All Time Low – Forget About It

There are a number of incredibly catchy tracks to be found on ‘Dirty Work’, and in my opinion ‘I Feel Like Dancin’ which was co-written with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo was a solid choice to be the first single. Fast forward four months however and the band has followed it up with a very lacklustre single in the form of ‘Forget About It’. If I was put in charge of releasing the second official single from All Time Low’s ‘Dirty Work’ studio album then I really don’t think that ‘Forget About It’ would have struck me as an obvious choice. ‘Forget About It’ is pretty safe and inoffensive; then again its title is also somewhat ironic in that I’d say that it’s also pretty easy to forget about this track.

Previous releases from the band such as ‘Weightless’ and ‘Lost in Stereo’ from the ‘Nothing Personal’ album, as well as the aforementioned ‘I Feel Like Dancin’ have come with incredibly catchy choruses; whilst the ‘Forget About It’ chorus is mildly pleasing, I just don’t feel that it carries the same sort of weight as the band’s previous successes. ‘Forget About It’ will perhaps prove me wrong and prove to be a chart success, in my opinion however this is a track that showcases the band far from at its best. Alex Gaskarth’s vocals are solid here as always, instrumentally the band does little to really grab me here however and the track is lacking a real killer guitar hook.

I’ve been a big fan of All Time Low since 2007s ‘So Wrong, It’s Right’ and have a general love for all things pop punk, despite my appreciation of the band generally however and firm belief that ‘Dirty Work’ is a decent studio release from All Time Low, I just don’t feel that ‘Forget About It’ is one of the band’s best.

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All Time Low, Yellowcard, Young Guns @ Brixton Academy, Sunday 13th March 2011

Dressed in a rabbit onesie accompanied by a tiger and a leopard huddled under thick duvet covers, fans have been queuing since early hours or the previous day. ALL TIME LOW has one of the biggest and dies hard fan bases to exist in the foundations of modern day pop-punk. So when the burley security guards open up ‘heaven’s doors’, the fans upon fans swarm in like a stampede of antelope, all wanting to grab a hold of that sacred barrier.

First up is the British High Wycombe collective, also referred to as the uprising and over achieving YOUNG GUNS. Hitting straight into “D.O.A” these boys try their very best to open up a pit, although the crowd is sadly made up of thirteen to sixteen year olds with the handful of watchful parents or those who chose to stay at the back and enjoy their view from the bar. How ever, despite this one flaw, it’s the only one noticeable in their set. Front man, Gustav Wood’s crowd control is unbelievable as he forces the audience to spring upwards, clap but most importantly chant back the lyrics. “Stitches”, the band’s most currently released single, changed the atmosphere into something entirely different. Yes, the four minute wonder still consists of jumping, but the spine chilling coos, deep base line entwined with beautiful guitar strums is something else. “Daughter of the Sea”, “Winter Kiss” and “Crystal Clear” brings a cry of lyrics summoned up by the audience joined by fists beating up into the air giving all three tracks an exceedingly powerful feel to them. Their performance tonight is definitely one of their crowning glory moments as they show such enthusiasm and passion in what they do, that it will be no time until they’re succeeding higher levels and opportunities for those on today’s British music scene.

It’s been some time since YELLOW CARD have been back in the UK, so it comes as no surprise when they bring their musical to life on Brixton’s stage for the second time that it has such an astonishing effect on the crowd. “Lights and Sounds” brings back a familiar and warm welcome as the clever use of instruments such as violins that stimulates the audience into one big cheer. Yellow Card may be stereotyped to be meeting the needs of the older ones gathered here tonight, but the catchy “Rough landing Holly”, “Five Becomes Four” and “Hang You Up” bring everyone up onto their feet with their arms flying in the air (despite most of them trying to imitate a Irish Jig). Infamous ballad, “Only One” makes everyone howl out the words “you are my only, my only one” like a dog kennels on a full moon, running smooth Goosebumps and raising every last hair on your entire body. Of course “Ocean Avenue” is pure amazement, as like a cherry and whipped cream, tops off such an astounding performance.

