MattA75's Full Review: Avoid One Thing by Avoid One Thing
As I listened to Mighty Mighty Bosstones' bassist Joe Gittleman's side project Avoid One Thing for the first time, the first thought that went through my head was "who knew?" Somehow, in the fifteen years that the Bosstones have existed, Gittleman's voice has never been heard much. But with Avoid One Thing, Gittleman is up front, singing with a rich, inviting, and emotive voice that will most likely shock even the most ardent Bosstone fan.
But, even more important than that are the other members of the band, which reads like an all star Boston punk scene lineup, with former Darkbuster/Mung guitarist Paul Delano, Raging Teens guitarist Amy Griffin, and former Spring Heeled Jack and Pilfers drummer Dave Karcich.
(In a tragic sidenote, Karcich suffered a brain aneurysm on April 2nd, and he died 3 days later, less than a week before this album was released, and just before the band was due to go out on tour with Flogging Molly and The Slackers. The band has decided to soldier on with that tour, with Bosstones drummer Joe Sirois filling in. R.I.P. Dave.)
For those expecting a sound like that of the Bosstones, there will be disappointment. Avoid One Thing is their own band, playing a not so unique brand of power pop punk. The main quality that sets the album apart is the solid instrumentation that is apparent throughout the record. Gittleman, besides lending his inviting voice, also plays his usual stellar basslines, continuing to prove he is one of the most under-rated bassists in music today. Meanwhile, guitarists Griffin and Delano play loud and raw, although at various points on the album, they show a surprisingly good knack for melody and soft playing when it's needed, such as on Lean on Sheena or on the mostly acoustic Take a Good Look. And Karcich is a more than adequate skinsman, playing with sheer power and force.
The album kicks off with the driving Yakisoba, a song that has a nice guitar and vocal hook, although the lyrics are much more abstract than any other song the disc. The next song, Backyard Joey, was the one that hit me hardest lyrically, and the element of power pop is gone: this song is straight up punk rock:
crossed out addresses and names
too bad lost another friend...
...think back
remember when
you were in it to the end
how I could use another friend
Backyard Joey, in fact, is a perfect representation of how personal Gittleman's lyrics are throughout this record. If he hasn't had much opportunity to bare his soul with the Bosstones, he's playing catch up with this band and this record.
The problem I have with this album though, does not lie in the lyrics, or Gittleman's voice, or in how well the instruments are played. Rather, the problem is in the repetitive nature of the songs musically, and how boring they can seem at times because of it. Instead, what saves some of these generic punk anthems (Pulse and Picture, Rip It Up It's There) is the vocal harmonies that Gittleman, Delano, and Griffin produce at times. When Griffin, especially, is allowed to sing, the songs have this extra beautiful layer added to them, and it is very much reminiscent of seminal LA punk band X.
It's hard for me to sit here and recommend this record, but I do recommend it. As generic musically as some of these songs are, there are some real gems here. If you buy this album, you aren't buying it for anything but Gittleman's voice and his intensely personal lyrics. Those are what set Avoid One Thing apart from your normal everyday pop punk band who are trying to be nothing more than Blink 183. Ironically, Avoid One Thing is, in many ways, the band that Blink 182 would be if they wrote a whole album of songs as serious as Adam's Song. This isn't the best pop punk album out there, but you could do a lot worse.
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