Review Summary: Nostalgia of Punk has been revisited.
Never considering myself an expert on the Punk rock genre, or more specifically
Hardcore punk in this case, it went into
F.T.T.W with just the intention to enjoy it. Granted i did take the time to be fair in what made this a great album, and also at the same time point out things that may detract listeners. Overall, There is a lot more to love about F.T.T.W than there is to dislike.
The era and rise of late 80's and 90's punk marked some pretty notable acts still around today.
Rancid being one of them. Older Rancid and prior to that,
Operation Ivy, some
Black flag are mainly some of the music this reviewer is familiar with in the area of punk. At least for this timeframe of music.
H20 is a band that has always been recommended to me, and to honest, it should have been listened to a while back. First impressions of H2O? Well Punk rock Nostalgia has been revisited.
F.T.T.W is a strange child. I mean that in a good way. The first track,
Faster than the world, sucked me in. The fast pace, the lyrics and vocalist
Toby Morse radiates quite a presence in the first track alone. This album seems to continue that same pattern. Many tracks seem as if they should not blend together, but they do, and for some reason, it works. Guess that's the beauty about Punk. It can be it bit much at times though. A little over 33 minutes and 18 tracks deep, it can get a little too hectic sometimes. Yes, punk is loud, very in-your-face, and, is supposed to be hectic. This being said, there are times where that just gets excessive. Not very many times granted, but a few. The only other thing to look at would be the amount of tracks. Minus the few hectic moments, The tracks are all very enjoyable. It may seem to be 1 or 2 tracks too many in the album. Despite the length, it could be better to have made
F.T.T.W a few tracks shorter.
Moving on past the album structure, there are not too many bad things to say about this album. Lyrically, I enjoyed listening to many messages within these tracks. It's not all Anti-establishment or screw the government that might be stereotyped with Punk Rock. Songs like
One life,on chance, and
Helpless, not hopeless are songs of strength and perseverance. Tracks like
Guilty by association deal with social judgement, which is something, at least, this reviewer can relate with.
Instrumentally, This album is well done. The vocals, and all the instruments are not over or under-balanced, and they all can be heard very clearly. At some points it can seem to be a little too loud, but these are rare moments. It over-all sounds like a good punk 90's punk album, hence the nostalgia. Overall
F.T.T.W is a excellent album, and it reminds me of why we can enjoy the aggressive fast paced, even ridiculously fun style of punk music.
Recommended tracks
M & M
One life, one chance
Helpless, not hoples
Faster than the world
Force field
