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The All American Rejects
 
Reject all Americans!
Albums
 
The All American Rejects (2003)
 
 
6/10
 
Producer: Tom O’ Heir
  1. My Paper Heart
  2. Your Star
  3. Swing, Swing
  4. Time Stands Still
  5. One More Sad Song
  6. Why Worry
  7. Don’t Leave Me
  8. Too Far Gone
  9. Drive Away
  10. Happy Endings
  11. The Last Song
The All American Rejects formed in 2001 and released this self-titled debut album in 2003.  Their sound is one that we have heard many times before, from pop-punk bands such as Blink 182, all the way to modern ‘Emo’ bands, such as Panic at the Disco.  So, while The All American Rejects will not be setting the world alight with their tried and tested formula, they are still able to craft a few finely tuned pop gems.  I must admit that it was never my intention to listen to a band such as The All American Rejects.  Indeed, I would normally run one thousand miles in the opposite direction from anything possessing such whiny and ‘emotionally charged’ American vocals, with a hot streak of electric power chords.  But after a close friend (you know who you are!) gave me all of their material and I sat down and actually listened to the albums, I found that there is much here to be enjoyed.
 

The album opens with My Paper Heart, one of the album’s four singles.  The song has a blazing acoustic/electric tempo, which is given a tweak by gentle percussion jingles, evoking many feelings of joy.  The lyrics are your standard emo-tinged punk affair, “Please just don’t play with me, my paper heart will bleed.”  Although, I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t suit the tone and style of the song perfectly.
 
I’m not feeling the repetitive piano and guitar mash-up of second track, Your Star.  The lyrics and vocals seem to plumb new depths of mediocrity, particularly the verse, “Now she’s all alone, her eyes stay drowned in tears.” It has all the poignancy of a Nursery child’s poem (and none of the charm).  Thankfully, first single released from the album, Swing, Swing, is pure pop gold.  Each band member has an air of playfulness about them in terms of their musicianship, with Tyson Ritter’s eager bass work and inspired vocals reaching a new plateau in the quality stakes, “Swing, swing from the tangles of, my heart is crushed by a former love…”  Yes, they are unoriginal lyrics, but it’s the way he sings them, you see?
 
The best song from the entire set is Time Stands Still.  The empowering vocal harmonies during the chorus bridge are lush and provide the first hint that The All American Rejects may just have a measure of artistic freedom, while the scratchy guitar riffs during the chorus itself provide a much needed change in tempo.  Ritter asks us all, “Can you hear me scream?”  Well, Ritter, I most certainly can and moreover I am most definitely enjoying it.
 

Don’t Leave Me is a festering pile of crud and has all the appeal of a prolapsed colon.  I detest the synthetic drums during the introduction, and just when you think things cannot get any worse the underdeveloped rhythm section decides to show up.  Ritter proclaims from the rooftops, “Just (give me) one more chance to make it once again!” And I for one shall wilfully be opposing his appeal for redemption.
 

I love that Too Far Gone has an ecstatic run of keyboard playing, which thankfully shows up just as The All American Rejects’ cluttered guitar work threatens to clog up the airwaves.  The stripped bare acoustic introduction is misleading, but stick with it and it soon develops into an emotionally expressive success.  Another choice cut from the record is the electric power-pop of Drive Away.  The band seems to be confidently brimming with enthusiasm and the song has one of the most memorable guitar riffs on the album, as Nick Wheeler plays his instrument with an urgent sense of self-importance.
 

Of course, there are a few songs which are distinctly average and it is debatable as to whether or not they should have made the final cut.  It’s unfortunate that the two songs which run this middle-ground are the last two tracks on the record, so it does leave a somewhat bitter taste in your mouth during the final moments of the album.  I have to announce with a certain degree of regret that both Happy Endings and The Last Song fail to excite or to entertain the listener in any single way.
 

As I said at the very start of my review, I enjoyed this album far more than I expected to.  My final opinion on The All American Rejects’ debut album is that it is a mixed bag, but it is worth investigating, if only for the few eventual moments of fine musicianship.
 
