The All-American Rejects - 'The All-American Rejects' (Dreamworks)
3/5
By: Thomas Hannan
On paper, it seems incredibly simple. You've heard this band by now, you know their deal, and quite probably you were at least mildly impressed. But in this hard fought area of nice-guy punk, it's going to take a lot to stand out... So what credentials do The All-American Rejects possess that we should be so excited about?
A host of good tunes and a couple of corkers, that's what. For starters, that weird organ intro you've heard on the radio wasn't a one-off detraction from the straight-up guitar, bass and drums structure after all - there are actually a surprisingly large amount of drum-machines, keyboards, strings and even church bells that make appearances on 'All American Rejects'. Shame, we could have just dismissed them as a pop-punk band and carried on our merry way.
Granted, that would have been a lot easier, and you could have got away with it too, especially when there's obviously such a large debt to the likes of The Ataris here. But little hints suggest The All-American Rejects are slightly above that, such as the polite piano stomp of 'Your Star' and the brilliance of recent single 'Swing Swing', surely one of the best power-pop songs in years.
Sadly, the success of that tune may well be a curse in disguise, as already the album can come across as ten other songs that are solely attempts to revisit such an early career highlight. Of course, they want to better themselves, but a slight malfunction in doing so leads to it sounding less like a proper album and more like variations on a theme.
Let's not be too hasty. Seeing as upon the release of this album the two main accomplices behind the band, namely Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler, aren't even old enough to buy alcohol in their home country, the delicacy and standard of the songwriting is quite impressive in itself. It's a talent they build absolutely everything around. Each track relies on a strong, melodious refrain as its distinguishing feature rather than shifting the musical focus very far at all. It's a policy that's fine if you can pull it off each and every time, but something The AAR only manage now and again. It means you sit waiting for something you can musically really sink your teeth in to, only to find it isn't forthcoming. Shame, as it'd break up the record perfectly - a device tailor-made to stop this all sounding a little too familiar too soon. Nonetheless, the fact that it's endless entertainment listening to Ritter trying to pronounce the word 'heart' does provide the record with some longevity.
So, there's no song without a hook, yet only a few that really catch. So, apart from 'Swing Swing', what else grabs your attention? Well, charming opener 'My Paper Heart' for starters, a strong candidate for a future single, along with 'One More Sad Song's tried and trusted quiet/loud jumps and a vocal-line that just begs to be sung along to.
The more experienced, some might say jaded music-listener will probably be less likely to welcome The All American Rejects with open arms, claiming they've heard it all before. But for new recruits, that hardly matters. This record is a more than adequate introduction to that world.
Artists in this article: The All-American Rejects
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