I first saw the Anniversary live when they toured in the UK with the Get up Kids, an emotastic show no less, with both bands performing damn well; and it was this that encouraged me to get the LP ‘designing a nervous breakdown’. Despite having trouble finding it anywhere within the UK, I finally managed to get hold of a copy and eagerly awaited listening to it. However, the merriment soon came to an abrupt end when I actually listened to their recorded material.
First things first, The Anniversary use a keyboard in virtually all of their songs, which is something you will have to already like, or come to like if you are to enjoy this album. Personally, I didn’t get on with it at all, especially when it managed to cloud the singing which sounds neither definite nor synchronized at many points within the different tracks.
However, there are some saving graces, specifically ‘All things ordinary’, which is undeniably catchy and proves The Anniversary are capable of quality songs, but many others in the album seem to replicate riffs and styles seem elsewhere to the point where you have to check you are actually listening to a different track.
The Anniversary are signed to the The Get Up Kids‘ record label, vagrant; yet the quality of the recording is definitely not up to scratch, with the vocals superseded by the guitar and keyboard, making it seem weak, thus losing the passion that it could have if it had been tweaked just that little bit more.
You see, choosing this particular record by The Anniversary is like choosing the value supermarket-own-brand mini cakes. You know they’re going to taste OK, but then theres the real Mr.Kipling Get Up Kids at 20p/20cents extra, and you know its going to taste twice as good.
nick