Review Summary: First pop punk album of the (almost) summer falls flat on its face.
When a band decides to create a concept album, it can either make the band or break the band. FM Static finds themselves doing the latter on their latest offering: <b>"Dear Diary"</b>. The album progresses with a story of a boy moving to a new town and dealing with all the drama that a teen would encounter in high school. The album is accompanied by diary entries for each song in the CD sleeve where you would typically find the lyrics.
The album is full of cliched lyrics and overused hooks (listen to "<b> The shindig</b>"). The major problem with this album is letting Trevor McNevan write the lyrics. He tries to rhyme every single word he can, which usually results in something that is extremely corny, or something any 5th grader could create.
As far as musicianship goes, this album provides nothing that we haven't heard before. Simple drum patterns and typical pop punk riffs overcrowd the album, making for a pretty boring listen. The only track that is pretty decent on this album is <b>"The Unavoidable Battle of Feeling on the Outside"</b>. Mcnevan actually succeeds in making a typical pop punk song sound inspired and tasteful.
As a whole, this is not worth the twelve dollar asking price. If you are a fan of Thousand Foot Krutch or previous FM Static albums, chances are you would like this. For the rest of you, get your pop punk fix elsewhere.
Recommended Track(s):
<b>"The Unavoidable Battle of Feeling on the Outside"</b>
<b>"Take Me As I Am"</b>
