Review Summary: Come on down, the fighting's over, I will let you breath my own air
War Paint is one
hell of a punk album. Considering the recent acceleration of popularity in punk music, dozens of pop punk bands have come by and launched themselves into popular careers, charting at high spots on the Billboard and Mainstream Tracks, and appropriately having a generic fanbase: teenagers, young adults in summer, and radio.
The Dangeerous Summer has never had an impressive career from the start. Their debut,
Reach for the Sun, garnered them considerable acclaim, but poor commercial success landed it at a below-average spot at #42 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart once.
War Paint is more of an alternative rock album that it is a punk.
While it doesn't re-define the genre, it is one that I would recommend to everybody.
According to
About.com, pop punk is: "a radio friendly sheen to their (alt rock) music, but still maintaining much of the speed and attitude of classic punk rock." The latter genre is usually known for having more of a rawer garage rock sound, with fast tempos, shredding guitars, and low vocals. Dangerous Summer maintains that style, but to a lesser extent. The lyrics are deeper than most popular punk, they have a more angsty, peace-desiring sound to it. The title track alone is one of the most energetic, explosive entries you'll find: it's an undeniably lovable tune. The lyrical topics can definitely relate to the listeners, the emotional deliverance in
War Paint is strong. As proven in tracks such as
No One's Gonna Need You More, Waves, and Parachute.
I will wake up fine in a place I love by myself
Yeah, it took some time, but at least I’m clear out of hell
I feel it coming on
I parachute alone
I’m a life that’s not worth saving
It’s apparent I won’t slow down yet
I take control of that feeling you don’t care to believe in
I’m blind, but I’m still leading
I’m finding modern healing is sold in the dark for some of us
The instruments are easily the best illustration in the album, other than the lyrics. They create more of an atmosphere that matches the emotional level of the writings. The guitar tempos are heavy and slower paced, ranging from more of an anthemic sound in
Good Things, a more straightforward approach in the background of
War Paint, and a faster approach in
Miscommunication. Perdomo's vocals are gentle and low-pitched. The bass is crushing and more melodic than some pop punk, and it keeps a steady pace throughout. The rhythm guitar does well in midtempo, the cataclysmic progressions being one of the single highlights of the album. The drum work is explosive. The Dangerous Summer, in between all of its slow-paced, gentle nature, is like a repeated shot of adrenaline: it picks you up and blasts you again.
And thus remains the final product of War Paint: one of the best punk albums this year. The superb rhythm and consistency of the album rarely feels recycled or repetitive, it holds the listener's interest. The personal lyrics are, again, one of the biggest highlights of the album, and leave a storyline for the listener to decide and conjure up. In the end,
Dangerous Summer makes an album that everyone can relate to, in its own unique way. And that's the star highlight of the entire LP.
There wasn’t a trace
Of the war letting up
And the days went on late
I struggled
And i fell to solid ground
It led me to my escape
Now here i am outside of your gate
I was hoping you could come down
Well, i came to say sorry
I shouldn’t have left
But my bitterness got to me
Before you did
