Album: Say It Like You Mean It
Artist: The Starting Line
Matt Watts - Guitar
Ken Vasoli - Bass, Vocals
Mike Golla - Guitar
Tom Gryskiewicz - Drums
Released: 2002 (Drive-Thru Records)
Favourite Songs:
Up & Go
The Best Of Me
Cheek to Cheek
Hello Houston
This Ride
Ohh god not another Drive-Thru band I hear you say. Well The Starting Line are one of the most respected bands on the label. Forming in Pennsylvania originaly under the name of Sunday Drive the bands first E.P sold more than 25,000 copies and got the attention on Drive-Thru who produced the first album called Say It Like You Mean It.
Say It Like You Mean It is pop-punk and some of it's best. It has great musicianship, fantastic harmonies and singing and good lyrics. The album kicks off with Up & Go which with it's fantastic chorus and great verses is easily a stand out song and gives you a good indication of what your going to see on this album. There's two songs on the album which featured on their first E.P but have been re-recorded with better production. Those songs are Leaving and Saddest Girl Story. Given the Chance is a huge shout out to the bands fans and it's a high energy song which keeps the flow going. The first single The Best Of Me is a great song. It opens with an acoustic guitar and vocal before kicking into the song. It's one of the catchiest pop-punk songs ever written and a great song. Hello Houston is a great relationship song with a fantastic chorus connected with some awesome verses. The high energy throughout this album never stops and it makes for a good album. The album finaly ends with 'This Ride' which features Nate from Finch (Though it's only for one scream) and what a great song it is. It has an almost bitter edgy feeling to the song but the lyrics are well written and the musicianship is some of the albums best.
There are some weaker points on the album. The Drama Summer comes off as a very mediocre track and Leaving doesn't really do much for the album. There are a few tracks which also seem like filler 'A goodnights sleep' but the weak points aren't abundant so it doesn't matter very much.
Overall a very good first album for a band which is being hailed as one of Pop-Punks best. The album is loaded with great musicianship and the lyrics are well written in most songs. There are a few weak points but give these guys a few years and they could easily become one of the best bands in the entire pop-punk scene.
Rating: 4/5 :)
