Reviews

By Victor Drabicky
Skiff Staff

Dynamite Boy
When Dynamite Boy released its last album, “Finders Keepers” (Fearless, 1999), the disc did little to distinguish itself from the thousand or so other pop/punk discs that were flooding CD stores across the nation.

But when Dynamite Boy released “Somewhere in America” (Fearless 2001) earlier this year, the disc made waves not only throughout its label, Fearless Records, but with other bands of the genre as well.

The band’s brand of pop/punk that originally hit Austin nine years ago, is finally catching on — with good reason.

“Catching On,” the disc’s opening track, was an attempt to tell the world that the band has finally caught on to the idea that professionalism, both on stage and in the studio, can pay off.

The band’s transition from lackluster, run-of-the-mill punk band to a more professionally presented group of musicians has resulted in improvements lyrically, musically and in composition.

Lead singer Sean Neil’s voice has strengthened to a point where it is no longer competing with the music for attention. Now, the music clearly plays second role to Neil’s voice, and if anything, strengthens it even further.

Nowhere is this more evident than in “No Way Out,” when Neil is paired with fellow punk singer Stella Maxwell of Cruiserweight. Maxwell’s voice, which unfortunately is above average in the punk world, always seems to be a little off key and out of place, while Neil’s always seems to fit seamlessly.

Musically, the band has greatly improved. Gone are the days of over-drumming and sometimes pointless and random guitar riffs. “Somewhere in America” is filled with well-placed guitar solos and well constructed bass lines complimented by intelligent drumming often absent from punk CDs.

However, “Somewhere in America” is not without its low points. “Kaleidoscope” and “Little Bobby” seem to revert to a more stereotypical type of punk that is less creative both musically and lyrically. They are obviously the weaker songs on the CD.

Overall, “Somewhere in America” is a good disc, head and shoulders above the industry standard. However, if Dynamite Boy is hoping to catch on like the Get Up Kids and New Found Glory did, there is still work to be done.

Midtown
I can’t remember the last time something came out of New Jersey that I liked. Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time anything of note came out of New Jersey.

But when I heard Midtown’s first, full-length compact disc, “Save the World, Lose the Girl,” my attitude changed.

Too smart to fall in the punk category, too punk to fit in the pop category, “Save the World, Lose the Girl” is a wonderful mix of intelligently written lyrics and beautifully performed music establishing Midtown in any musical category.

While more than successful with emotion-filled pop ballads like “No Place Feels Like Home,” Midtown continues to shine in songs like “Direction” and “Just Rock and Roll,” which clearly establish Midtown in the rock world.

Making sure not to leave any stone unturned, Midtown falls into the punk genre with “Another Boy.”

Although Midtown does not fall into any specific musical category, singer Gabe Saporta said the band is comfortable with its lack of classification and feels that audiences enjoy Midtown’s diverse abilities.

Musical classification aside, “Save the World, Lose the Girl” is a masterpiece filled with superb writing and even better performance.

Nowhere is the writing strength more obvious than in “No Place Feels like Home” and the closing ballad “Frayed Ends.” The well-constructed “No Place Feels Like Home” can make even the most emotionless listener feel alone and homesick, while the acoustic guitar and creative phrasing of “Frayed Ends” shows why it is so hard to label the genre Midtown best fills.

Despite having three people share the role of lead vocalist, Saporta, Heath Saraceno and Tyler Rann, the vocals are exceptional. Younger punk bands, like Fort Worth’s own Soviet Space, should take note of not only the strength, but also the uniqueness with which each line is delivered.

Despite strong vocals and good writing and composition, perhaps the best thing about the compact disc is the emotion put into each song. From the feeling of emptiness in “Just Rock and Roll” to the homesickness of “No Place Feels Like Home,” the disc runs the gamut.

Saporta said the songs keep certain emotions in mind, but whatever feeling the listen gets is the right one.

“I wrote ‘Just Rock and Roll’ about leaving my last band, but a lot of people think it is about a girl,” Saporta said. “I was feeling angry and betrayed, but people think the song is about a girl and get a different feeling.”

I always try to find something wrong with each compact disc I review, but if I were to find anything wrong with this compact disc, I would have to stretch.

Although Midtown has not yet become a household name and is on their first headlining tour, if they continue to create music as solid as “Save the World, Lose the Girl,” it won’t be long before they join Blink 182 and the Get Up Kids at the top of the pop/punk/rock charts.

Victor Drabicky
v.m.drabicky@student.tcu.edu