Review Summary: With solid instrumentation, catchy melodies, and memorable lyrics, Ordinary World stands out as one of the most interesting pop records from 2006.
Being a successful musician is not an easy task. Infact, it's really a matter of pure luck, there's no way for you to securely become a multi-millionaire rock star. Mike TV knows this for a fact, in 2002 he formed a little band called
Get Set Go in LA with two of his friends from high school: Bassist Dr. Modo and drummer Amy Wood. In 2003, the trio released their debut record
So You've Ruined Your Life on TSR Records with very little fanphair. Later that year, both Dr. Modo and Amy left the band to work on other projects and such, leaving Mike TV all alone. Eventually, Mike became very depressed, poor, and lonely, resulting in a heroin addiction. By 2005, however, Mike kicked his addiction, got a day job, and "rebooted" the Get Set Go project, recruiting as many musicians as possible, including violist Eric Summer. In 2006, Get Set Go released their second LP,
Ordinary World.
Ordinary World combines elements of indie rock, pop-punk, and, to an extent, folk. Taking influences from bands like The Beatles and Weezer, Mike writes some of the catchiest melodies imaginable, only to combine them with some of the bleakest lyrics ever made. Take "I Hate Everyone" for example, It has the basic, but memorable, 4 chord pop layout with the addition of beautifully uplifting viola, but the song itself describes the daily life of a frustrated, mean-spirited man whose almost never happy. The chorus
"All the people on the street/I hate you all!/All the people I don't know/I hate you all!" is near impossible not to sing along to. The album is chuck full of catchy songs about despair and depression, making this one of the most memorable records of 2006. But, for every enjoyable track, there's a very uninteresting one.
There are many bland tracks scattered throughout the record. The sleepy "Ordinary World", the bored "One Hundred Locks", and the forgettable "The Old Ennui" are some to mention here. The biggest flaw with this record, however, is the fact that it's 80 minutes long, making it a real drag to listen to all the way. However, one of the best features throughout the album would have to be Eric Summer's viola. He is very good at what he does, making viola melodies that will make you want to listen to each track just to hear his parts. The last track, "Music Makes Me Wanna Die", features a coda of his viola melodies, as if you were listening an abridged version of the album in a way.
With solid instrumentation, catchy melodies, and memorable lyrics,
Ordinary World stands out as one of the most interesting pop records from 2006. However, with it's flaws, the rating will be pushed down a little, However, I would still recommend this to anyone looking for fun music to listen to.
