Major League - Variables
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Record Label: Unsigned
Variables is a good EP to listen to if you enjoy With the Punches, State Champs, Handguns and a lot of other bands that live in the northeast part of the country and sort of sound similar to each other. Major League isn’t rewriting the genre (how many times have I written that this year?), but at least they know how to deliver a catchy song or two in the process of being uncreative.
The first song, “Subject To Change,” is more or less what you’d expect out of an opener. You know, it’s got a guitar riff that all of these bands have written a couple of times in their career and a healthy amount of gang vocals. The lyrics are positive and hopeful, with cries of, “I’ve been preaching, ‘Keep your head up, kid,’” and other such phrases. The EP is only four songs long, and two of them are acoustic, so listeners actually navigate their way through these 11-ish minutes even faster than 11 minutes sounds. Of the two acoustic tracks, “Seasons” is probably a little bit better, but it’s kind of like a starving man comparing an apple and an orange. He’s hungry enough to eat either without really preferring one.
Major League isn’t a bad band at all. They are fun to listen to. Variables has already entertained me for probably five separate days since it came out in March. Despite not having much lasting value, Variables and its predecessor, the The Truth Is… EP, show us one important thing: This band has all the necessary characteristics to one day become noteworthy. I always say that in this genre, there’s nothing wrong with being just like everybody else as long as you’re good enough at it. Right now, Major League isn’t there yet. Maybe they’ll tweak their sound and try to stand out a little, or maybe they’ll do everything the exact same, but do it well enough that I want to actually listen for more than 11 minutes. If they don’t do one of those two things, they won’t be leaving the northeast.
i dig this record a lot. Not for any other reason than it is apparently exactly within my very narrow musical wheelhouse. by that i mean, they whine right until the point that I get sick of it, then say one positive thing to pull me back in to the fray. It's certainly manipulation, and they are certainly trying to keep us all in line with our teenage-y emotions, but whatever, it's ok for me to like it right now. Will I like it later? I don't even care.
i dig this record a lot. Not for any other reason than it is apparently exactly within my very narrow musical wheelhouse. by that i mean, they whine right until the point that I get sick of it, then say one positive thing to pull me back in to the fray. It's certainly manipulation, and they are certainly trying to keep us all in line with our teenage-y emotions, but whatever, it's ok for me to like it right now. Will I like it later? I don't even care.
You can really tell that these guys are going for the "Upsides" approach at lyricism. I mean:
"I think I've gotten better at letting shit go.
Like the time down on Market
When we told Sixx we're sorry
Or the time that Mike B. stopped calling completely.
Let's be honest...
Who the fuck am I kidding?"
Really resembles the way Soupy writes and oddly enough that part above actually kind of sounds like The Upsides' B-Side haha.
i liked the review a lot, im really getting into these guys a lot more as i keep listening to them, it might be the NJ pride though in me haha but i see the potential in them, and lets stop the comparisons to The Wonder Years, at least until Major League releases a full length -__-
You can really tell that these guys are going for the "Upsides" approach at lyricism. I mean:
"I think I've gotten better at letting shit go.
Like the time down on Market
When we told Sixx we're sorry
Or the time that Mike B. stopped calling completely.
Let's be honest...
Who the fuck am I kidding?"
Really resembles the way Soupy writes and oddly enough that part above actually kind of sounds like The Upsides' B-Side haha.
Yeah I feel like they're trying to hard to sound like him and that The Upsides reference just totally points that out..
I like this band though. But when bands try copying fireworks, twy, transit etc it gets so annoying. Such as the majority of kids starting pop punk bands right now.