I love Gatsbys American Dream because they do the pop-punk thing in such a strange and unpredictable way, yet don't compromise the melodic side or shy away from the fact they're just a very clever, and often technical, pop-punk band. They're like Brand New for the year 2005. "Do they make you salivate?" the band sing during 'Your Only Escape' and the answer, for thousands of kids this summer, will be 'yes'. 'Volcano' is insanely catchy, very clever and destined to be a big hit. They're already one of THE most hyped bands (see there's another Brand New comparison) of the year, and this album will probably send them onwards and upwards.
The simple fact is that no-one sounds like Gatsbys. Sure, bands do elements of what they do - Northstar did the lazy vocal thing well, for instance - but none seem to combine it as well as Nic and co. All the pieces of the puzzle fit; all the strands come together to complete a mini masterpiece. That's not to say 'Volcano' is without its faults - it's no 'Deja Entendu', that's for sure - but its attempts at subtelty and cleverness win big brownie points. Reciting old lyrics in new songs, rehashing old riffs and mixing up new ideas; none of it sounds too taxing, but it's refreshingly good.
What stands out for me with this band is that the vast majority of their songs avoid the same old formula - they try and mix things up, throwing in odd time signatures or swapping super catchy choruses for verses that don't fit in. For every 'Theatre' there's a 'Your Only Escape', two songs at the opposite ends of the scale. 'Badlands' is a reworked version of an old song, beautifully pulled off, while 'Pompeii' and the aggressive 'A Mind of Metal and Wheels' showcase vocal melodies and punishing guitar riffs. Even the cute 'Fable' and the riff-tastic 'The Giant's Drink' show different faces of the band - the latter even coming off like the Foo Fighters in the chorus. Gatsbys stand out for being clever, cool and fun - and I'm sure we'll all be hearing a lot more of them this summer.
www.gatsbysamericandream.com
Fearless Records
Paul
