The Story So Far - What You Don't See
Huh...gotta be honest
this is a new one in terms of album covers....
this is a new one in terms of album covers....
Ever just have one of those moments in the cold, winter days? One where you are walking in the cold, looking up at the clouds and saying, "DAMMIT I WANT SUMMER NOW!" Well, I feel ya readers. I go to a school where lake effect gives me a S%$&ton of snow, and only one day a month of sun if mother nature is feeling nice. As you can imagine, my frozen members need a dosage of summer every once in a while. So, I turn to music to give me a bit of summer in the winter, specifically pop punk. Pop punk is the music of my summer days and nights. It's fun, upbeat, and the best ones are wonderful in lyricism. Think of this idea like a nice ice cream cone on a warm sunny day, and the lyricism is the sprinkles or icing on top. Why do I bring all this up? Well this week we got The Story So Far's second album What You Don't See. The band, who has been making quite a name for themselves in the pop punk scene, are known for being one of the upcoming powerhouses for the genre. So does the band fall into the sophomore slump, or do they deliver a exceptional follow-up? I'm happy to say they avoid the sophomore slump for DAMN sure.
This is the type of pop punk album I love. One filled with catchy guitar hooks, experimental instrumentals, and meaningful lyricism. You readers will hear me repeat these concepts, but it's the concepts that work in making me love an album. Lets start with the instrumentals. Catchy, dance inducing guitar hooks fill this album to the brim thanks to guitarists William Levy and Kevin Gayer. Whether it's a hook that makes you want to dance in the back of a car with the roof down in the summer, or one that makes you want to throw down in the pit, there's something for everyone here. I even tested this point on my girlfriend with the song "Framework". As she listened, she told me it was the type of beginning that sounds like a great song to dance to on a nice, summer day. And I'll be damned if she isn't right! It just makes you want to dance, and have fun. Then you look at a song like the opener, "Things I Can't Change". It's a song filled with wonderful, creative breakdowns that will get the pits started at Warped Tour this year for the band.
As for the rest of the band involving instrumentals, I love that each band member gets a chance to shine throughout the album. Drum solos by drummer Ryan Torf are fast and furious, and come in at great times in the songs. Bassist Kelen Capener even gets to showcase his quick fingers with some fancy bass solos, including the short but effective one in "Things I Can't Change". I appreciate a band in pop punk who gets to show that each band member has some skills instead of a band who will just throw in a breakdown to keep the song progressing.
Now lets look at the lyricism. The lyrics are wonderfully executed in writing, and performance. While the lyricism is typical pop punk fare (break-ups, standing up for yourself), The Story So Far find a way to make it original and fresh. A great example of this is "The Glass" which is a wonderful song about someone leaving your life. It's a topic done before, but the song works thanks to the wonderful imagery conveyed convincingly by singer Parker Cannon.
The only problem I have with the album is that not every song hits. It's not that any songs on the album are bad, but some just weren't as strong as others for me. It's a shame that I have to say that, as the songs that do hit for me, hit really F$*%ing hard! They're songs that will probably make it onto my best of the year list in December. I just wish that every song hit like that to me, instead of about 3/4's of the album.
The final verdict: What You Don't See proves that The Story So Far are going to be a pop punk force in the next couple of years. All the members are talented musicians who know how to make an album that can really appeal to anybody. It's catchy for the people who like pop, it's heavy for the people who like punk, but most importantly, it's fun as hell. I can guarantee that this will be an album that is blasting out of my car in the summer with the windows down. I hope that the band makes a lot of new fans on Warped Tour this summer, because they damn well deserve them.
FINAL GRADE: B+
CHOICE CUT: "The Glass"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-yt7yUNvlQ
Like the review? Got an album you want me to look at? Head over and like The Music Basement Facebook page to keep up with my shenanigans and give me an album you want me to look at!
http://www.facebook.com/TheMusicBasement
This is the type of pop punk album I love. One filled with catchy guitar hooks, experimental instrumentals, and meaningful lyricism. You readers will hear me repeat these concepts, but it's the concepts that work in making me love an album. Lets start with the instrumentals. Catchy, dance inducing guitar hooks fill this album to the brim thanks to guitarists William Levy and Kevin Gayer. Whether it's a hook that makes you want to dance in the back of a car with the roof down in the summer, or one that makes you want to throw down in the pit, there's something for everyone here. I even tested this point on my girlfriend with the song "Framework". As she listened, she told me it was the type of beginning that sounds like a great song to dance to on a nice, summer day. And I'll be damned if she isn't right! It just makes you want to dance, and have fun. Then you look at a song like the opener, "Things I Can't Change". It's a song filled with wonderful, creative breakdowns that will get the pits started at Warped Tour this year for the band.
As for the rest of the band involving instrumentals, I love that each band member gets a chance to shine throughout the album. Drum solos by drummer Ryan Torf are fast and furious, and come in at great times in the songs. Bassist Kelen Capener even gets to showcase his quick fingers with some fancy bass solos, including the short but effective one in "Things I Can't Change". I appreciate a band in pop punk who gets to show that each band member has some skills instead of a band who will just throw in a breakdown to keep the song progressing.
Now lets look at the lyricism. The lyrics are wonderfully executed in writing, and performance. While the lyricism is typical pop punk fare (break-ups, standing up for yourself), The Story So Far find a way to make it original and fresh. A great example of this is "The Glass" which is a wonderful song about someone leaving your life. It's a topic done before, but the song works thanks to the wonderful imagery conveyed convincingly by singer Parker Cannon.
The only problem I have with the album is that not every song hits. It's not that any songs on the album are bad, but some just weren't as strong as others for me. It's a shame that I have to say that, as the songs that do hit for me, hit really F$*%ing hard! They're songs that will probably make it onto my best of the year list in December. I just wish that every song hit like that to me, instead of about 3/4's of the album.
The final verdict: What You Don't See proves that The Story So Far are going to be a pop punk force in the next couple of years. All the members are talented musicians who know how to make an album that can really appeal to anybody. It's catchy for the people who like pop, it's heavy for the people who like punk, but most importantly, it's fun as hell. I can guarantee that this will be an album that is blasting out of my car in the summer with the windows down. I hope that the band makes a lot of new fans on Warped Tour this summer, because they damn well deserve them.
FINAL GRADE: B+
CHOICE CUT: "The Glass"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-yt7yUNvlQ
Like the review? Got an album you want me to look at? Head over and like The Music Basement Facebook page to keep up with my shenanigans and give me an album you want me to look at!
http://www.facebook.com/TheMusicBasement
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