This Time Next Year - Drop Out Of Life

In 2009, This Time Next Year burst onto the scene with a full-length powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline (just watched Blues Brothers). Taking their name from the Movielife album, This Time Next Year came out of nowhere to release on of the best pop-punk albums of that year, as well as one of the best modern pop-punk releases. Road Maps And Heart Attacks took cues from legends of the scene as well as TTNY's peers to formulate a record enjoyable from start to finish. Two years later, how does the band mature and does it suffer from the sophomore slump on Drop Out Of Life? Let's find out.

The closest thing to Road Maps And Heart Attacks can be found on the lead, title track, "Drop Out Of Life". The song starts out strong and follows the new pop-punk formula to a tee. The anthem-like chorus is something that crowds will be singing back to the band on every stop of every show. From there, the album takes an unexpected turn. The rest of the album is generally mellow with not a lot of the power or aggression we came to expect from their previous releases. The track "Better Half" resonates something that would be on a Starting Line album and it becomes evident that the band took cues from the album's producer, Chad Gilbert (guitarist from New Found Glory). The New Found Glory influence also shines on "Get It, Got It, Good", which rings reminiscent of the NFG song "Don't Let Her Pull You Down". Songs like "Living Hell" and "Matchbook" bring the 'friend-core' aspect of pop-punk, with a potent nostalgia feeling when listening to the song, as if it makes you remember the times you've spent with friends.

In a nutshell the album can be summarized with songs like "Modern Day Love Story" and "My Side Of Town". Catchy choruses, but extremely mellow with somewhat of a waltz tone to them. Other than "mellow" the other big 'M' word for this album is "melody". Neat vocal melodies are shown throughout the majority of this record, with "Spoontonic" being the prime example of this. The vocals never rest on a certain note or range, they are always moving swiftly back and forth, using different "riffs" and using the vocals almost like another instrument.

It's been said before by me that the opener to an album is the most important, and then the ending. This album starts with its strongest foot forward and ends with a song that isn't one of the finest, but clearly the greatest choice for closing track. "This Is An Airport Train" has a stand-out guitar tone throughout the entire song to go with the perfect mix of vocals, lyrics, and overall band tone. The lyrics speak of moving on and carrying the torch of living, which is complimented by the "traveling" tone of the music accompanying the words. It's an uplifting song that speaks of previous depression that has been turned to hope.

Overall, the album is (at least for me) a disappointment compared to their previous release. Maybe it's because this is a much mellower album and doesn't pack the same punch, but it seems like that's what This Time Next Year is best at. A few songs pack the same powerful sonic punch that was found on their previous album, but they are few and far between. Maybe Drop Out Of Life isn't the same breed of monster as we're used to from the band, but it also may be the next logical step in maturing. Maturity is a four letter word in the pop-punk world, but these guys speak of going through the gauntlet and that can do a lot to a man.

Recommended Tracks: "Drop Out Of Life", "Get It, Got It, Good", "This Is An Airport Train"

Recommended If You Like: New Found Glory, The Starting Line, old All Time Low

Verdict: 6 / 10

Man Overboard - Man Overboard

There comes a time when an album is recorded, mixed, mastered, pressed, and released all at the perfect time for that particular album. The time for Man Overboard's new self-titled album is the exact day that it is released. With a vintage pop-punk sound mixed with some powerful guitar work, this band has proven that their previous release, Real Talk, was not a fluke.

I have always said that a key factor in my way of reviewing albums is the way it begins. The way that an album starts out can either express what the following songs will be like, or introduce you to the music like a prologue. In the manner of Man Overboard, the opener fires out with an exhilerating rush of frantic drums and locomotive guitars. One of my favorite tracks on the album, "Rare" is the kind of album opener that personifies what the old-school pop-punk scene was about: the catchy anthemic chorus with likable melodies. The melody on this track changes from verse to chorus, seeming somewhat sloppy at first, but after a few listens it appears more polished.

Songs like "Teleport" and "Picture Perfect" seem to dial back the tone, but still not embracing the slow dance aesthetic. The track "Voted Most Likely" is the kind of song that is belted out by you and your car full of friends driving in the city at night. One of the standout components in this album is how the melody of the rhythm and lead guitars don't sync, and neither do the vocals and rhythm guitar. It's as if the rhythm guitars are on a whole different riff, but keeping the same general rhythm and tone as the rest of the song. "Something's Weird", "Headstone", and "Punishment" are great examples of this. "Spunn" is a notable track on this album for its "time capsule" feel, because it has a noticable aura of an old-school punk song despite a short piano interlude in the middle of the song.

While the beginning of the album is a landmark of a great album, the ending is also highly important to see if it fits in the general aspect of the album and summerizes the feel of the music. "Night Feelings" is a fun song that encorporates the melodic chorus, guitar-heavy intro and breakdown, as well as an abrubt ending that fits the song uniformly. Ultimately, the end of the album comes with "Atlas", a slow and building song with more emotional vocals than is heard on most of the album. The song culminates with an orchestra of power and energy as the final note rings through the speakers until it finally fades away.

Man Overboard's previous release took me awhile to get into, but once I fully came to enjoy it, the album was one of my more played records at the time. This time around, Man Overboard struck me immediatly and has commanded great control over my speakers. On rare occassion will you have an album that is back-heavy (with some of the best songs later on the track listing), but this record has most of its bright points on the later half. It's a fun album that encorporates everything that is great about pop-punk. It may not be a genre altering release, but it is a record that stands among some of the elite of it's kind right now and has secured the band a spot among the best right now.

Recommended Tracks: "Rare", "Headstone", "Spunn", "Night Feelings"

Recommended If You Like: The Wonder Years, New Found Glory, Pop-punk

Rating: 8 / 10