Review Summary: The wrong things become everything.
In sean q’s review of the self titled LP, he concluded with the statement that we as listeners have nothing left to do but “wait for them to blow up.” Four years later, The Front Bottoms have indeed blown up. However, it is clear that the band is still riding out the momentum of their successful self titled LP and as a result, put together an album more underwhelming than the last.
TFB begin their album with the song "Motorcycle" – an intro that does not meet the standards of past openers such as "Flashlight" and "Au Revoir" because it feels as if they simply wrote a song and placed it at the beginning. It lacks the hook and the instrumental buildup the band is known for. With the album beginning with such an average song, the project as a whole feels like a collection of songs rather than a realized effort. After the substandard opener, the album proceeds to tack on the two singles previously released where the band sounds like they are taking themselves more seriously. However, seriousness does not wear well on a band that has found success through witty lyricism and upbeat musicianship. The album starts and finishes as a lazy effort from a band famous for their energy.
It is not until "Help" where TFB’s experimentation shows promise. The band resorts back to their origins and Sella delivers catchy lyrics such as those in the chorus: “You need a means to an ending. I need a spiritual cleansing.” It is the melancholy lyrics backed with contrasting uplifting instrumentation that has allowed the band to succeed in the past and in the song Help, the band realizes this while improving vocally and also instrumentally. "Laugh Till I Cry" continues on the progression of Help showcasing the band’s new emphasis on electric guitars rather than acoustic. Unfortunately, the album falls short in the later half because of the flaws that plague the first three songs.
In its entirety, Back on Top is a prime example of an album that takes itself too seriously and tries to please too many people. The fantastical quality of TFB was that they seemed to be a beautiful mistake; a band that was just messing around, writing lyrics and playing instruments, and found success in doing those things well and, at times, doing those things better than most bands in the genre. With their latest effort (if one can call it much of an effort) TFB take their sound, overproduce it, dumb it down, and lower their standards as to get everyone to like it. By no means is the album terrible. The problem is that many people will find this album decent when this band is capable of creating an album that people would consider at the top of its genre.
If you are new to TFB, Back on Top will be a pleasant listen with nothing much to offer. Long time fans, if not already, will find that the band is going through a sort of trial and error period. They are dwelling in a more radio friendly area whereas the origin of their success is in the field of witty lyrics and upbeat instrumentation. If the band continues on this path, then there will not be much else for us to do but wait for them to burn out.