Opening with an anticipating intro before diving head first into “Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal”, pop punkers ALL TIME LOW take the stage like a wild whirlwind. With a deafening roar, captivating track “Dammed If I do ya, Dammed if I don’t” brings out the best in these Maryland Boys. It’s hard to believe that with such popularity that this band’s first ever single “Coffee shop soundtrack” only came out back in early 2007! All Time Low aspire to reach out to their oldest fans that have been there for them since the beginning, the selection of the classics “Jasey Rae”, “Poppin’ Champagne” and “Six Feet Under The Stars” are used to bring a pleasing grin to those from the very front to the back in both the standing arena and those sat (well now standing and dancing) on the balcony. Whilst “A Part Song” , “Lost in Stereo” and “Stella” un-veils your inner wild child with it’s bubbly choruses and upbeat backings, “Therapy”, “Remembering Sunday” and a solo cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” performed by front man Alex Gaskarth tweaking at his acoustic guitar, melts your heart and soul to the core. As curtain draws, the lights dim. Knowing that two obvious songs have not yet been broadcasted through the dome shaped building, the crowd beg for more. There’s silence for a moment but as soon as the dropping beats of “Weightless” begins insanity appears. Literally screaming back the words “I wanna feel weightless just because” makes you wonder how everyone has not yet lost their voice, although come Monday morning they might just find themselves having some difficulty with talking. Finishing on the infamous “Dear Maria Count Me In” has made an excellent choice of an encore. All Time Low tonight have most unquestionably put them on an all new high.

WORDS: EMILY RAWSON

All Time Low – Time Bomb

‘Time Bomb‘ is the latest track from All Time Low, hailing from the band’s yet to be released ‘Dirty Work‘ studio album. Although the first officially revealed track from the band’s fourth studio album, interestingly enough it will not be the first released single from the album and is merely serving the purpose of bridging the gap between ‘Nothing Personal‘ and ‘Dirty Work‘.

‘Time Bomb‘ is a fun pop song from All Time Low; perhaps not the best track the band has ever written, a solid effort nonetheless however, and one that has got me excited about hearing what more the band will have to offer with ‘Dirty Work‘ as the chances are that there will be a number of better tracks on the album than this one. The vocal work of Alex Gaskarth is as impressive as always here, and it’s this more than anything that has me wanting to hear more from the album. The instrumental work is simple yet effective here, overall however with this track you just get the impression that this is All Time Low not quite at full gear, with the best being saved for later.

The fact that ‘Time Bomb‘ is not being released as the first single suggests that the band themselves feel that other tracks from the album have more to offer than this one, so if you listen to this one and like it then the chances are that you’ll be even more impressed when you hear the album.

I’m probably at times here sounding more bleak about ‘Time Bomb‘ than I mean to; I’ve already listened to ‘Time Bomb‘ quite a number of times and do like what I hear, All Time Low is an extremely talented pop punk band however and I just can’t believe that this will be as good as it gets with ‘Dirty Work‘. It’s a testament of the band’s talent that I’m expecting more from the album; All Time Low is a band that has impressed me massively in the past, and I’ve no reason to believe that the same won’t be true again of ‘Dirty Work‘.

An official release date for ‘Dirty Work‘ is yet to be announced, take a trip to the All Time Low Facebook page however and you’ll be able to give ‘Time Bomb‘ a listen and see what you think of this latest work from Baltimore’s favourite pop punk band.

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All Time Low Kick Off Tour In Dublin

Video by aislingkatemeade

All Time Low kicked off their tour in style last night as they performed a sold out show at Dublin’s Olympia with support from Yellowcard and Young Guns.

The band will now travel over to the UK for a show at Nottingham’s Rock City tomorrow evening, and will perform 10 shows across the UK over the course of an 11 day period.

The predominantly sold out tour will finish with two nights at Brixton Academy, the second date having been added as a result of the first show selling out. Tickets are still available for the Sunday 13th March show at Brixton Academy.

Yellowcard went on hiatus for a few years back in 2008, with a new album due for release later this month the band is most definitely back in action now however, and supporting All Time Low on this tour they will no doubt show why their fans missed them so much when they were away, and undoubtedly make a few new ones along the way as well.

All Time Low UK Tour

All Time Low is returning to the UK at the end of September, and will play a select number of shows throughout the UK and Ireland. It’s a nine date tour, and the band will finish with a show at London’s Electric Ballroom on October 5th.

All Time Low released third studio album ‘Nothing Personal’ through Hopeless Records in July, and if you’d like to check the band out on tour then the following are the tour dates:

SEPTEMBER
25 – NEWCASTLE 02 Academy 2
26 – GLASGOW Garage
27 – DUBLIN Academy
29 – LEEDS Metropolitan Uni
30 – MANCHESTER Academy 2

OCTOBER
01 – NORWICH Waterfront
02 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy2
04 – CARDIFF Solus
05 – LONDON Electric Ballroom

All Time Low – So Wrong, It’s Right

All Time Low are an American Pop Punk band hailing from Maryland. Consisting of four members, the band have been going since 2003 and in this time have released two albums and two EP’s. Their first album and EP were released through Emerald Moon Records, however their last two releases have been through Hopeless Records; the former home of Avenged Sevenfold and Thrice. The band were listed in the popular American magazine ‘Alternative Press’ as one of their chosen ‘Bands You Need to Know in ’07′. This was obviously a great achievement for the band and having also been listed in this weeks Kerrang! magazine as a band with ‘New Music Coming Your Way’, it is clear that All Time Low are a band who are all set to cause a stir in UK shores also.

