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| REVIEWS |
Various
Artists
Punk Goes Acoustic
(Fearless)
Driving through the McDonald’s drive thru is not the place
where a person expects a bout of road rage to emerge, but the
world has reached the point where no one is safe anywhere. The
incessant honking and profanity being yelled at me from behind
when my car was not moving fast enough could only be curbed
by the distinctive cords of an acoustic version of “Time
to Talk” by Open Hand. The state of calmness I was under
could not be broken, even by a fanatic, psychotic woman driving
a little white Honda. If not for Punk Goes Acoustic
I may have put my car in reverse.
Punk Goes Acoustic is just the latest in a string of
‘Punk Goes’ albums. Punk Goes Pop put bands
like The Starting Line on the map for their version of J-Lo’s
hit “I’m Real”. It was a mix of some decent
covers, and some that proved worse than their original versions.
The previous release, Punk Goes Metal was a complete
waste, an album brimming full of songs that were horrible when
they were released, and not much better now.
Acoustic was the only way to go for the ‘Punk Goes’
series. Lately it seems that every band is releasing “exclusive”
acoustic tracks, or an entire acoustic CD. The current is under
this trend, and it’s time to ride the wave. It was a nice
choice, because acoustic is a great way to highlight different
sides of a band. Less emphasis is put on hard-rocking songs,
and more weight on melody and lyrical content. Yellowcard is
a perfect example of this. “Roughdraft” is an acoustic
track, which is a favorite among Yellowcard fans. The lyrics
are superior to every other Yellowcard song; in fact it could
arguably be considered their best song. Punk Goes Acoustic
houses a new Yellowcard acoustic song, which has tough competition
considering the status of “Roughdraft.” But “Firewater”
proves to be a perfect mix of fast-paced violin, a bouncy guitar
riff, and lyrics that burrow themselves into your mind. Ryan
Key has vocals that are so touching they turn a pop song into
a work of emotional intensity. This song alone makes the CD
worth a listen.
Piebald’s track “The King” is one of the most
unique tracks on the compilation, and also one of the best.
The song has a twangy country sound that is highlighted by a
harmonica. It is upbeat and strangely peppy for an acoustic
song. It sounds like it is right out of an old Western, with
everything in the song including the vocals sounding ancient.
The record also divulges into the softer sides of many bands
that spend their time behind pounding drums, waling guitars,
and screaming vocals. Thrice contributes a haunting track titled
“Trust”, which is both beautiful and surprisingly
mellow. The song focuses more on softer vocals, and a slowed
down guitar riff. Thursday also slows it down on “A Hole
in the World”, with occasional emotional outbursts throughout
the song that come in at just the right moments. The only downfall
to this track is it seems to go on too long, clocking in at
5:34. Although a beautiful track, the song runs its course.
Taking Back Sunday and Finch both release acoustic versions
of songs that have already been hits in their original form.
This could either be great or a big waste of time. Luckily it
turned out to be a good thing. Finch’s “Letters
to You” is completely stripped down. It really puts the
spotlights on Nate Barcalow’s vocals without any screaming
present. Taking Back Sunday also puts the screaming on a hiatus,
and it’s an excellent change. “Cute without the
‘E’ (Cut From the Team)” is one of the highlights
on this album. Somehow the song conveys the same emotions as
its original version, but at a completely different pace with
a completely different sound. Many of the lines are so quiet
they are merely being mumbled, but it works great for the song.
The real downfall to the CD is that while there are several
amazing tracks, there are also a whole slew of songs that are
easily forgettable. No song on the album is so horrible that
it shouldn’t have been included, but many of them are
just mediocre pickings. The album starts out strong, and then
tends to lag towards the end. It also starts with the bigger
names in music, and then leaves almost the entire second half
to be mostly unknown bands. By mixing up bands like Sugarcult,
Finch, and Thursday throughout the CD instead of placing them
all in a row would give the compilation a better variety.
Punk Goes Acoustic is like most pop records. There
are a few really great songs, a bunch of decent ones, and then
a couple you probably won’t like. In the end it is the
perfect soundtrack to rainy fall days when you’re in the
drive thru at McDonalds, and someone is trying to test your
patience; slip this CD into the stereo and take a deep breath.
Reviewed by
Ashley Lefor
November 12th, 2003 |
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