The band was formed in 2003 in Chicago, Illinois, and released their debut album called Controversey Loves Company on Victory Records back in 2005. Now here we are, three years later and they have just released their follow-up, Champion, also on Victory Records. Their brand of music would be easiest classified as pop-punk. It is ready made for the radio, but there they may be exposed as being near indistinguishable from the other pop-punk acts that clog the airwaves. Well, that could just be my natural aversion to the current radio scene, perhaps they would stand out. In fact, I feel rather confident that they would thrive in that environment.
In the defense of The Audition, my listening was bound to be a losing battle. While I kept my mind open, after the first few measures it was readily apparent that I would not be interested in revisiting them all that often. Fear not, fans of the band, while I was not won over to becoming a card carrying member of the fan club all is not lost. I can easily see the appeal of this style of music and I am even able to recognize the worth of The Audition.
Champion kicks off with the upbeat "Basbhat," effectively setting up the rest of the album, all while not giving away the best material. The song has a nice, melodic groove that should be a hit with the kids dancing in the pits. That leads into one of my favorite tracks, which also happens to be the first single, "Warm Me Up." I cannot say that it treads any new ground, lyrically, but there is something that is completely catchy.
Each song distinguishes it from the one prior, leading to an experience that does not feel too reptitious. Now that is something that always seems to infect the bands of this genre, after a while everything begins to sound the same. The Audition does a decent job of varying the songs' tempos while never straying to far from the instantly recognizable genre stylings.
Bottomline. Not bad. I cannot call it anything great, but there is definitely a place for it on the musical landscape. Plus, it didn't have me lunging for the stop button, that has to count for something, right? Anyway, I doubt I will want to listen to it that often, but it is undeniably catchy and kind of fun. If you are a fan of the genre, Champion is an album you are going to want to get your hands on.
Mildly Recommended.
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