Acceptance: Hit and Miss

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Acceptance: Hit and Miss

May 1st 2006 03:35

Generic pop-punk is everywhere - its inescapable in a world where Green Day reigns over the Top 40 and the electric guitar is considered the god of all instruments. While it has evolved, it has tended to evolve as collective, rather than using evolution as a method of branching out to different techniques and aspects. This results in instantly forgettable music on one side and annoying pop melodies - stuck in your brain for the next year and a half - on the other. Of course, there are always bands daring to do the impossible - there are the "alternatives": The Academy is, and Mae being among them. Then there are the mixed race, Panic! being the best example. Of course, there are always the genii (ahemTomDelongeahem), but for the most part, generic pop-punk seems to be the most prominent, both in the major labels and the independent side of things. Unfortunately, my topic for today, Acceptance, are among them.

Acceptance live

Don't get me wrong, they have potential. Listening to the first ten seconds of the first track from their debut album, "Phantoms," is pure bliss. "Take Cover" breaks the mould with a simple riff from a classical piano, mixed with some subtle effects in the background to create atmosphere. Muted drums come in, followed by the voice of the lead singer - and my heart melts at the quality and emotion in his voice. The lyrics, "she's a liar," while cliched and rather generic, are sung in such a unique way, that you want to forget the rest of punk for the rest of your life. Then, it is wrecked by a poorly produced choir of voices from anguished men in their early twenties - nothing new there. While the rest of the song definitely has its good bits, the song, and the album in general, simply doesn't live up to the unwritten promise made by those first few lines of music.

Not to say that the album doesn't have its merits - the subsequent songs create a balance between slow rock and driving punk which suits their style - they are definitely geared towards the slower, mellow songs as found in tracks like "So Contagious." Nevertheless, their attempts at faster songs are worth the while, using riffs that remind me of a sedated version of the Used, and mixing them with those flowing pop melodies that are more welcoming than anything the Used has chucked together in their confused state of mind between suicidal metal and poppy emo.

Acceptance's album simply doesn't have a sense of lasting to it - one or two listens seems to be all it deserves, though something inside of me constantly beckons to listen to that first line of "Take Cover" on repetition. Though it is unlikely that they will make it big, they might indeed be able to pull themselves together in time for a second album. I'll keep my eyes open for one, but don't hold your breath - generic pop-punk bands flow with the wind, constantly coming and going.

Acceptance: Hit and Miss

Comment by Cibbuano

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