MIDTOWN
Living Well Is The Best Revenge (MCA)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Man, these guys sound so frickin' happy! Not in what they're saying, necessarily, but in the way they're saying it. Happy 3-part harmonies, happy-jumpin' tempos, happy driving guitars, even happy production that's a little too glossy to be called punk and a little to loud to be called Joni Mitchell's latest. They're definitely one of the better in the pop-punk genre, having apparently learned about commerciality from Blink 182 while maybe learning a bit about irony from The Mr. T. Experience. I dunno, it's just an impression I get when I can hear their shiny smiles spitting out lyrics that would depress me if I let them. If I don't, if I shut that part out and just concentrate on melody, harmony, energy and power, I can run on the walls to this stuff. I like music that replaces antidepressants. C'mon, medicated society, make up your own words to the sadder ones and stomp in place. And watch out for tunes like "Perfect," because for some reason they forget they only go 1,2,3,4 and they throw some "and-a's" and even a few "an-and-and-a's" in there, and you might fall over. They're a strange band, folks. Sometimes they almost turn power pop with a coat of gloss to smooth the edges. That may disgust you. Depends on if you're hung up on the whole "punk ethic" thing. Then again, if you were, pop-punk wouldn't be on your radar screen anyway.

© 2002 - DJ Johnson