Nothing Gold Can Stay,
New Found GloryOK, I guess this is going to be ever-so-slightly biased. Y'see I love New Found Glory. Almost as much as I love my mum. It's a pity that this sentiment isn't shared by other members of the Punktastic crew, but hey, never mind. To me, NFG are everything that the greatest pop-punk bands should be. And whilst 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' maybe isn't the best example of NFG at work, it's not half bad.
There are some kick-ass tracks in the NFG armoury, and none more so than opener 'Hit Or Miss.' Yes, it did appear on their second full-length, but this first version is far superior. This song is quickly becoming a modern classic, and rightly so in my opinion. 'It Never Snows In Florida' and '3rd and Long' make this CD's start pretty damn solid.
'You've Got A Friend In Pennsylvania' and 'The Blue Stare' are pretty average affairs, and '2's and 3's' is also bog-standard stuff. Suddenly the bright opening starts to go a little stale, and you begin to wonder if NFG are really worthy of all the hype. Well fear not punk fans, the band follow this little lot with 'Tell tale Heart,' which, to put it rather bluntly, kicks fucking arse.
Imagine a less well produced version of 'Better Off Dead' from the self-titled CD, and you won't be too far wide of the mark. This is a definite highlight. If its thudding instrumental opening doesn't get your foot tapping, then you really ought to check your pulse.
'Winter of 95' is melodic as hell, and 'Passing Time' is stereotypical NFG. That great Jordan vocal, fast axe-work and some thudding percussion. Then, shock horror, the NFG ballad! 'Broken Sound' is a bit crap though, so, erm, guys, don't give up the day job. 'Never Sometimes' is a return to form, although it has a really horrible fade-out. And the whole jamming thing? Like, hello...
New Found Glory don't have a ground breaking sound. That's make that clear. But it is solid, fast, and there are some great tunes amongst this CD. Admittedly the second album is marginally better, but if you like Blink 182, Saves The Day, Green Day or The Ataris, you've gotta get into this lot.
Paul Savage
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