Letters to the President,
Hawk NelsonI first came across Hawk Nelson when my girlfriend bought me the latest Tooth and Nail sampler about 6 weeks back and was quite impressed by the melodic pop-punk on offer from this Canadian quartet. Further inspection showed that T&N have built up the band to fill MxPx's void on the label's roster, but in reality Hawk Nelson are far too squeaky clean to replace Mike Herrera and co. They're probably more like a more credible Simple Plan or Good Charlotte - squeaky clean to look at, but the odd song really hits home like a harder hitting version of either band.
Having said that, if it's one thing these Christian lads can do it's write good catchy songs. 'Letters to the President' is full of the buggers. The harmonies and melodies are pretty good throughout, although at times the band are too saccharine sweet for their own good. One look at the album cover will show you that these guys are more akin to Just Seventeen than Kerrang, but I guess that really shouldn't matter all that much. It's the music that counts, after all. The songs on 'Letters to the President' do follow the same verse/chorus/verse scheme which is tried and tested, but is hardly anything new. It does make songs like 'California' catchier than flu in freshers week, but it does mean the lasting appeal is rather limited.
This record is a lot of fun - it reminds me of the now defunct Count The Stars, a band who played very disposable poppy punk but within 3 months it became a record to get quickly bored of. I sense 'Letters to the President' will take me down a similar path. One thing to note is the Christian-slant in the lyrics. While the band never push their religion down your throat, it becomes very prevalent during tracks like the sickly sweet 'From Underneath'. The lyrics are pretty weak throughout - the band clearly aim at a very young audience and I'm sure they will attract a legion of pre-teen fans.
I quite like this record. It may not sound like I'm overly enthused, but strip away the obvious youthful facade and the silly lyrics and you have some hooky pop songs and some spiky guitars. Hawk Nelson will never change the world, but they probably will sell a million records. I guarantee 90% of Punktastic readers will hate them - but what the fuck, if I'm in the mood for some disposable pop-punk, Hawk Nelson can do the job. There are hundreds of better bands, but, in the short-term at least, this will do.
www.hawknelson.com
Tooth and Nail Records
Paul
