H2O - Nothing to Prove
Record Label: Bridge 9 Records
Release Date: May 27th, 2008
I'm a very impatient person and I always have been. I can hardly wait the five minutes it takes for my delicious easy mac to finish cooking in the microwave. With that said, if someone told me back in 2001 that I was going to have to wait seven years for another H2O record, I probably would have exploded. I'm not sure whether or not my combustion would have to do with the fact that it was such a long wait, or just because their last album Go was a bit of a disappointment. Either way, H2O are finally back and better than ever with their new album Nothing to Prove.
Previously on Go, the band had a poppier sound, a big producer, and a major label behind their backs. With Nothing to Prove, they've dropped the label, signed to Bridge 9 and recruited New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert to work behind the boards. Not only that, but they've also returned to their roots that their old fans know and love.
From the moment I heard the first notes of Nothing to Prove's lead-off track "1995," I was instantly reminded of material off of F.T.T.W.. Since that's my favorite H2O album, I knew it was a good sign of what was to come. Although it's been a while since new H2O material, the band has shown that they haven't lost their ability to create anthems with catchy choruses, which is shown in practically all ten tracks, but most notably in "Unconditional," and "Heart on My Sleeve." Lyrically, the band's frontman Toby Morse has written the most personal H2O album to date. If the various sound bytes from Morse's child and friends throughout the album weren't enough proof, the lyrical content about things such as the death of his father ("Sunday") and his life as being straight-edge while in his 30's ("Still Here") should be even more convincing.
As Nothing to Prove comes to a close, it ends on a high note with one last anthem in "What Happened?," a song which features Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio and Lou Koller of Sick of it All. Even though some people probably aren't going to get over the fact that Nothing to Prove isn't what their first album is, it should at least be appreciated for being such a step up from Go, and a nice, refreshing release in a genre that has been needing it.
The fact this album is here after 7 years is great! Thicker than Water is IMHO their best album. This is such a great return to form and I'm glad to wait the years to hear these boys again!!!
This album really gave me a feeling I didn`t have in a long time when listening to a record ... this isn`t about reinventing the wheel, this is just passionate and fun music!
Cheese city, and Toby's lyrics are sort of questionable at times. The title is totally hypocritical, since they clearly have something to prove -- their relevancy -- with all the sound bites and subject matter. Roger Miret's guest appearance reminds me why I don't listen to anything Agnostic Front has done this century or so.
That being said, this is a much more comfortable medium between pop-punk and melodic hardcore than GO was. Lou Koller needs to sing in more pop-punk-hardcore songs (not just this and "Can't Wait One Minute More"...are there any Shelter albums he's on I'm not aware of?) and Skiba's appearance is surprisingly awesome even though it makes the track sound suddenly like Alkaline Trio (seriously, listen to how much the guitars slow down for him).
So overall, good, fun album. Fans of Lifetime's reunion LP should like this.
Cheese city, and Toby's lyrics are sort of questionable at times. The title is totally hypocritical, since they clearly have something to prove -- their relevancy -- with all the sound bites and subject matter. Roger Miret's guest appearance reminds me why I don't listen to anything Agnostic Front has done this century or so.
That being said, this is a much more comfortable medium between pop-punk and melodic hardcore than GO was. Lou Koller needs to sing in more pop-punk-hardcore songs (not just this and "Can't Wait One Minute More"...are there any Shelter albums he's on I'm not aware of?) and Skiba's appearance is surprisingly awesome even though it makes the track sound suddenly like Alkaline Trio (seriously, listen to how much the guitars slow down for him).
So overall, good, fun album. Fans of Lifetime's reunion LP should like this.
Cheese city, and Toby's lyrics are sort of questionable at times. The title is totally hypocritical, since they clearly have something to prove -- their relevancy -- with all the sound bites and subject matter. Roger Miret's guest appearance reminds me why I don't listen to anything Agnostic Front has done this century or so.
That being said, this is a much more comfortable medium between pop-punk and melodic hardcore than GO was. Lou Koller needs to sing in more pop-punk-hardcore songs (not just this and "Can't Wait One Minute More"...are there any Shelter albums he's on I'm not aware of?) and Skiba's appearance is surprisingly awesome even though it makes the track sound suddenly like Alkaline Trio (seriously, listen to how much the guitars slow down for him).
So overall, good, fun album. Fans of Lifetime's reunion LP should like this.
I agree. I want to like this record but it's SO DAMN CHEESY. I'm sure he thought it was funny putting his kid on the record, but those sound bytes between songs pretty much keep me from listening to the album again. So so so annoying.
I like this album a lot, but the lasting value is pretty much zero. It's a really fun record, but it lacks depth.
Now that I listened to it, isn't that kind of the point? H2O doesn't strike me as something too deep, just something you would put on and enjoy for what it is at face value.
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