Wow. I was extremely bored, and I wanted to write a review. With no decent album around that hasn't already been excessively over-reviewed, I found one (this one) that I downloaded but never listened to and gave it a try. Well, I sure wish I found another album because this one is just....well the review will tell you how I feel about this CD. And you can see the rating on the top of this page.
The All-American Rejects are :
Tyson Ritter- vocals/bass
Nick Wheeler- guitar/programming
Mike Kennerty- guitar
Chris Gaylor- drums
1. My Paper Heart- One of the singles on this album, and I'm guessing many of you know this song. It's a very strong song with what every pop-punk song needs: a catchy chorus. Besides that, it also has a machine playing its drums, which doesn't really sound all that great to me. I love drums (even though I don't play) and I'd much prefer real drums. There's an occasional purposely-cracking-of-the-voice which is incredibly annoying. The guitar is very quiet through the verses and still not as loud as I would like in the chorus. Still, it fits because the song doesn't use real drums which are incredibly loud. However, it is a song pop-punk fans will love because of its catchiness.
3.5/5
2. Your Star- After that song, you'd expect an enjoyable next song and ultimately, an enjoyable album. I laugh at that thought. I gotta admit, the guitar starts with a catchy power chord played over and over, which leads into a verse with a quick piano chord. A drum roll leads into the chorus and now the song is completely murdered. The chorus features Tyson singing in a female-like voice a
lot , which, you can probably guess, is incredibly annoying, unnecessary and makes me want to throw my computer out the window. There's the album's first guitar solo, which starts off weird and is amazingly easy. There's an audible bass line here and a good number of drum rolls, which are always pluses, but it's much too little, much too late, and it's the second song.
1.5/5
3. Swing, Swing- This is also a single, and thank GOD that it's here. Perhaps it should be here a little later so that I'd suffer through less crap afterwards. I think it's an organ that starts this, and it leads into some power chords. There's still lots of high notes in the first word in every line of the verse, but it ends soon enough. The chorus is amazingly catchy, and found myself singing it quite often when I liked this song. There's a guitar solo here also, and although it's still simple, it's much more catchy than the last one. This is a simple song to play on all the instruments, but it works well. The solo is repeated in the outro chorus, which is interesting. Overall, this is a very strong song, possibly a favorite on the album?
4.5/5
4. Time Stands Still- Now, after that song, I feel better and am up for another song. The most common drum beat I have ever heard starts it off, although not on a drum set. An acoustic guitar comes in, which I like, and it draws me in. A high pitched "do you" follows and although it does hurt the mood, it's not as bad as it usually is because it fits. The acoustic continues through the verse and the "do you" is sung in the chorus. It doesn't fit anymore. It sounds bad and they really didn't need it there. It disrupts the mood of the chorus and ultimately, the entire song. The bridge is a bit of a minor key and is pretty catchy which saves some of the song. The piano outro is decent, but it doesn't fit with the rest of the song and therefore sounds bad. It's not as bad as track 2, but not even close to the quality of the singles.
2/5
5. One More Sad Song- Too bad there isn't a "Swing, Swing" to save my ears here. The song immediately starts with, I think a distorted guitar. The verse is pretty catchy with a soft guitar chord and the rest of the band comes in after a few lines. It really builds, but the chorus is quiet and doesn't fill the anticipation given by the verse, which is disappointing. It has some more high notes, and it kind of fits but not that great. There's a mini guitar solo that has one line and lasts for about five seconds. Certainly not their best effort.
2.5/5
6. Why Worry- I really like acoustic intros. This song has one, and it really sucks me in. After a bit, a catchy electric guitar riff comes in along with the bass and drums. The pre-chorus is very catchy as well, building more anticipation for the chorus. The chorus has high notes. Again. I hate the chorus, but at least it's not a disaster like "I Just Wanna Live." I might be the only one here, but I'd prefer a mediocre verse and an amazing chorus rather than vice versa. It's not
that bad because it's not the entire chorus that is sung that way. The acoustic returns, seemingly randomly, after the bridge and lasts for a few seconds, which drew me in and let me go again. Like I said before, the verse is strong but the chorus doesn't live up to its expectations.
