Music

[Review] The All-American Rejects ‘Kids In The Street’

Published

12 years ago

March 26, 2012

When I think of The All-American Rejects, a few very specific things come to mind. Mainly I think of middle school, shopping at Hot Topic (hush, we’ve all done it) and watching music videos all day on Fuse. I think of a very specific time in my life; and the reason hearing the band’s name conjures up all these nostalgic images is probably because those things were taking place for me at a time when The All-American Rejects were topping the charts. And rightly so! At the time, the band’s second studio album, Move Along, was all over the radio waves and played nonstop on the music networks. And though, I will admit, I haven’t stayed up to date with the band’s work since that time, I will always regard The All-American Rejects as a type of relic of my late childhood. So, when I was asked to do this review, I was excited about it. And in the end I was delighted to find that, just as I have matured and changed since 2005, so has the band! Kids In The Street is an example of the change that comes with time, and serves to prove that The All-American Rejects will definitely get better and better with age.

Without a doubt, this record exhibits a much wider sphere of influence for the band. It seems to call on many differing areas of rock n’ roll, which is especially inspiring for a pop-rock release such as this one. The sounds of ninety’s garage, 60s style rock, and even ska are all present on the record, with some songs resembling the work of bands such as Jet and All Time Low. Fans of the pop punk set will revel in the gang vocals and clap-beat sections, and fans of indie rock will enjoy the much more dynamic use of Nick Wheeler’s guitar skills. Additionally, the band has made use of many cute musical accents, such as the sample of a elementary school style recorder being played at the end of “Beekeeper’s Daughter“. It is the use of little quirks like this that give the record more depth.

Perhaps what is most noticeable about Kids In The Street is vocalist Tyson Ritter’s voice. Not only has Ritter’s voice matured, but he has also learned to make what is, in my opinion, better use of it. Ritter often jumps flawlessly from a sweet and smooth croon to an almost mocking, snotty tone within the same song. and his voice is clear with good vocal range. Stand out tracks include “Gonzo“, which begins with an absolutely lovely soundscape, and “Affection“, which is a delicious, vintage-inspired song that is all together sweet and full of attitude. The opening track, “Someday’s Gone“, is radio ready and fun, and title track “Kids In The Street” is immediately catchy, making great use of synth riffs and nostalgic imagery.

Listening to this album, the thing that jumped out at me most was the realization that The All-American Rejects are a smart band. They are most definitely good at staying current, and know how to write a record that is appealing to their to immediate demographic without sacrificing style or intelligence. The bands use of many musical influences on Kids In The Street make it a diverse, interesting album that produced both a nostalgic, dreamy sense and and up-to-date, fresh sound for me. I recommend it to fans both old and new!

8/10

Related Topics:Album Review Kids In The Street Punk review The All-American Rejects

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Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

Published

2 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

John Squires

It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…