Review Summary: Your parents have never been less understanding, and your girlfriend probably hates you.
I was contemplating a mock review of this album, to rip into it mercilessly for being the steaming sh-tpile of trendy-teenie boppy bullsh-t that it is. And goddamnit if I wish I could.
Problem though, is I was that guy with a Drop Dead, Gorgeous tshirt in high school. Walking around the hallways with my headphones in trying not to make eye contact with people with Dressed For Friend Requests blaring in my craptastic headphones. That kid with the awkward faux-hawk and devils lock hoping desperately to be noticed, to prove himself in some way. I'M COOL TOo PEOPLE. Hey, maybe I'm not a jock, but at least my music isn't that hip hop garbage, right? Wrong.
Every teen goes through their rebellious phase. Often, this involves consuming as much trendy 'counter-culture' recycled music as possible and adopting those, eh, "philosophies", mannerisms and styles of their preferred corporate sponsored revolution.
Of course, the problem with these trends is there's nothing to them and they usually change at the drop of a hat.
And so too is the fate and problems of Drop Dead, Gorgeous's In Vogue album. This album is the audio testimony of a band chock full of teenage angst. To sum it up, the album could have justifiable been called : PLEASE LOOK AT ME.
Every aspect of this album is a rehash of a million other bands. There's the dissonant 'choppy' chords borrowed from Norma Jean (I'm not convinced they've ever heard Botch, but that's ok); the whiny clean vocals borrowed from those arguments with their super lame moms (you just don't get me, no one gets me, MOM!); the over-dramatic keyboard interludes ('watch me bleed, I'm dying at your feet', it's in there, over a keyboard interlude. f-ck me); and of course, what metalcore album would be complete without the s00p3r br00tal AILD-lite riffs?
What's notable about this album is how passionately these guys blow hard. It's almost remarkable. Despite being run-down, recycled Hot-Topic-record-breaking musical hodge-podge of your darkest teenage days and totally unreasonable parents, these guys seem pretty convinced that this is how the world really IS. Which was fine when I was that sixteen year-old kid learning guitar, trying to fit in and get drunk every now and then. You eventually realize that life is a more than high school drama and trying to get your friends kind-of-hot older sister to buy you booze and invite all her friends to come get loaded on a six pack and some Benadryl.
Eventually everyone grows up. Some people go to college, others to trade school. Some people join the military, and other people end up in prison. Long story short, everyone grows up and usually tries to do something productive. We learn to tame those raging inner demons (hormones) and adjust ourselves. In the process, that angst tends to get lost, as did my interest in these guys. Looking back, I can safely call this album one of the worst musical ***fests to come out of a genre awash with horrible bands looking to part teenage sceeny-boppers with their parents hard earned cash.
But you know what, I was that angsty kid, and for a year or so, this album was exactly what I wanted to listen to.
Until I got a job.
