| CD REVIEW The Wonder Years |
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Band : The Wonder Years Weird, ain't it, but we were sent this release through the Italian division of Rude Records!? Well, the history of this album goes on, but that's for later...for now, let's get started with the band history of this Hatfield & Lansfield, Pennsylvania based Pop Punk sextet! The Wonder Years were formed in June of 2005, ater Lansfield based The Premier (who'd been around for quite a while) bandmembers Dan “Soupy” Campbell (vocals & ukelele), Matthew Brasch (guitar & backing vocals) and Nick Steinborn (keyboards & guitar) saw their drummer drop off and they got additional members to start again, as TWY! In the first two years of their existence, the guys released two split EPs with now defunct Lansdale bands Emergency And I and Bangarang!, songs off both of which would also make it onto the band's debut album Get Stoked On It! (released in October 2007). One thing already typical about the band back then, were their playful song titles. With the release of the album the then septet (other members were bassist Josh Martin, guitarist Casey Cavaliere, keyboardist/ backing singer Mike Kelly, and drummer Mike Kennedy) saw their local fanbase grow exponentially, also due to the fact that they toured for it. Coinciding with the 2007 tour the band also released the Tour EP. Following their successful live promotion of the debut album, the band signed to No Sleep Records, releasing the Won't Be Pathetic Forever EP in June '08 on both digital and vinyl music carrier. Although the playful titles remained, the EP would be a turning point for the band lyrically, touching more serious topics. In 2009 the band only released a split EP with UK band All Or Nothing (after which Mike Kelly left to pursue other goals), contributing also their version of “Carry The Torch” on a Kid Dynamite covers compilation. The last week of January 2010 was spent playing promotional shows for the band's sophomore album (this one...well, the original 12-track album) in Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, Boston and the Los Angeles area...and after that the drummer took time out to pursue an education. Steinborn replaced him until his unexpected return later in the year, after which Steinborn reverted to the keyboards & guitar. In the first week of release the album shifted enough copies to land it on the #5 position of the Billboard's Alternative Artist charts (and to #9 on the Top New Artist charts, #26 on the Top Internet Albums charts, and #43 on the Indie Label Album charts). Undaunted by their internal line-up shift, the band did several tours for the remainder of the year (one with Streetlight Manifesto; a short one with New Found Hope; a first Australian headliner with Heroes For Hire, Tonight Alive, and Skyway Drive; one with Set Your Goals and Comeback Kid, and more in between), and in May they announced having signed to Hopeless Records, their debut release on the label to be the deluxe version of their sophomore album (with 4 bonus tracks and new artwork). (the above text based on/ rewritten from the band's page at Wikipedia) About the album...it's announced (in the liner notes) as being a positive reaction to that “rule” that, once you're twenty-something, time has come to start feeling miserable for the rest of your life (whom makes up these rules anyway? Oh wait, I get it: it's because most people then get off University and have to start working in stead of living off their parents, right? I can't believe musicians go through those – silly – notions as well, but then the liner notes mention it was Winter when the guys were going' through that mood)! So, are the tunes on this album happy ones? I guess so, at least to a certain extend! There's a couple of songs at least serving to uplift the moody thinker. Try “Hey Thanks”, for instance (wacky acoustic intro with ukelele), for which the band invited Matt Belanger of We Are The Union to add some trombone, and Rachel Minton of Zolof the Rock And Roll Machine for duet vocals...or official album closer (not counting the bonus tracks now) “All My Friends Are In Bar Bands”, which has additional vocals by Shane Henderson (Valencia), Dave Mackinder (Fireworks), Matty Arsenault (A Loss For Words), Jamie Rhoden (Title Fight) and Nik Bruzzese (Man Overboard). Luckily all the guest musicians recorded their contributions to the album outside the sweat-smelly basement where the band recorded the album in the hot months of May and June last year! Stylistically there's a nice simple complexity. And if that sounds contradictory to you, I suggest you just listen to the album...or check out the couple of tracks off the new album the guys posted (alongside a bunch of older songs) at myspace.com/thewonderyears. Personally, although I don't mind listening to bands in the Pop Punk genre every once in a while, I have to say that I've grown fàr beyond the age of falling for this kind of music on a 24/24 hour, 7/7 day basis! But then, I am slightly older! Nevertheless, I recognize quality when I hear it, don't I!?! Recent update(s): 1) Coinciding with their September tour of Australia, Hopeless and Australian based Boomtown Records released a split 7-inch (vinyl) EP with Heroes For Hire (featuring previously available songs of both bands). 2) The Upsides' bonus tracks include alternative versions to album tracks “Dynamite Shovel” and “Logan Circle”, and new songs “I Was Scared & I'm Sorry”, and acoustic track “We Won't Bury You”. 3) The band has announced a forthcoming new split 7-inch single with Fallen From The Sky, each band donating a cover song (TWY is supposed to cover Lit's “Zip Lock”). 4) At this very moment TWY are finishing (ends Nov. 6) a second US tour with Four Years Strong. More US dates follow this winter (Dec. 15 to Jan. 7), and in early February TWY cross the Atlantic for shows in the UK (at this moment it is not known whether that tour might extend into European dates as well). TWY is hoping to release their third album by Summer 2010. 87/100 Tony. |