Although the album from All Time Low has been available here since September 2007, the real test of whether or not All Time Low can make it big in the UK will come in May when they head over for the Give It A Name Festival in London and Sheffield. With the London date set to be held at Earls Court and the other at Sheffield Arena, the band will have a great chance to prove themselves in front of a large crowd and it could be the making of the breaking of them. If they put on a good show then they could potentially explode in popularity from there, however should they fail to impress then any chance of making it big in the UK could be all but over.

The ‘So Wrong, It’s Right’ album contains twelve tracks of Pop Punk goodness, making for an excellent listening experience spanning forty minutes. The band never take themselves too seriously and always sound like they are having terrific fun in doing what they do. Their energy and exuberance reminds me of Blink 182 in their heyday, a band who are seemingly completely carefree, yet producing music which is fantastic fun to listen to. The album erupts with ‘This Is How We Do’, a relatively short track which kicks the album off with a bang. The drumming is quick, and the guitar riffs intricately woven with the vocals very much at the forefront of the bands sound. It is not always that bands choose to place so much emphasis on vocals in a release, however the instruments definitely seem to take a back seat to the vocals here. The first track is everything you could possibly wish for in an opening track, it leaves you wanting more and eager to listen on.

Vocally the band remind me a little of New Found Glory, something which to me is nothing to be ashamed of. I love the voice of New Found Glory’s Jordan Pundik, however I actually feel that the vocal tone of All Time Low’s Alexander Gaskarth is far greater than the New Found Glory man’s has ever been. The vocals are clearly spoken, always easy to make out and ever a joy to listen to. The vocals are something which stand out to me about this band as crucial, it is through the bands clearly spoken and finely executed vocal style that the music is made exceptional and the band are all the more enjoyable. I love vocal style of this sort, and when I hear bands with this kind of sound I always instantly fall in love with them. All Time Low are no exception to this rule, and since hearing their ‘So Wrong, It’s Right’ album for the first time I have not been able to stop playing it.

Whilst there are many tracks from this release that stand out for me, there are a couple that do so a little more than the others. Highlights are in an abundance, and the bands clear musical talent and distinctive vocal tone is an elemental factor of this. ‘The Beach’ provides the album with the perfect summer anthem, not only does the lyrical content make this so but the general sound of the track also. Although not yet the summer, when listening to this track it is easy to forget that this is the case and to get lost in the summery vibe and upbeat aura of the music. This is a feel good song for the summer, a perfect track to crack out if you happen to be down at the beach.

‘Remembering Sunday’ is another fantastic track which stands out to me when listening to this album. Featuring vocals from Juliet Simms of the band Automatic Loveletter, this is the token ballad from the album and works remarkably well. It is great to hear the band trying out a variety of different styles in this release and definitely mixes things up a little, making the album all the more interesting to listen to. The acoustic guitars in this one fit perfectly, the vocal harmonies close to perfect and the aforementioned female vocal which comes in close to the end of the track is absolutely amazing. The vocals of Juliet Simms are extremely powerful and emerge out of nowhere in the track, starting off as dual vocals with those of Alexander Gaskarth, the vocals come into their own and are hugely passionate and incredibly heartfelt. The track is great to listen to and is one that I find myself going back to time after time.

Although I said before that the vocals do seem to be forefronted and the guitars and drums are more in the background; there is no denying that in many of the tracks here present, the guitars often explode into life and many a soaring riff emerge. The guitarists in the band are clearly in possession of great talent, something which comes across throughout the album and is greatly pleasing to hear. Bad guitarists can really spoil the sound of a band sometimes, so procuring talented guitarists is always vital I feel.

‘So Wrong, It’s Right’ is a great album from All Time Low. Although the lyrical content is not always the best of quality, the music always more than makes up for this fact and the band are always thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. Never do they show any signs of disappointing, and in each track here I feel that positives can be drawn. I feel that 2008 will be a big year for All Time Low in the UK, their fan base here will no doubt grow and they should find themselves on the receiving end of a great deal of praise from many as they bring their brilliant Pop Punk sound to these shores. It is not everyday that you discover a gem of a Pop Punk band, however the day that I discovered All Time Low I was grinning from ear to ear and couldn’t get their instantly infectious music dislodged from my mind. The music of All Time Low is hugely upbeat and ‘So Wrong, It’s Right’ is an album which will always have you smiling as the band embark on a forty minute musical journey of absolute aural gold.

Label: Hopeless Records
Release Date: 24th September 2007

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