Review Summary: An average, though inconsistent, rock album,
Experimentation in bands can often have a disastrous effect. Occasionally, bands such as Radiohead or Talk Talk come along and perfect the art. Heck, I would say the Beatles were the best at it. "Rubber Soul" changed rock forever, all thanks to drugs, sheer musical and lyrical talent, but also a good dose of experimentation that made that album what it is today. Experimentation is definitely needed in music to make it more diverse, original, and unexpected.
I believe It is safe to say, this album is an experimentation.
Yellowcard is a band that used to be a favorite, and still is, though I find their music a lot more shallow now. I can remember the days I would listen to "Ocean Avenue" when it first came out, and to this day, I respect it as one of the strongest pop punk albums I have, though many might disagree with me on that. Their energy and loud guitars met with emotional lyrics, got rooted in my system and didn't become stale at all. So every now and then, I kick back on my front porch and give one up for my memories with that album playing.
As an avid fan of that album, it was expected that I looked forward to this one.
"Lights and Sounds" was an excellent lead single that I remember hearing on a Burnout game, so I expected more of the same in that nature. I even read some reviews, and for the most part, they were very promising. Though, they warned of a more rock sound and a different selection of musical arrangements. I didn't care. They were a favorite band.
Now, there are many opinions on this album. Some say, "Screw it. It isn't Pop punk." Then others say, "Praise it, It's a progression." My opinion is kind of mixed, I believe. When a favorite band switches total directions in the course of one album, it takes a little while for me to compile my opinions in a non-biased way. As a fan, I wanted to love this. But as a fan of "Ocean Avenue", I wanted to hate this. The band had lost much of it's pop punk energy and had opted for being more mature. Some bands are meant to be certain things, and I believe Yellowcard should stay pop punk to do what they are best at and progress in that genre. While trying to be a rock band is a respectable thing, you have to write good songs to live up to that change.
There are definitely good songs to be found here. The title track is a rocking ride, with a groove that soon becomes planted in your head. It's entry after the beautiful piano and strings instrumentation of the first track is a welcome addition as well. Though, the song soon becomes old and annoying after a few listens. It is easy to see why the track was chosen for the lead single, but it really misleads you on what to expect of the rest of the album. Most of the songs do not have this energy, and the ones that do, such as
"Waiting Game" and
"Rough Landing Holly", are weaker songs. The latter was the second and last single. It's fast driving force, and clever lyrics make it a descent track, but wouldn't have made a great single choice. Picking the most lively songs as singles definitely misleads the buyer about the contents of the album.
"Hollywood Died" or
"How I Go" would have been less energetic, but better single choices. Though I'm not grading the album by it's singles, they definitely mislead me on what to expect when purchasing it.
Other good songs are the previously mentioned
"Hollywood died",
"How I Go", as well as the grower,
"Martin Sheen or JFK". This album is apparently a concept album of some sort, and
"Hollywood Died" is the climatic track. The tale of death is relaid in a catchy way that conveys the emotion of the lyrics very well. A well-placed guitar solo at the end makes this my favorite track on here. Another highlight is the fact the ending of the song connects back to the intro track.
"How I Go" is an acoustic-driven song met with Sean Mackin's violin to a pretty effect. The song's lyrics are believed to be about the movie, "Big Fish", and follow that story rather closely. Later, Natalie Maine from the Dixie Chicks joins Keys for a heart felt duet. A really great track.
The thing that hurts this album is the fact it doesn't feel like an album. The first half has a lot more energy, where as the second half seems to bubble and fade. Not to say the second half is full of bad songs, but they are generally a lot more slower and feel vastly different than the first songs. If it is indeed a concept album, as the "Holly" character seems to be an undertone, then that greatly brings the concept down. Another problem is the lyrics quality is very inconsistent.
"City of Devils" and
"Space Travel" are well-written songs, but
"Down on My Head",
"Sure Things Fall" and the worst,
"Two weeks From Twenty" are all boring and lyrically cheesy. It's a shame as the first two are very catchy numbers with potential to strengthen the album.
"Two Weeks From Twenty" is an awful track where Yellowcard tries to be political but sadly fails in the end with a terrible choice of words and Keys' singing sounds rather forced. Also missing, is more of Sean's violin that was so prevalent in the previous album but only a whisper here.
So as an experiment, (proved more to be since Yellowcard went back to pop punk on the new "Paper Walls") Lights and Sounds is an average rock album that could of been much better if a few songs were rearranged and even better if some songs weren't even on here. It's not terrible, as they have become more skilled with their instruments, but tension in the band can be seen through some of these tracks. While trying to grow as a band is always a pleasure, it would be better to try do so in the genre that best fits your music. My disappointment of this not being like Ocean Avenue did not effect my score, the album and the songs did so. Some (actually many here) will disagree with my opinion on this album, but I feel it is important to offer a little different take on this.
