Review Summary: Great album start-to-finish. Worth the listen entirely.
Pop-punk is known for its stereotypical khaki wearing, pizza loving, frosted-tipped band members who were over dramatic to the point of self-satire. Their energetic live performances balanced the fact most sounded the exact same. That didn’t stop pop-punk from being one of the defining trends of the early 2000’s. Despite hitting rock bottom around 2008, pop-punk is still kept alive by its faithful. People are actually defending it surprisingly. Despite the caricatures we associate with the tired and beaten genre, there always a select few who are spared from the whipping post. One of those groups is Yellowcard.
Yellowcard is a pop-punk group who didn’t peak, sell-out, cash-in, or self-destruct. Quite honestly, they never had the opportunity to do so. Despite bands rising and falling in popularity, they stayed the exact same. Seldom do we see this happen in music, yet Yellowcard managed to stay in their spot through it all. That’s how Yellowcard earned respect from listeners. They are counted as legends of sorts in the genre.
Ocean Avenue, the album in question, is even considered to be one of the pinnacles of pop-punk as a whole.
Ocean Avenue is a 13 track nostalgia trip through the bands history. Through the span of 47 minutes, listeners are taken on a journey of the bands youth, hometown, and life lessons. Some would call the album pretentious in the sense that the album’s theme is reflecting on life before fame. Given Yellowcard weren’t exactly household names, the effort isn’t wasted. The songs are delivered sentimentally and honestly in what serves as an expression of simplicity. The open atmosphere and infectious songs make the album nothing short of a thrill ride.
One thing I can generally say about
Ocean Avenue is the album has a lot of character. Everything song has a quality that separates it from the rest. No two songs sound exactly the same. Each track toys with a different formula or pacing to make it experimental and aesthetically interesting. One wouldn’t assume a violin doesn’t belong in pop-punk, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Sean Mackin adds a whole new element with the inclusion of melodic sections of violin that complements the high energy of Yellowcard. ‘Way Away,’ for example, has an overlaying violin section strumming over the pounding riff of the intro. Watching how seamlessly the two elements work together is original and daring, but most importantly, works.
‘Way Away’ is a good starting point for the album. It sets the fun energetic tone of
Ocean Avenue rather well. ‘Breathing’ follows it up with a chunky drop-D riff. The intense rushing chorus relays the message of the song excellently. “And I can hear you breathing, and it’s keeping me awake,” displays how his past relationship haunts him and how he tries so desperately to forget it. The way it all explodes in the bridge with a climbing, “I can feel you breathing, and it’s keeping me awake,” is an experience of itself.
‘Empty Apartment,’ ‘Only One,’ and ‘Believe’ are the more ballad driven tracks of
Ocean Avenue. Most wouldn’t catch this from first listen, but I enjoy how they employ different deliveries of each track. Neither sounds the same or drags the pace of the album at all. ‘Empty Apartment’ uses a more standard setup for a pop-punk ballad where ‘Only One’ has a more emotional formula. It’s easy to see why ‘Only One’ became a pop-punk anthem for its time. ‘Believe’ is overlooked on the record for being sandwiched in the concluding portion. This is perhaps the most personal song on
Ocean Avenue. The questions surrounding the inspiration of the song are up in the air. Some say it’s about a firefighter who saved Ryan Key, but the band continues to establish it being a tribute to the first responders of 9/11. I would dare say it’s the most powerful Yellowcard song ever penned. “Want to make a change right here, right now. Want to live a life like you somehow to make your sacrifice worthwhile,” are uplifting, soul-crushing, and thankful.
‘Believe’ is the album’s core strength – how the band doesn’t forget their inspirations or where they came from. While most pop-punk bands follow the stereotype of ‘escaping their hometowns,’ Yellowcard embraces it. ‘Ocean Avenue’ is an ode to their hometown of Jacksonville, FL and takes listeners on a trip of the Jax Beach area while also delivering the couples last night together. Despite being the flagship of the record, ‘Ocean Avenue’ is an epicenter for what the albums goal is. Regardless of the attention it received, it’s a simple, “let’s make this night special” narrative.
Ocean Avenue is an overlooked gem in the pop-punk shuffle. While the time of its release spurred numerous groups, Yellowcard dropped a unique spin on the pop-punk formula. Catchy vocals, beefy riffs, and a violin brewed one of the best pop-punk albums of all time. It amazes me how underrated the album remains despite being original, captivating, and well written. The band’s maturity shone through the pop-punk scene. That’s probably why the songs, at least for the most part, didn’t sound as immature. Yellowcard proved they weren’t another wasted effort and actually put effort into their major debut. Why can’t others do the same?
Standout Tracks
[Just listen to the whole album start-to-finish. Everything’s good.]
Believe
Way Away
Breathing
Empty Apartment
Inside Out
[This is irrelevant, but the album cover’s pretty cool.]