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Move Along (2005)
 
 
5.5/10
 
Producer: Howard Benson
  1. Dirty Little Secret
  2. Stab My Back
  3. Move Along
  4. It Ends Tonight
  5. Change Your Mind
  6. Night Drive
  7. 11:11pm
  8. Dance Inside
  9. Top of the World
  10. Straitjacket Feeling
  11. I’m Waiting
  12. Can’t Take It
Released in 2005, Move Along is the second studio album by The All American Rejects.  As I said in my review of their debut album, The All American Rejects will not be tearing down the boundaries of popular music and they are not going to be hailed as the most original act of the new millennium.  While Move Along is not an improvement on their debut record (it’s actually worse), it is noticeably more diverse and incorporates more musical styles.
 

Although I don’t actually like the opening song, Dirty Little Secret, I have to at the very least admire this first single from Move Along.  I mean 10/10 for effort lads, from the sharp guitar work of the introduction all they way to the epic chorus they are doing their best to deliver on all fronts.  The downside, of course, is that The All American Rejects quite regularly come across as saccharine and insincere in their rebellious attitude. So, in all honesty, I couldn’t care less when Tyson Ritter yells, “When we live such fragile lives, it’s the best way to survive, I go around a time or two, just to waste my time with you!” Maybe it’ll be to your liking though?  However, I do have a soft spot for the second single released from the album, the title-track Move Along.  I just love the rolling drums of the introduction and the spinning bass pulses, right before the pleasing guitar riff is brought to the front.  So far so good, and to top it all off you have the dizzying personality of the chorus, “Speak to me! All you’ve got to do is keep strong. Move along; move along like I know ya do! And even when your hope is gone, move along; move along just to make it through!”
 

I’m not a big fan of It Ends Tonight.  Rather than being a direct rocker, it is more of a ballad.  The problem is that the band do not change their musicianship one iota to accommodate this change in style, so while there is a string section in there somewhere, it is buried underneath a shed load of rock guitars, which are mastered way too loud for my liking.  This is most unfortunate as I am actually rather liking the lyrics.
 

But what adds insult to injury is the trilogy of songs which follow, Change Your Mind, Night Drive and 11:11pm, all of which have little-to-no redeeming features.  Change Your Mind starts off well enough, with a fine arrangement, but soon enough descends into an abyss of irredeemable self-hating torment.  As for Night Drive and 11:11pm, the less said about them the better.
 

Dance Inside is a relative highlight of the second side of Move Along.  It stands out, because for once the band doesn’t insist on forcing an innumerable amount of crackling electric guitars down your throat at an ear-splitting volume, but rather it takes the time to develop a genuinely decent melody with resourceful use of both guitar arpeggio and the keyboard.  It’s very nice indeed.  Likewise, Straitjacket Feeling is also a success because it utilises gentle instrumentation instead of trying to ram its point home with ferocity.  And for probably the first time on Move Along the string-section truly shines and Ritter gives one of his best vocal performances, “Yesterday was hell, but today I’m fine without you.”  It is the last great moment on the album.
 

The album doesn’t close with so much as a bang, but rather an overwrought whimper, with the dire Can’t Take It.  The fake, strained, repulsive string section and Ritter’s hopeless vocal performance are but two of the reasons why I shall not be playing this track again any time soon.  I think the best way to describe it is as a complete disaster.

 
There are versions of this album with a couple of bonus tracks, but I have no intention of listening to them or seeking them out.  Move Along is a disappointment at the best of times, but it at least shows a welcome amount of variety from The All American Rejects.
 
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When the World Comes Down (2008)
 
 
8/10
 
Producer: Eric Valentine
  1. I Wanna’
  2. Fallin’ Apart
  3. Damn Girl
  4. Gives You Hell
  5. Mona Lisa (When the World Comes Down)
  6. Breakin’
  7. Another Heart Calls
  8. Real World
  9. Back to Me
  10. Believe
  11. The Wind Blows
  12. Untitled
  13. Sunshine
When the World Comes Down is the third studio album by American rock band The All American Rejects.  After the ear-rapery of their sophomore effort, the band has actually produced an album which lives up to the initial promise which was shown on their first record.  Their self-titled debut had a reasonable level of song-writing and displayed respectable musicianship, but it lacked variety and over a whole record this began to grate.  Their second album, Move Along, had even fewer songs worth mentioning, but it brought with it a welcome range of differing styles and sounds.
 

