Sunday 23 August 2009

Review - Broadway Calls - Good Views, Bad News

Broadway Calls - Good Views, Bad News

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9 out of 10

I'm steadfastly of the opinion that pop punk done well is pretty much unbeatable. Ever since I heard Green Day's Dookie back in 1994 (or whatever it was) the combination of snotty punk attitude with catchy pop tunes has had a place in my heart. Broadway Calls are one of those bands that reinforce that view absolutely.

Oregon, their debut album was one of my favourite pop punk albums of recent time, so Good Views, Bad News had a lot to live up to - and it fails to disappoint. Perhaps a little more mature than the debut it still retains all the charm and power that made it so great. Imagine Nimrod era Green Day and Through Being Cool era Saves the Day mixed with Strike Anywhere, Kid Dynamite and The Lawrence Arms with a hint of Alkaline Trio and Propagandhi played with massive dollops of passion and energy - you can really imagine the band bouncing round the studio as they recorded this.

Oregon lost a mark or two for feeling just a tiny bit padded out, with a couple of songs not quite up to the high standard set by the rest of the album. Good Views, Bad News manages to keep that high standard going all the way through its much more focussed 11 tracks, although there is nothing here to quite touch the truly magnificent Save Our Ship from the debut. No matter though, it's an awesome album regardless and let's hope Broadway Calls head over to the UK and do a proper tour to promote it, not just supporting other bands and playing festivals!

Listen: www.myspace.com/broadwaycalls

Tracklist:
1. Midnight Hour
2. Be All That You Can't Be
3. Election Night
4. Basement Royalty
5. To The Sheets
6. Give Up The Ghost
7. Sundowners
8. Tonight Is Alive
9. Best Year
10. Wake Up Call
11. At The End

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