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In first attaining notoriety and recognition from society and pop culture worldwide for being different, it often strikes me as being ironic that some of the key players in the ‘Emo’ movement (Panic, Fall Out Boy) continue to experiment with more commercially accessible musical styles, at the same time alienating those core fan bases which so devoutly contribute to their initial success.
Not so for New York based emo punk rockers Cute Is What We Aim For (CIWWAF), who have retuned with an album which stays true to the formula of their 2006 debut The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch, encompassing punchy guitar driven and emotional lyrics, whilst displaying a slight degree of musical progression and maturity.
Produced by John Feldmann (The Used, Story of the Year), the album kicks off with first single and album highlight Practice Makes Perfect, a feel good anthem with an infectious chorus with the central theme of life experience, decision making and learning from mistakes.
This is followed by the guitar racing Doctor and connotative Navigate Me, which in substance sets the lyrical scene for the remainder of the album, with such wasteful lines including “Navigate me through your body” and “I’m creepin’ your way and these sheets aren’t stopping me”.
Moral questions of religion, judgement and a belief in the unknown are explored on Loser, followed by the most ambitious track on the album, Hollywood, complete with horn section and Spanish guitar inset.
Both Safe Ride and Marriage to Millions deliver those jump around feel good punk rock tracks that CIWWAF fans would have come to expect whilst album closer Time introduces string arrangements and wind section and is a teaser of the possible future direction of the band.
Reviewed by d-Moose |
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