James Payne
This was a very tough decision to make, similarly to last year there have been so many good full length releases in 2012. In the end, the album that spoke to me most and really got me singing along was The Menzingers’ On The Impossible Past. There were other albums released this year were very good, but almost all the songs from ‘On The Impossible Past’ stayed in my head day after day and really gripped me as a fan of melodic punk rock. ‘Good Things’ is the perfect opener to the album, perfect use of hooks. The aggressive vocals adds to the catchy nature of the song, the repeated lyrics encourages the listener to becomeaddicted and eventually start singing along. ‘Burn After Waiting’ has the same catchy effect as the first track, the chorus is highly addictive to create another number that is hard not to sing along too. The guitar riffs blend perfectly with the vocals to create a consistent sound throughout the song. ‘The Obituaries’ has an upbeat beginning with repeated drum patterns. Guitar riffs maintain an upbeat tempo throughout the beat. The best thing about this track is the brilliant use of hooks, “I will fuck this up, I fucking know it” proves to be utterly catchy throughout and is again hard not to sing along to.’Gates’ is much a slower number, the vocals and guitar riffs and drums flow so well to create a really consistent sound. The Menzingers lyrical skills are brilliant on this song, the words match the instrumentation beautifully to create a soft sound which again is pleasing to the ear. ‘Ava House’ has a similar sounding beginning to ‘Good Things’. The drum patterns maintain a steady beat throughout the track with consistent guitar riffs. Again, the repetitive lyrics makes this song very easy to listen to. ‘Sun Hotel’ is possibly my favourite on the album, perfect blend of clean and raw vocals mixed with a low guitar tone, perfect ingredients for a melodic punk number. Again the production deserves a massive thumbs up, both vocals and instruments sounding perfect. ‘Sculptors and ‘Vandals’ is a slower number but still maintains the catchy elements that are present in the rest of the album. ‘Mexican Guitars’ is another favourite of mine on this album, the most simple sound but so effective when trying to please my ears. Again the vocals and instrumentation are faultless like most of the album, and makes it so calming and easy to listen to. ‘On The Impossible Past’ is a much a darker number, and shows the versatility of the band. Echoey guitar tones and dreary vocals create a strange standstill to the album. The same echoey guitar tone is repeated in ‘Nice Things’ this time more upbeat with overlapping guitar riffs and more bold vocals, another favourite of mine because it’s upbeat tempo. ‘Casey’ starts similarly to a number of songs on the album, with soft pitches guitar tones and slow drum beats. The vocals in this track gives it a bit of bite which I thoroughly enjoy. ‘I Can’t Seem To Tell’ and ‘Freedom Bridge’ provide a calming ending to an extremely enjoyable and soulful album. Both songs has the elements which makes this album so enjoyable and such as consistent album. This is the best Menzingers release to date, and with much competition the best album of 2012. A superb reflection of soulful melodic punk rock at it’s best. An album I can enjoy listening to for an number of years.