|
|
|
|
|
CD REVIEWS |
||||
|
WRITING
REVIEWS
SILVER
BELLS WEDDING
|
The Dangerous Summer originally formed in 2006 while all the band members were still in high school. After the band released their first EP (There Is No Such Thing as Science), they earned the attention of hometown band All Time Low and with their help, The Dangerous Summer’s careers took off as they toured with Cartel, Hit the Lights and Valencia and the band began to get critical acclaim for their fresh sound. The band soon imploded, mirroring the inspiration of their name, the Ernest Hemmingway novel surrounding the rivalry in bullfighting. It is now two years later and the band has reunited and returned with their first feature length LP. With producer Paul Levitt (All Time Low, Dashboard Confessional), the band has put together a quality album that singer AJ Perdomo refers to as “a positive rush of energy ... after the hard times I went through being homeless, losing a grip in my life.” With lyrics such as “I’m not alone because I live inside a world that is my own” I expected a band caught up in their own hype. What they said they were attempting was a style that would be “a distinctive sound in an otherwise cramped genre.” In that respect, they failed. The Band
The Songs
The Dangerous Summer’s debut LP Reach for the Sun is a solid addition to the pop-punk genre but is eerily familiar from the moment the first song, Where I Want to Be, begins. The sound of The Dangerous Summer is similar to many other bands including Eve 6 and The Fray but what will help these youngsters rise through the ranks is their songwriting. At first I was put back by the thought these teenagers believed they had something honest to say about the darkness in life. But from the first song everything seems sincere with a tinge of honesty not seen in much of today’s music. “I really think for once that I can change/It’s really not that bad/I’m learning now that I was wrong in everything/And there’s a reason why I think that I can grow/It’s really not that bad” While the band does not possess the most unique sound you will hear, they have that “something” which helps the music grow on you over time. I felt the guitars were a bit repetitive over the songs and the hooks are almost identical in a couple of the tracks but it is a sound that is soothing and keeps the music smooth. After a few listens, the album grew on me. The lyrics are autobiographical, an example being Settle Down, a song talking about the bands struggles between the success of their EP and the eventual release of their LP (so I picked up where I left/and I waited two more years/and covered up my ears/I think I’m ready to sing this time). The lyrics could be overbearing and a bit emo in lesser hands but The Dangerous Summer never falls. There is really no filler on the album and every song carries its weight. Songs like Symmetry, A Space to Grow and Permanent Rain seem very familiar but I couldn’t seem to put my finger on what or who they sounded like. When I read the band considers Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind and the Foo Fighters as influences, I realized those songs sound a great deal like Third Eye Blind. This debut won’t set the world on fire, and it is nowhere near as original as they believe, but The Dangerous Summer possesses a radio friendly sound with more smartly written lyrics then you will hear on the radio these days. The chorus of their title song states this feeling best (I heard what was a song inside the Earth/I put my ear to the ground and I sang with every word/see, I got lost in the sound). With a familiar sound and a lead vocalist who sounds like he honestly believes every lyric he sings, the band can only look to brighter days with their future efforts, unless their egos implodes the band again. The Dangerous Summer’s A Place in the Sun is a smooth pop-punk album with honest, smart lyrics. They are never as unique as their publicist would have you believe as they sound a little too much like their influences, Third Eye Blind. But they are a breath of fresh air in a genre overcrowded with bands that have nothing smart to say in their songs. It’s sing-a-long pop that will remain in your memory with lyrics that will make you think. This is a band to keep your eyes on.
8.0/10.0 |
|
