New Found Glory are the pop-punk band which much like Blink 182 is a band you either love or hate with passion. They are a band that write poppy songs with a harder edge. The band formed in Florida in Coral Springs in the summer of 1997. The bands first release was called Nothing Gold Can Stay released in 1999 featuring the hit single Hit Or Miss. The band released 'From the screen to your stereo' E.p next which consisted of covers from movies before releasing their self titled album in 2000. Sticks and Stones is the latest release and if you haven't liked anything NFG did in the past you won't like this album.
Understatement - Catchy chorus.. Check, Poppy hooks.. Check, Energetic song.. Check all the elements which make NFG the band they are feature on this song. It's a great way to open to the album and bursts full with energy. One of the best songs on the cd.
My Friends Over You - The first single off Sticks and Stones. Everything is here. The catchy chorus, the hooky verse and the lyrics. Now if your a teen and you've been in love you really can relate to any NFG song and here it's no different.
Sonny - A tribute to the singers dead grandpa. The song is NFG at their most emotional on the album and you can't help but love it. It's got two great verses and the chorus connects them perfectely.
Something I call Personality - Probably the worst song on the album. It's fast paced but after Sonny it doesn't really work. The chorus is pretty boring 'Come on and sort things out on your own time X4' and the verses don't really have much melody to make them intresting. IMO a pretty bad song.
Head On Collision - The second single off Sticks and Stones. It's almost a bit like Sonny. A more emotional song and like all NFG you can easily connect lyrically. It's a good song and everything works on this song. Redeems the former song.
It's Been A Summer - NFG at probably their poppiest. A decent song but nothing outstanding about it. It's more of the same really.
Forget My Name - The song has a good intro (Jordan singing with a clean guitar going) before it kicks into the verse. The chorus is catchy, lyrics easily relatable and all the right hooks are here.
Never Give Up - This song sounds a bit more like NFGs older work and it's a welcome relief. This song is different to anything else on the record and up's to the drummer for keeping up the pace in this song without stuffing up.
The Great Houdini - Another poppy song. NFG manages to really pull off a lyric moment here 'I went to your house but you weren't home, i'm sure you convienetly shut off your phone' it's nothing exceptional but it works very well in the song and will be stuck in your head for ages. The song is another good song. Catchy chorus, good verses and awesome bridge.
Singled Out - Here's another of the albums best songs. Lyrically it's the best and one I can relate to. It talks about people who double cross and use others. Everything works on this song. It has one of the best chorus's on the album and the bridge is awesome.
Belated - By NFG this is a bit of a slow song. It's an allright song but nothing exceptional about it and it doesn't really stand out. The chorus is nothing special and it suffers a bit from having a good song before it.
The Story So Far - A good ending to the album. One of the albums best songs and really it sums the album up. It's got everything that make NFG the band they are. The catchy chorus, poppy hooks and the good verses. The lyrics here are anything that anyone who's been dumped can relate to.
Now if your going to listen to this album here's a few things. If you don't like Jordans voice your going to hate some songs on this album. There's some songs where it gets a bit whiney and nassily and anyone that doesn't like Jordans voice will want to stay away from this album. If you don't like Pop-Punk of your pop-punk on the poppy side chances are you wont like this album but if you want something catchy, poppy and light-hearted this is the right album. It's got plenty of strong songs with only a few bland songs. For any NFG a must buy and alot of Pop-Punk fans will like this album to. It's an overall improvement on the last album and one worth checking out. The only negative point to this album is that each of the songs have a lifespan and once you've listened to them for so long that's it. You may come back to the album every now and then but it wont be the same so you won't be listning to this in three months.
Rating: 3.5/5 :)
