22 January, 2006

Lights & Sounds - Yellowcard

I began streaming this album off Myspace with low expectations. It seemed to me that the success of "Ocean Avenue" had propelled Yellowcard to heights undeserved. The album Ocean Avenue was a lackluster effort that didn't do justice to the energy found in the single. I was very pleasantly surprised when this latest endeavor proved to be a much more cohesive and interesting group of songs than those found on Ocean Avenue. To me, Lights & Sounds realizes all of the potential I'd heard from Yellowcard when listening to their last single "Ocean Avenue". The band has tightened their sound while also opening up to the insanely catchy melodies that make their singles such hits. The first few songs are a whirlwind of sound and pattern that blend nicely together while still remaining individually recognizable. "Down on My Head" is an excellent segue into the album after the crashing "Lights and Sounds". Yellowcard then lightens the sound a little with the nice "Sure Thing Falling", and embraces a soft melodic country twang with "City of Devils". "City of Devils" is one of the highlights of the album, with it's gorgeous sound and brokenhearted lyrics it resonates clearly with the feeling of loss that drives the album. Everything on the album runs smoothly until Yellowcard hits a speed bump with the seemingly well-meaning but underwhelming antiwar song "Two Weeks From Twenty". The lyrics on “Two Weeks from Twenty” are below the standard set by the rest of the album, and sound childish in comparison. Luckily, after this speed-bump the album jumps back up to the upbeat melodic pop-punk that makes Yellowcard so hard to ignore. Lights & Sounds is definitely a fun album, and in my humble opinion a huge step up from Ocean Avenue, both lyrically and musically.

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