Midtown - Save the World Lose the Girl
Record Label: Drive-Thru Records
Release Date: March 9, 2000
Since this is a pop-punk album released in the early 2000s on Drive-Thru records, I will begin this review by discussing pop-punk, the early 2000s, and Drive-Thru records.
Back then, pop-punk wasn't about breakdowns, or gang vocals, or being sad. It was about playing fun music. Most pop-punk was released on California label Drive-Thru. Bands like New Found Glory, Allister, and the Movielife all released albums on Drive-Thru. So did a little band from Rutgers, NJ.
Midtown was comprised of vocalist/ bassist Gabe Saporta, vocalist/ guitarist Heath Saraceno, vocalist/ guitarist Tyler Rann, and drummer Rob Hitt. Their debut release was the five-track Sacrifice of Life EP on Eyeball records. Their debut full-length, Save the World Lose the Girl, blows it out of the water. It starts with the famous opening line, "God I wish I could hate you for the rest of my..." from the first single, "Just Rock and Roll". This song's a pretty good indication of what Midtown does best: fast, catchy punk songs with harmony vocals. The album's next standout is "Let Go" and it features all three vocalists singing its memorable chorus, "Come on, let go of those affectations, you don't fool anyone." The following track "No Place Feels Like Home" is the only ballad of the album, and Rann and Saraceno shine on this track. It also features some of the best lyrics on the album: "Regrets are worthless. They misconstrue the past in sight and sound. Lines recede, no one speaks a word of his lust, a word of dreams left to rust." "Resting Sound" is another good track, on which Hitt's drumming stands out. The album comes to an end with the acoustic "Frayed Ends" on which Saraceno sings about betrayal by a friend.
All in all, Midtown's debut is a classic pop-punk record. It is fun and catchy, but it is not only fun and catchy. It is genuinely a good album.
Thought a new Midtown album was coming. This was a serious downer. I haven't been on this site in a few weeks. That is why I may have not realized this.
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