album of the week: 10.1

Bomb The Music Industry!

Vacation

(2011)

why you'll love it: smart lyrics, fun tunes, surprising amount of effort for its genre

why you'll hate it: out of tune everyman voice, old school fans will riot w/out the ska

I gotta admit, last week's Big D album really bummed me out. It left me thinking "Have I become too stuck up; too dismissive of music from my formative years?" My answer to that is: Bomb The Music Industry!'s Vacation is my favorite album of 2011!

BTMI! crawled out of the NOFX style skate-punk sludge that even as a teenager struck me as nothing more than a guilty pleasure. It's knuckle-headed, childish, beer swilling party rock; but in this case, with a secret weapon - cynicism. Jeff Rosenstock writes brilliant jaded criticisms of himself, the current state of music, and the hypocritical punk rock scene.

Last year, Jeff's often depressing lyrics weighed down a bit too much on the juxtaposing ska-punk soundtrack. Vacation feels like a defiant rebuttal to that last EP, not only in lyrics ("Sorrow won't answer problems") but the overall tone of the album - a surf rock beach party. Without retreat from soul-crushing depression, this time they're quick to retort with a balanced lyric, or presenting the whole song with a wink as if to say "oh the-fuck-well, that's life". Problems are identified and labeled in clever ways that both address reality, and twist a positive angle.

Aside from writing better songs than ever, there are some new and innovative things BTMI! is doing. Zero ska. None. It's for the most part enjoyably cheesy Beach Boys style melodies strewn through the Fat Wreck pop-punk filter. My favorite song on here is probably "Hurricane Waves", which starts off like a retro beach party song, and slowly devolves into rousing and depressing drinking ballad.

Also, there is a lot more actual singing on this album. No ranting at 100MPH. Scrambles (2009) had a lot of great sounding rants, where if you were able to catch a line or two, were usually funny and clever. Here, all that cleverness is laid out in the open, and proves the lyrics were never just hiding behind a gimmick. The intro, "Campaign For A Better Weekend" is a soft and simple story about a good day ruined. It's the perfect example of how I find Jeff's lyrics to be so relatable. I've never crashed my bike in a busy city intersection, but am on the same wavelength in the way he comments on the details. Summing up the whole ordeal with "guess I shouldn't have worn shorts" is a simple way to evoke everything you need to know about the kind of character you are dealing with this entire album.

I've got to complement how great the production and track listing is as well. There are little musical interludes between a few songs. There is a proper intro, a grand three part finale, songs that reference one another… This is an ALBUM. I find it very hard to tear one song from the next, because they all gel so well. "Savers" is the only track on this album I'm not crazy about, and would never think of cutting it because it segues so well into the next track.

On top of having a unique sound, great lyrics, appropriate production, and a strong presentation, this album is hells of fun! Every song is catchy, despite how glum things may get. I love the little "woo loololl whaololoo" sing along with the guitar solo bits they do in a couple songs. The album is thematically about being a mess, but it's meant to have a good time to, and succeeds. It's October, and I'm still blasting this in my car after work; so it has passed the "oh, it's just a summer album" test.

And finally, I've got to reiterate that BTMI! is a free-to-enjoy internet band. Just go to their website and download all their albums for free (or show your appreciation, and buy one). So yeah… this messy little punk band put out what's probably my favorite album of year. What of it?!