strongest to the weakest is actually minimal. In fact Time Stands Still is the only track the borders on “filler”, and it’s still decent. One More Sad Song has a vocal phrasing that reminds me of Blink 182, and Drive Away has a distinct Marvelous 3 vibe, which is a good thing. Ritter’s vocals are what clearly make the band stand out, as his tonality is something a bit different, with a distinct early 1980’s vibe. The sound production is solid, but unmemorable. Pretty much status quo for a mainstream record.
TRACKLISTING
My Paper Heart
Your Sister
Swing, Swing
Time Stands Still
One More Sad Song
Why Worry
Don’t Leave Me
Too Far Gone
Drive Away
Happy Ending
The Last Song
BOTTOM LINE
An excellent melodic record! I liked Swing, Swing after first seeing the video, but basically wrote the band off has the next Jimmy Eat World (two good songs, bunch of filler). Due to its cheap price, I bought the record, and it’s one of the surprise purchases of the year.
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