So, up until now The All American Rejects have always been giving with one hand, while just as hastily taking away with the other.  But for the first time on one of their records (and not a moment too late) they have combined the sound song-writing and musicianship of their debut with the varied assortment of recording methods found on Move Along.  The finished result is that they have designed and crafted an all round winner.
 

I Wanna’ banishes the so-so memories of the opening Dirty Little Secret from Move Along and brings with it a reenergized group, full of gusto and enthusiasm for the rush of being in a band.  The simplistic chorus is wonderfully designed and it rolls off the tongue with ease, “I wanna’, I wanna’, I wanna’ touch you. You wanna’ touch me too!”  Just you try not to sing along to it after a couple of listens, it is an impossibility!  Now for Fallin’ Apart; this is the Big Daddy of When the World Comes Down.  However, this isn’t just the standout moment of the album, but it is the standout moment of The All American Rejects career so far.  I just love those jolly little piano chords during the introduction and the swell violin playing throughout.  They’ve taken their sweet time about it, but it is only fair to conclude, that, at long last, The All American Rejects have stopped playing to the emo genre in which they have been pigeonholed, and have started doing what they want with their music.  There is no better example of this than on Fallin’ Apart.
 

The half-ballad Damn Girl provides much enjoyment.  “Damn Girl, dry your eyes, you stole my heart,” screams Tyson Ritter with a reasonable level of distress, “and then you kicked it aside!”  By the way, the chorus to this rocks my socks.  It is so well considered and to top it all off the melody is insanely catchy.  I have no shame in admitting my new found love for The All American Rejects, just so long as they carry on releasing material like this.  And the boys just keep on giving and giving, with the next surprise being the satisfyingly restrained ambience of Gives You Hell.  The whole experience is so enjoyable that I can forgive them the awful ‘gang’ vocals in the final act of the song.  Lads, when you are constructing pop gems this perfect you don’t have to try and prove anything to me.
 

The title-track (sort of), Mona Lisa (When the World Comes Down), is a gentle, sweet, acoustic confection of the highest order.  Stylistically, it is without a doubt the most dumbed-down and relatively simple moment on the record, but it hardly matters when the chorus is as affecting as it is, “You can sit beside me when the world comes down!”  Sing to me Ritter, sing to me, and everyone shall swoon in sync.  I even find that I warm to the exhilarating Breakin’, despite its clichéd lyrics, “Breakin’ is what your heart is for!” Actually, scrap that, I love those lyrics; I wish I’d written them myself.   I just love the way the gentle acoustics seamlessly lead into the introduction of the crisp electric guitar line and the serious drumming from Chris Gaylor.
 

One of the greatest things about When the World Comes Down is that it is exceptionally consistent.  The band don’t tire out half way through and chuck in b-side quality tracks to make up the numbers, it just keeps on giving and providing more hooks and superior melodies.  I mention this now, as I am listening to Back to Me, a hard-hitting ballad with one of the most memorable electric guitar riffs that the band has yet produced.  Tyson Ritter even stretches for those higher notes during the chorus bridge and everyone goes home happy, “Can’t you see I beg and plead, ‘cause when your eyes light up the skies at night I know you’re gonna find your way back to me!”  It is an aural orgasm (I have copyright on that phrase; you must pay me 10p every time you wish to use it).
 

The Wind Blows has some of the most beautiful production on the album.  It almost has trip-hop potential in my opinion and such is the invigorating, yet uncompromisingly chilled quality of this track, that the album gets an extra mark for including it on the track-listing.  The chorus exclaims, “I’ll leave when the wind blows!” All I know is that I’m never leaving, providing the band carries on producing hits such as this.
 

The album closes with Sunshine (after a short 30 second silence, entitled, uh, Untitled) and just like its namesake, it provides rays of exquisite musicianship.  The splendid strings are back with a vengeance during the introduction and if Ritter didn’t sound slightly bored during his vocal performance I’d have declared it an utter success.  But as it stands it is merely very good.
 

I can barely start to comprehend the giant leap in quality between the first two All American Rejects albums and this one.  There seems to be no direct link or conclusion to be drawn up between what has passed before and what is now sitting before us, except that The All American Rejects are now worth listening to and I am no longer embarrassed to have them on my playlist.
 
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