The Wonder Years

‘Sleeping on Trash‘ is, as you can probably tell from the title, a collection of The Wonder Years’ tracks from 2005-2010, taken from various different EP’s and split releases that The Wonder Years have been involved in throughout these years. This is a purely digital release that the band has decided to put out there so as to provide fans with a means of getting their hands on these tracks without having to spend out a whole heap of cash in obtaining all the individual CD’s from eBay.

If you’re at all a fan of pop punk music then the chances are that you’ll be a fan of, or at the very least familiar with the music of The Wonder Years. As far as I’m concerned, The Wonder Years is one of the very best pop punk bands to have formed in the last decade, and ‘Sleeping on Trash‘ is a great collection of rarities from the band that’s well worth investing in. There are some absolutely beautiful tracks contained within this release; tracks like ‘Through Two Hearts‘ that just really make you appreciate this band all the more, and tracks like ‘You’re Not Salinger. Get Over It‘ and their Kid Dynamite cover ‘Cheap Shots, Youth Anthems‘ that just really hit you with their biting edge and synthy brilliance. ‘You’re Not Salinger. Get Over It‘ is probably actually my favourite track from this collection, right from its swirling intro you know that the track is going to be something special, and the band definitely don’t let you down here as they launch through an incredibly catchy piece of pop punk. As always, the keyboards really add something incredible to the sound, the vocals are absolutely top notch, and the guitar work always has a huge amount to offer also. There’s an absolutely fantastic bass sound on display here, a beautiful precision bass tone that really fits the music perfectly. Everything about the track just really works, and if there’s any track here that’s not to be missed then it’s this one (although I’d personally highly recommend listening to each and every track in the collection, multiple times over, every day).

There’s not a single bad track present in this collection, there’s a Christmas song which catches you a little unawares, the quality is still high even with this track though, it just might seem a little strange listening to the collection in the summer and suddenly finding yourself listening to ‘Christmas at 22‘.

As well as the aforementioned Kid Dynamite cover, there are also covers of Lit’s ‘Zip Lock‘ and Fountains of Wayne’s ‘Hey Julie‘ included in this collection, with the band demonstrating a fine ear not only for penning their own perfect pop punk, but also for recording a quality cover too. The Fountains of Wayne cover provides something a little different to the rest of the collection, it’s great to hear the band showcasing a little diversity and for me this cover is a real success. Dan Campbell’s vocals sound absolutely incredible throughout the entirety of this collection, and this I feel is The Wonder Years’ greatest strength. Instrumentally this is a band that really knows how to hit the spot, but it’s Campbell’s vocals that really help separate the band from the pack and make sure that The Wonder Years stand strong as one of the finest pop punk band’s around.

‘Sleeping on Trash‘ really is an incredibly impressive collection of material from The Wonder Years, and there are plenty of tracks here that are insanely catchy and will certainly make you smile. If you’ve ever been a fan of The Wonder Years then ‘Sleeping on Trash: A Collection of Songs Recorded 2005-2010‘ is, without question, a collection that you’re going to want to have on your iPod.

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