Review Summary: Modern emo at its worst.
I want to start from the top.
No, I'm not quoting the opening line of the album. I actually want to start from the top, I want to rewind the clock 3-years or so and stop this stupid belief in an "emo revival" from ever happening. This focused "emo revival" is not only inaccurate (for something to be revived it has to die, emo between 2000-2010 never actually went away), it's a downright cancerous term that throws away every single emo band that existed between the death of American Football and the birth of Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate). I wont go into why this term is stupid, or why it degrades every fantastic emo group to exist in that time period, because Noisey did a fantastic article on the subject, titled "There's No Emo Revival, You Just Stopped Paying Attention". Go check it out.
Either way, with this "new" genre suddenly exploding in the mainstream, there are bound to be bands simply piggy-backing on the wave of popularity. I'm not calling Modern Baseball one of those bands, but it's obvious that the collection of tracks released on Sports is anything short of an uninspired mess.
Musically, you can look to any other of the recent emo groups for comparison. They hit all the stops. Twinkly guitars, reminiscent of those great 90's acts? Check. Goofy, fun, immature lyricism? Check. Chantable lines? Check. References to pop culture (Twitter, Facebook) to seem relate-able? Check. It's all here on Sports.
The biggest problem on this album isn't the band, or even the music. Though it's uninspired and dull, the instrumentals are pretty much standard for the modern genre. It's the lyricism, which is a necessary centerpiece in any album like this. It seems that Modern Baseball came out of the gates without really much to say at all. However, there was promise. The opening track "Re-Do" is promising. It's lighthearted, fun, and provides some set up for the journey the album might take. The second song "Tears Over Beers" is another catchy and fun track. However, it's everything after that makes the album fall to pieces. What Sports is lacking, and desperately needs, is cohesiveness. Though the track "Re-Done" hints at something of an answer to the first song, it's curiously placed in the middle of the tracklist. I personally feel this song would have carried a lot more weight had it in been placed at the end. Though the tracks in between wouldn't have been connected, the bookends would be memorable.
When looking at a You Blew It!'s debut, Grow Up Kid, a similarly immature and youthful album, the tracks carried with them an overarching connection. The arrangement was a cohesive work and the output was a memorable journey from start to finish. Had this album had the same kind of arc, and carried with it more of a demostration of growth, or even some type of narration, it wouldn't have been nearly as forgettable.
Every song seems similar, at least lyrically. Some angsty statement about some event that happened in the past. That's about it. By the end, the two slow closing tracks will probably have you snoring in your chair. Another obvious shortfall of this album? The energy. Every track feels defeated, tired, and bored. Though that's not a bad thing, certainly albums where the singer sounds tired and worn out can be fantastic, there seems to be a lack of heartfelt emotion here. It seems, in the end, this band is a collection of people who simply want to mimick the sound of bands they like.
Though the two opening tracks provide some hope for an album filled with fun and energetic music, by the fourth or fifth track it's clear that this simply is not true. A lack of energy, inspiration, and motivation is apparent here. Here's hoping their second LP, You're Gonna Miss It All, doesn't miss the point that music is supposed emotional, heartfelt, and enjoyable.
I hate the "emo revival".
