It's An Album Review: I don't want to go to heaven with a headache

Ok, so I've been sidelined with a health problem and then a bad reaction to the medication that I was taking. It was nasty and I really wanted to write a review for the new Menzingers album. So, I made it happen. I'm trying out something new this time since there are no music videos from On The Impossible Past I've got a little soundcloud box with three different tracks from the album. I don't know if I'll do this consistently, or if its a sometimes thing, but I'm sure you'll deal with it one way or another. Life is often all about coping.

Menzingers – On The Impossible Past (iTunes Link)

It would be an understatement to say that I was anticipating the release of the Menzingers’ 2012 release On The Impossible Past. Not only did Chamberlain Waits sell me on the band but also the album went on to top my list of all albums released in 2010. What is great about the new album is that the band doesn’t simply pick up where they left off two years ago. If there was a stylistic theme I could apply to the album it would cohesion. Taken in its entirety On The Impossible Past flows from start to finish with all the elements fitting into a continuous emotional narrative. Now, to change gears before I start to sound really pretentious.

The album consists of sharing memories and the impressions left on the band through growing up and simple life experiences. At times the lyrics can become almost achingly nostalgic and melancholy, and since the lyrical style is so consistent throughout the album it only adds to the overall sense of cohesion. I have always been a fan of bands writing style, and On The Impossible Past the balance of poetry punctuated with plainspoken sentences continues to exude the passion and talent of the band. The only time it really seems to fail them is on the kind of boring “Mexican Guitar.” That song just doesn’t do it for me, though I hesitate to call it skippable because it really isn’t bad, just average in relation to the album. Finally, the lyrics can get pretty complex at times, but there are some great opportunities for sing-a-longs, especially on the super fun “The Obituaries.”

            The big area I want to address is how On The Impossible Past sounds. Many of the tracks sound big, and they sound that way primarily because of Tom May’s approach. A lot of the screaming/growling/whatever that ran through most every track on Chamberlain Waits has been heavily scaled back. The upside to this is that May can use the harsher vocals to emphasize or make a point of a particular lyrics or point in the song. Throughout the album I was reminded of two other punk rock vocalists, namely Ryan Massey of American Steel and Greg Attonito of the Bouncing Souls. Both of those guys can deliver the type of powerful, soaring vocals that we really don’t see enough of in punk music. May really seizes on the big sounds and imparts an epic feel to the album. This is as good a time as any to say that On The Impossible Past is reminiscent of Gold Record. There is a warmth and, yeah I’ll say it again, cohesiveness that surrounds both records, although it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Souls album is more affirming.

Now that I’ve spent all this time talking about the lyrics and the vocals, I should at least try and tell you what the damn thing sounds like. If you looked at all of the Menzingers’ previous albums and then listened to the newest release, you would see the evolution of the band. What is still there is the always pleasant but occasionally captivating riffs layered over mainly mid-tempo rhythm with healthy doses of folk and Americana influence. For a band at the Menzingers level it is barely worth mentioning how tight the album sounds and how solid the production is, but I’m mentioning it. I am also declaring On The Impossible Past the first driving album of the year. I have no doubt that when I am heading up to see the Predators in the playoffs this album will be the one that carries me into the city.