Archive for the ‘Cute Is What We Aim For’ Category
Top 5 Powerpop Albums of 2008
It’s that time of year again, nearing the end of 2008 and the lists have already begun appearing. I always love the opportunity to share with you music that I enjoy, which has been the whole reason I began writing in the first place. This year powerpop has taken another step in the right direction, quickly growing out of its harsh “tweenie” labels. Of course, even if it never does I’ll still be feeling young, rocking out to music that is exciting, catchy and down right fun. While there are no specific requirements to get on this list, all these albums have had significant playtime on my iphone.
5) My Favorite Highway – How To Call a Bluff (July 22, 2008)
How To Call A Bluff is one of the most polished powerpop releases this year. It is evident that a tremendous amount of effort was put forth because everything was solid, from the vocals to the melodies. Dave Cook’s voice was inspiring and the instruments were extravagantly pop, putting a soulful twist to the genre. While it is this soul and passionate sound that drove me to put them on the list, it also prevented me from putting them in the top spot. This album is definitely the total package when it comes to sound, but their soul often translated into less of the carefree fun which is a staple for any powerpop band.
My Favorite Highway – Getaway Car
4) Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger (September 20, 2008)
Inspiring, enduring and beautiful, that is what Jack’s Mannequin has turned The Glass Passenger into. This album lacks pop in the traditional sense, there’s little fun and little non-chalant business to be found in this album. Instead listeners are treated to something real and passionate, a glimpse into the world of Andrew McMahon. While it is true that I hold a soft spot for Jack’s Mannequin, there are no pity points awarded in this list. The music speaks for itself, with words that motivate and sounds that allow you to visualize more than just music. From aggressive tracks to mellow ones, the music is powerful and tells a unique story. Definitely the most influential album on this list, it is however just delving on the borders of powerpop, and as such cannot be named the best powerpop album of the year.
Jack’s Mannequin – Bloodshot
3) Forever The Sickest Kids – Underdog Alma Mater (April 1, 2008)
A perfect example of what powerpop means to me is Underdog Alma Mater. One of the most anticipated albums of the year, it definitely lived up to the standards put forth by FTSK’s previous EP. Energetic, fun, clever, and catchy — these are all adjectives that best describe Underdog Alma Mater and are often used in conjuncture with the pop genre itself. While many bands possess similar styles, FTSK has honed their own with uniquely timed duel vocals and an edgy sound that keeps things fresh and never boring. Simple, honest, and fun is what they do best, and anything beyond that can be left to a different genre, not powerpop. By the end of the album there’s a smile on my face and a tune in my head, which is all I can ask for. The only issue preventing this album from moving up in rankings is it’s similarities with FTSK’s old stuff, which has not been the case for many of the sophomore releases this year.
Forever The Sickest Kids – Hey Brittany
2) Cute Is What We Aim For – Rotation (June 24, 2008)
A complete shocker for me, I never thought Rotation would cut this list, let alone be the number one contender as powerpop album of the year. After my first listen I was utterly disgusted with CIWWAF’s complete change and revamping of their music. But over time this album has grown on me so much that I have listened to it consistently since it was released in June. The change in style took some getting used to, and while I still feel the quality of lyrics has devolved, just about everything else has evolved into something great. It could be that Cute matured, and therefore the lyrics became less about witty sexual innuendos and more about real social problems, leaving little room for insanely clever lyrics. That said, Rotation is much more polished than their debut album, competing with a full fledged sound that is aggressive, powerful and catchy. It provided that kind of spark that got me completely pumped over nothing, and was still pop enough to be catchy and moving. Most importantly it did not lose its stay-power even after hundreds of listens. A definite surprise album for me, Rotation earned it’s spot as the second best album of 2008.
