All-American Rejects, The – When The World Comes Down
Filed under: Album Reviews by Chris4 Comments »
The All-American rejects were a favourite of mine a few years ago, something different to the heavier/punkier stuff I was listening to. A nice, poppy, catchy alternative to the alternative, which I remember very fondly. I sort of avoided their last album, through fear of that memory being tarnished…but here I am, stuck with listening to their newest in a semi-professional capacity. It’s possible I’ll be biased, more in favour of how they used to sound, and dead against any change. I can be like that sometimes. New is scary, sometimes ill-fitting, and old is comfortable. Take jeans, for example. So I will apologise now if this is how this turns out.
Sorry.
Anyway…
First track ‘I Wanna’ falls back into that immediately, and is very reminiscent of their first major hit ‘Swing Swing’…only not as good. It is very catchy, nicely paced, everything that a pop-punk should be…but somehow the weak lyrics ruin it. Formulaic, uninteresting song about touching stuff is the only way to describe it. ‘Swing Swing’ is still a fixture at my local nightclub….but I can’t see this being played much.
Surprisingly, ‘Fallin’ Apart’ sounds like main man Tyson Ritter is singing over a polyphonic ringtone from the early 00′s for the first minute or so. It’s an odd mix of tinny beats, until the chorus hits. It’s a strong, varied track, and commendable in it’s effort to stand out on the album, which would be a bigger compliment if there wasn’t quite so much filler on offer. Take, for example ‘Damn Girl’. A sub-Weezer/Jimmy Eat World track that plods along, going nowhere, with incredibly uninteresting lyrics and a chorus that would make even the most hardened emo cringe.
Things don’t improve with the b-side-at-best ‘Gives You Hell’. I seem to be having a go at the lyrics more than anything here, and I know AAR are not exactly renowned for their insightful witticisms, but they are genuinely weak. Strengthened only by a well put-together sing along towards the end that will no doubt make it a live favourite.
Remaining middle-of-the-road for the central chunk of the album, ‘Mona Lisa’ proving to be a confident and well made acoustic number, but not really improving until ‘Real World’. Easily the strongest track on the album, heavily reminiscent of Salt Sweat Sugar by Jimmy Eat World, and edgier than anything else on offer here. To be honest, it wouldn’t be totally out of place on one of The Used’s recent albums. If only the rest of the album was to this calibre, and didn’t just show glimpses of this side of the band.
‘Back To Me’ brings that Weezer vibe again…still, stronger than the other slow numbers on here, and comes out as passable emotional rock without becoming whiny.
Very much like AAR, but showing influences of their contemporaries, Jimmy Eat World especially. Fans will love it, non-fans will warm to it, but there is nothing too special on offer here. Seems to lack anything in the way of a strong single, Real World coming closest, but lacking the killer hooks of Move Along or the previously mentioned Swing Swing. Not as instantly likeable as past albums were but taken as a whole, it’s okay, but contains too much filler to really be recommended to any one who isn’t aware of AAR already. Mostly forgettable stuff, punctuated with stand-out tracks such as Real World, Mona Lisa and penultimate track ‘Believe’, which harks back to the AAR of old.
Rating: 
