AUGUST PREMIER
Fireworks and Alcohol (Fueled By Ramen)
Reviewed by Holly Day

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You know, my husband's always giving me shit for caring so much about lyrics of songs, since they're supposedly secondary to the quality of the music itself, but damn it, I love the words in this album. There's just enough room to go over everything that's so great about the lyrics on this album, but, for example, the song "In Loving Memory" is one of the best "tributes" to someone who committed suicide I've heard in a long while, and maybe never in music and only on paper. There are other great bits here, too, like the innocent-sounding "She Likes Me" and pissed-off letter to a DJ in "The Other Side of Town." The music's just your standard pop-punk sort of ensemble, but the catchy and intelligent lyrics definitely put this band way above the rest of the riff raff.

© 2004 - Holly Day