Ok so I know this record is about as punk as Justin Timberlake, but it’s absolutely spellbindingly brilliant and I want to tell the world. Bryce Avary is a genius, he plays every single instrument on this recording as well as producing it and the care, love and craft that goes into each song is so evident that anyone with a heart will almost certainly fall for this record. It’s cute as hell but it’s become one of my favourite records of the year.
The Rocket Summer is just one guy – Bryce Avary. Forget any references to Dashboard Confessional that you may get, this is a record that features drums, keyboards, electric guitars and a choir; it’s quite simply beautiful stuff. I think the reason why it is so good is the simplicity of it all as the tracks concentrate on being crammed with hooks and melodies and nothing is over-complicated. ‘Cross My Heart’ is a perfect example of why ‘Calendar Days’ is such a great record – it’s one of those songs that immediately puts a smile on your face and sounds fantastic in the sun. With singalong verses and chorus and Bryce’s cute vocal style, you can’t help but be suckered in by it all.
‘Skies So Blue’ has an immensely hummable chorus, a trait that Bryce has naturally it would seem, while ‘This Is Me’ has a Ben Folds-esque sound to it complete with piano riff that drives the vocals. It’s a personal favourite of mine, a good time feel that leaves you singing along by the time the chorus rolls around. ‘Saturday’ has a real 80s feel to it and induces the first cheesy moment of the record as the “Saturday, Saturday” refrain is a little cringeworthy, but things are made up with the soothing ‘She’s My Baby’, complete with samples of the ocean rolling in at the outset. I did say this was a cute record…
The acoustic ‘That’s So You’ brings in the inevitable Chris Carrabba comparisons, highlighting Bryce’s vocal strengths. It’s a beautiful song that leads straight into the choppy ‘Mean Thoughts and Cheap Shots’, a call to arms that emphasises the positivity throughout the record. ‘Calendar Days’ is certainly an album that will put a smile on your face. The piano rules the roost again during ‘What We hate, We Make’, a song which is as tender as it gets and the album ends strongly with ‘TV Family’ which builds up into one of the record’s strongest tracks.
The Rocket Summer, or should I say Bryce, is a slice of genius and anyone with a heart needs to hear this album. It’s more sugary pop than anything but when songwriting is as good as this, who cares? If you like The All-American Rejects you’ll love this and the Militia Group have an absolute diamond here. With any luck you’ll be hearing a hell of a lot more in the future from Mr Bryce Avary.
www.therocketsummer.com
Paul