As far as slick, synth-heavy pop-punk albums go, this is as good as any around. Forever The Sickest Kids shone like a beacon on their 'Television Off, Party On' EP and it was no surprise they hooked up with a major. 'Underdog Alma Mater' is a good old fashioned pop record; it has HUGE singalong hooks, sweet keyboards and synths, vocoder effects on the vocals...it's basically the best party record since the good Panic at the Disco album. And I don't mean 'Pretty Odd'.
'Underdog Alma Mater' races through a stash of anthemic singalong tunes quicker than Linford Christie running the 100-metres, back in the day. I'd guess Linford has a bigger lunchbox than these dudes though. Anyway, with a slew of re-recorded older songs, this is one slickly produced record. 'The Way She Moves' is ballad-esque complete with sampled orchestra and an assortment of other effects, It will be the soundtrack to a teen movie this summer, be warned. 'Hey Brittany' is an old favourite re-worked with a pop sheen, while 'She's A Lady' and 'Phone Call' are the songs PATD should have written on album number two.
The trick with FTSK is that they don't take themselves too seriously. And neither should you. This is just pure, unadulterated pop music with some quirky effects. Plug in, play and enjoy.
