I've decided to do a review on this CD because it's one of my favorites, and I've also recently seen HIPV. I found the other review to be somewhat bias, so I'll try to keep mine neutral. This is also going to be an overview, rather than track by track.
This is Hidden In Plain View's fourth release, but only their first full length album. Hailing from New Jersey, home to many great bands, the band first put out their EP titled "Find" on the since deceased label DAB records. The Find EP had 6 very rough, very upbeat pop punk songs. They then moved on to Note to Self Records, where they released Operation: Cut-Throat in 2002. This EP was a little more polished and better written, and also featured "An American Classic" which will be seen later. This EP got them the attention of the East Coast pop punk label Drive-Thru. After signing to Drive-Thru, they released yet another EP, this one self titled. The EP featured a much different sound from Find and Operation: Cut-Throat. It was much heaveier, and futher from their pop punk roots. After extensive touring, they finally released their long awaited full length, Life in Dreaming. This CD featured a mix of the earlier style and the heavier style from the self titled. It also features two remakes, of An American Classic from Operation: Cut-Throat, and 20 Below from the self titled.
This CD has some very strong tracks on it, and some that aren't so strong. The CD opens on a high note with Bleed For You, the first single off the album. This provides a good idea of the CD, it mixes the two earlier styles we've seen, as well as some new influence as well. It also features some amazing lyics, some of the best I've come across in pop punk. 20 Below is another strong track, probably my favorite on the CD, and by HIPV in general. The remake is similar to the demo version on the self titled, although it is somewhat less heavy and has some arrangement changes. Garden Statement is a darker song, and also the second single. I love the way this song flows, especially the clean bridge. This really shows off the guitarist, Rob's singing talents. The remake of An American Classic is an amazing song in it's own right, improving on the original and just generally a great pop punk song. It shows off one of my favorite aspects of Hidden in Plain View, the back and forth vocals of Joe and Rob.
The musicianship on this album is astounding for the genre, especially the drumming. It stands out on every track, even the weaker ones such as The Point and A Minor Detail. The bass goes back and forth, standing out on some tracks like Garden Statement, and being hardly noticeable on others. The lyrics are well written and stick in your head, no matter what song. All in all, this is probably one of the strongest releases that Drive-Thru has seen, and a respectable pop punk CD overall. I would give it a 7.5/10.
Reccomended Tracks:
Bleed For You
Twenty Below
An American Classic
Hidden in Plain View is:
Joe Reo // Vocals
Rob Freeman // Guitar
Mike Saffert // Guitar
Chris Amato // Bass
Spencer Peterson // Drums
