Rival Schools

Editor's Review:

This is a good fucking album. The idea behind this group is also pretty good, combining different styles from a myriad of punk genres. The members have played in so many notable groups — Quicksand, Youth Of Today, Shelter Judge, Gorilla Biscuits, Die 116 and, unfortunately, CIV (but everyone makes mistakes). The sound isn’t really as punk as one would expect. There are times when it is quite melodic and I’ll even dare to say soulful, but it also has its heavier moments, although not as heavy as any of the former projects. I can’t really draw a comparison because they have a very original sound, but there are definite traces of J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) in the guitar work and I’m sure I’ll be arguing about this for weeks, but I think the influence of Paul Westerberg is apparent in the vocals. I don’t think I would have liked this album a few years ago, because I’ve never liked music with excessive tempo changes, but the emotional content of the music makes it much more palatable. You have to love music to get this album—I doubt that the casual music listener could comprehend the amount of effort involved in making music like this due to the fact that it is physically and emotionally draining. These guys aren’t looking to become rock stars; this is just about playing. You listen to a song like track eight, "The Switch," and when it ends you just say, "Fuck!" and hit repeat. It is songs like this that made me pick up a guitar. I was tired and disappointed when this album ended. It could have been an hour longer. You should buy it.

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Record Label Island Records Released August 2001

Tracks Travel By Telephone Everything Has It's Point High Acetate Undercovers On Good Things Used For Glue World Invitational The Switch Holding Sand My Echo Favorite Star So Down on Hooligans For Life