The All-American Rejects

When The World Comes Down

Written by: TL on 26/12/2008 18:57:42

If you are of the opinion that sometimes we here at Rockfreaks review albums that are a bit too poppy to really belong here, what with reviews of bands like Simple Plan and Coldplay and the likes, then I suggest you just move on already because this is going to be one of those reviews.

Arguably, The All-American Rejects are one of the most shameless POP-rock bands around, and right from the beginning they've been famed for writing good-times music as appealing and accessible to as many people as possible. This approach has worked wonders for them with who knows how many chart positions for their singles off the two first albums, and while it surely might have made them suffer some "sell out" comments here and there, I'm sure Tyson Ritter and friends laugh all the way to the bank - if not all the way to the stage of the packed out venues they play in both the US and the UK.

Now you can rightfully argue that the Rejects' don't ever do much to bring anything original or refreshing into the worlds of either pop or rock, but unless you're hell-bent on disliking the poprock genre for what it is, you're going to find it pretty hard to deny that hits like "The Last Song", "Dirty Little Secret" and "Move Along" are in fact quite enjoyable. The same thing pretty much goes for the new "When The World Comes Down" album. The only remarkable departure in sound is that Tyson sounds like he's chilled out and leaned back a little, effective letting his vocals become slightly more relaxed than the otherwise cliché 'supercharged with charm and emotion' sound he has sported earlier. This only adds better dynamics to the overall sound though, as it packs a better punch when he finally does let loose in the bridges and final choruses of the songs on the new record.

A typical point in case would be the downright infectious opener "I Wanna" that doesn't quite reveal it's power till the end, while the following "Fallin' Apart", still following the same structure, manages to sound a bit more like Panic At The Disco crossing strings with Motion City Soundtrack. Of course the lyricism isn't quite as witty as that of those bands but the sound is joyous enough all the same. As for other highlights, the chorus of "Breakin'" is another line that's quite hard not to recognize when it comes around, and the same goes for the string backed duet with .. Some Amy Lee wannabe? - "Another Heart Calls".

Overall, TAAR take advantage of the pop-rock rulebook so effectively that you're prone to believe they wrote it themselves in some earlier life, and while the bells and whistles (or violins and pianos) are all the same as we've heard a billion times before, far be it from me to deny the fact that the band has still managed to put them together in a manner that's quite convincing. Granted, the songs offered here will probably be too soft for you unless you're already loving the newer material by bands like Relient K or Motion City Soundtrack, and their lasting value will hardly outlive that of a couple of packages of bubblegum, but hey, if you didn't get a present for your kid sister in time for Christmas, here's a good suggestion that's not going to drive you as nuts as some other bands she might like.

7

Download: I Wanna, Fallin' Apart, Breakin', Another Heart Calls
For The Fans Of: Motion City Soundtrack, Relient K, Tickle Me Pink
Listen: myspace.com/allamericanrejects

Release Date 16.12.2008
DGC/Interscope Records

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