Broadway Calls

Good Views, Bad News

Written by: PP on 18/11/2009 19:44:03

At first, Broadway Calls fool you into thinking they're the bestest new pop pop punk band since the dawn of man. Almost every track on "Good Views, Bad News" calls for a cheery sing along, not to even mention the sheer amount of melodic hooks the band has in its repertoire to lure you into their sound. The Starting Line, The Years Gone By, The Swellers and Alkaline Trio are all suitable comparisons, or rather a combination of them, but it doesn't take too long for you to realize that each band owns much more character than Broadway Calls.

All of us know a pop punk band who has a couple of songs with mega-hit potential, the sort of songs that'll enter your consciousness with all the intention of never leaving, at least not leaving before overstaying their welcome by a couple of weeks, but the rest of the songs are either anonymous, run-of-the-mill, boring, or all of those questionable qualities. Well, Broadway Calls is that band. This record has received lots of praise left and right, but I have a feeling these reviewers have been sucked in by the first four or five awesome songs, conveniently forgetting to listen to the completely average and forgettable second half of the album.

On some level you can't blame them, because the hit songs are just that - hits. "Be All That You Can't Be" is one example. Vocalist Ty Vaughn's strained, energetic expression is both impassioned and infectiously catchy in the song. Or how about "Basement Roaylty", which has one particular vocal line that grabs me each time ("I'm just a kid with a song in my head"). Then you have "To The Sheets" and its upbeat interpretation of "Dookie"-era Green Day...these are all songs that are extremely easy to like and even fall in love with. If you completely ignore tracks like "Sundowner", the Lifetime-esque "Best Year", and "Wake Up Call", which are all terribly generic pop punk, you're left with a strongly unbalanced record. Simply put, all the songs in Vaughn's head just aren't that good.

Download: Be All That You Can't Be, Midnight Hour, To The Sheets
For the fans of: Green Day, The Starting Line, The Swellers, The Years Gone By
Listen: Myspace

Release date 18.08.2009
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