2.5/5
7. Don't Leave Me- I really wanna hear a good song, I really do. The lyrics in the verse are cheesy ("You're sweet just like the sun, but what happens when the sun doesn't stay?" It might not sound so bad, but it does when you listen to it). The lyrics do improve (Now my mind was pacing, heart is racing contemplating things that I lack. Even though you left me by myself, do I want you back?), but they're not all that spectacular. The singing is a bit off key and gets incredibly annoying. There is a repeated, high pitched guitar riff in the pre-chorus and I wish it would just stop. A short bass solo is played, improving the song and giving a bit more to listen to, but that's pretty much it. Another
hideous high note comes out of Tyson's mouth, but is followed by a drum roll seconds after. Its chorus is mildly catchy but nothing near to make this song average. If the bass solo wasn't here, this would get a 0, but thankfully it is.
1/5
8. Too Far Gone- Holy crap, by now I'm wishing I didn't start this. However, I'm not the one to stop what I started, so I will continue. The start hints in an emotional song with the simple guitar riff that leans toward sadness. The lyrics don't live up to their expectations, but they're not all that bad (Your lips provide a shelter for the things that I don't know). A solid drum beat is featured afterwards, and the guitar riff is repeated excessively. The singing isn't up to par with the song because it is a bit off key. The organ is played in the bridge, which is very interesting and really sounds incredible and inspirational. Overall, it's an improvement from the previous lot and a pretty solid song, but nothing more than good.
3/5
9. Drive Away- The start sounds like punk. It isn't. I don't actually know the exact definition of punk, but I'm pretty sure this isn't it. It's just straight up pop-punk, and not a good representation of it either, I might add. A pretty catchy guitar line comes in with the drums and bass, but Tyson's voice enters and kills it. I swear, maybe on the first few songs they changed something in the mic or something because those sound much better. These past few songs have been mostly weak singing and some out of tune notes out of that guy's mouth. The chorus is fast, but not catchy. The lyrics are worse than ever ("Cross my t's and dot my i's." The hell?), making this even worse. The guitar is pretty much the same three to five chords repeated over and over. The bridge is a bit to look forward too, going into a bit of a minor key, but it surely doesn't make this enjoyable.
1/5
10. Happy Endings- There has been nothing over a 3 in the past six songs, which should really say something. The start sounds promising with strong instrumental parts, but then the Backstreet Boys-like introduction to the singing makes me go...crazy and, again, want to throw my computer out the window. As you may guess. The singing does improve, but never gets above a decent listening level. The chorus is a bit catchy, as is the bridge with its complete silence with singing, soft drums and occasional piano chord. The breakdown is cool too, with a quiet guitar and a featured bass line and this time, Tyson doesn't ruin it by singing. He sings, but it's actually not bad. Some piano in the outro sounds good, but it' too little too late. Happy ending my ass.
1/5
11. The Last Song- Oh my gosh. This is the last song, and "coincidentally" called "The Last Song." I swear, if this wasn't a single, I'd expect a pathetic combination of sounds that lasts for five minutes. Either way, I'd still listen to it, whether I wanted to or not. I wanted to. This is easily the best song, only rivaled by "Swing, Swing." But this is better. It starts off strangely, with someone turning the tuner on a radio, and the person "finds" this gem. I think it's a string instrument (violin?) or maybe it's an effect that kicks this off. Tyson's voice actually sounds nice in the beginning, and the verse kicks in with palm muted guitar. Catchy as hell. The chorus is even
catchier . The vocal performance is strong, maybe they found out the last few were bad and fixed it up. Whatever they did, it's stronger and a massive improvment from the last bunch. The backing vocals are strong too, as are the drums, bass and guitar; all this is about the chorus. All this leads back to that violin intro, then there's a little violin interlude, which is fantastic. Tyson's distorted voice kicks in, followed by that chorus again, then Tyson puts on his, by far, best vocal performance on the CD, bellowing out "Last song," adding that extra touch to make this song the best on the CD.
5/5
Overall album rating: 2/5
I don't really think you need an overall after reading all that. I still will because no writing assignment is complete without a conclusion. The conclusion is this: The All-American Rejects (the album, not the band. I'm not describing the band here because that wouldn't be fair) is a terrible representation to pop-punk, which already has a damaged reputation. The overly excessive amount of awful to average songs is truly amazing. Go listen to Dookie or Does This Look Infected to satisfy your pop-punk cravings. If you have any.