Cute Is What We Aim For – Practice Makes Perfect
1) The Maine – Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (July 8, 2008)
It may be of no shock that Can’t Stop Won’t Stop tops this year’s list and has easily become my favourite powerpop album of the year. Since the day it was released it has been vying for the title, and after every listen I feel it deserves it more and more. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop perfectly combines emphatic and addictive pop with the meaningful and moving variety. Prior to this album The Maine was mainly known for just the fun stuff, so the debut album was a refreshing surprise in change. The Maine’s style is something that seems common, but has yet to be emulated to the kind of perfection that they deliver it with. Fans of powerpop can enjoy the fun and energetic songs but at the same time feel moved by the warm and inviting music. It is an album I enjoy each and every time I listen, not only because it is classically a fun album, but also because it’s a very thoughtful album. Perhaps I’m a softie for the quaint pop that has been produced this year, but at the end of the day, The Maine takes the cake with Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. Hopefully the title of this LP is an insight into their future endeavours.
The Maine – We’ll All Be
Honour Roll: The Academy Is… – Fast Times at Barrington High, A Rocket To The Moon – Greetings From…, Mercy Mercedes – 1.21 Gigawatts, The Morning Light – Self-titled
And that’s the list, have a happy holiday!
Cute Is What We Aim For – Rotation
A bit of a late review, I wasn’t much of a fan of Rotation, until about the fourth or fifth listen through. Being a fan of CIWWAF’s first album I was expecting something as gracefully witty, but what I got was something totally different. Some might say a more matured sound, I would say a venture into a different market. By completely revamping their style, they tuned into the fast paced, Las Vegas style pop punk, as mastered by The Cab and The Higher. With the high-action funky instrumentals, it was no wonder why they lost a touch of their witty lyrics, which I always presumed to be their golden ticket to success. With the loss of their lyrical swagger, what can listeners expect out of Rotation?
The biggest thing that these Buffalo natives got right, was their new sound. Not necessarily improved, because it sounds nothing like the original, but Rotation has a very catchy aggressive backbone throughout. There is definitely more emphasis on instrumentals than with their freshman effort, and it’s a much more entertaining listen. While I don’t think it has as much stay-power as The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch, I don’t think the two can be directly compared.
The album begins with Practice Makes Perfect, one of catchiest tracks off the album. With an amazing hook, it’s homage to their older material, but alas right away there are a lot of great new things that they begin to implement. The tone of the music is more serious, and the instrumentals come off really vibrant. With fuller, more aggressive drums, guitars and the like, the music becomes a lot more exciting to listen to. The style of music this go around, is also very passionate, from the overzealous vocals to the more prominent instruments, there is a great emphasis on good sounding music.
Skipping to the third track, Navigate Me, it’s a really mellow song that slows things down a tad. Combining some really sombre melodies, it still is full of overdriven guitars and hard hitting drums. The vocals remain passionate, but everything is extenuated, and therefore has a slower vibe. We begin to see the loss of quality lyrics, and by quality I mean witty. I suppose with more mature themes the lyrics lose a sense of humour, which I loved from their first album.
The next song, Loser, is my favourite off of the album, and it’s an awesome track. From an incredibly catchy hook, to great instrumentals, it epitomizes what Cute is all about this time around. The lyrics are hopeful, and the overall song gives a sense of optimism wrapped in a very passionate tone. With a really nice grungy guitar riff, and excellent production value, it’s a song definitely aimed more for the mainstream, but has won me twice over. Also Shaant’s vocals really impressed me throughout not only this song but the entire album, and many believed him to be solely a great lyricist, but he’s capable of holding his own on the mic.
The album is full of some action packed power pop, and uses a lot of groovy instrumentals. The vocals and themes are much harder hitting this go around and there are a handful of excellent tracks. Other notables along with the ones mentioned are Do What You Do, The Lockdown Denial, and Marriage To Millions, which all have different hooks ranging from meaningful themes to hard hitting nonsense. I really enjoyed the more aggressive approach that Cute used in Rotation, it seemed that they really put an emphasis on the sound of their music. While I miss the fun memorable lyrics of their older work, I think they have done a great job venturing into a slightly different genre. Having two albums that aren’t directly comparable and having them both excel in their particular genre is always a great thing. Rotation is an album to check out, but don’t go in expecting CIWWAF of old, expect some exciting, grungy, powerpop.
Check out their Myspace for official tour dates and album info.
