Midtown - Save the World Lose the Girl (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

EVERY OTHER BAND ON THE PLANET SHOULD JUST GIVE UP...

Brenda Schlommy | Pomona, California | 02/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got a CD sampler with two songs by Midtown and A New Found Glory at a Saves The Day show a while back. Both bands were awesome, so when I found out they were playing together, I had to go to the show. I cannot believe how incredibly powerful, energetic and heart-felt both bands are. I've never been so blown away at a show before in my life! I bought the Midtown CD a the show, and I was equally impressed. It was produced by the same guy who did Jimmy Eat World, Blink and The Hippos--all amazing sounding records. Anyway, I'm excited to have discovered a new band that rocks beyond belief and has something relevant and thought-provoking to say. I almost died when I heard the three singers singing together at the end of "Come On." If you like JIMMY EAT WORLD, THE ATARIS, SAVES THE DAY, LAGWAGON and A NEW FOUND GLORY you will flip over this record. Every single song is great. Midtown rule!"

Incredible...

Kenneth B. Buck | NJ | 12/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So first off I should say that I haven't been into too much emo type stuff, that is, until I heard this band played on Rutgers Radio. I was kind of taking a chance when I bought the CD since I'd only heard one song, not to mention that I knew nothing about this type of music. (I listen to too many different kinds of music to list here, but the closest I ever came would be 3rd wave ska...) Well when I popped in the cd not only was I blown away but I continued to be blown away for the duration of the entire CD. Every song is a ten, no, an eleven. It's been quite a long time since I've heard any CD so satisfying. It's great to hear music with the energy of punk, the sincerity of emo, with 3 great vocalists and tight musicianship. My faves are Come On, direction, and no place feels like home, but any track is great. In fact, whenever I put on the disc, I absolutely have to play it all the way thru... I've got a few other emo-ish albums since getting this one, but none of them are anywhere as good."

Heartfelt pop punk

Christopher Padalinski | Fresno, CA US | 09/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Midtown must be one of the best bands in the genre. They offer a seemingly unlimited number of catchy guitar riffs and lyrics, and with two very good vocalists that trade off songs, they are able to keep your attention through an entire album - something that many punk bands seem unable to do.Of their two full length albums (this one and "Living Well is the Best Revenge"), this one seems a bit more bitter in lyrical content, but both offer a fantastic catchy punk experience. Musically this band brings back something that poppy punk doesn't see often: guitar riff-laden intros and prechoruses that I think really add to punk music. Sometimes they stand alone, and sometimes they mimic the lyrics that might normally go at that point in the song, but either way they show a more variable use of the instrument than a lot of groups, and it will be the thing that is in your head hours after you hear the song. This is the same thing that a pop punk fan might like about albums such as New Found Glory's self-titled, and if you are anywhere near a fan of that group, then you cannot go wrong with Midtown.All in all, Midtown is a musically fantastic, emotionally catchy group that deserves a listen if you consider yourself a fan of punk, especially the new wave of pop punk."

Rapid-fire and snooty punk at its best

Dan Solera | Chicago, IL USA | 08/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It all started when a friend of mine asked me to download "Just Rock and Roll". Back then I had a terrible dial-up connection, so the song had to be damned worth the twenty minutes I would take in downloading it. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't amazed either. It sounded like another punk-rock song from another bunch of angry snooty kids.

And then, on June 2nd, 2002, I went to the Düsseldorf performance of the Deconstruction Tour, where bands like Lagwagon, Lostprophets and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones rocked a crowd of a thousand screaming Germans. Midtown was the third performer after Flogging Molly and the Turbo AC's (for the full concert review, click here). This concert motivated me into buying Save the World, Lose the Girl, the band's major-label debut.

With a sound comparable to New Found Glory, these guys foment power through their punk-driven speed, but stay close to the themes and issues beneath. But more importantly, however, is the way in which the songs are crafted. In many of the songs, the band steers away from the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure that seems to plague the punk-rock scene. Instead, the variation of rhythms provides for very original material. Songs like "Direction" and "Such a Person" are almost a progressive representation of a punk song, with the song changing direction at every turn.

Similar to Guster and Nine Days, Midtown does not limit itself to one vocalist. Singer/bassist Gabe Saporta has that focused and unbreakable voice that screams high-school jock while the band's singer/guitarist has the sensitive voice for softer pieces like "No Place Feels Like Home" (which is more of a pop song than a punk song). Honestly, I'm not even sure that they are different people. For all I know, it's just Saporta changing his intonation, which honestly, would be even more impressive.

But yes, Midtown equals punk rock plus talented musicians. There's no doubting this. They're definitely up there amongst my favorite bands in the genre. So if bands like Saves the Day and New Found Glory pull your strings, then picking this album up is a definite affirmative.

Recommendations: "Just Rock and Roll", "Direction", "No Place Feels Like Home", "Such a Person", "Knew it All Along""

Better than the followup

Sam Yurick | Los Angeles, California | 08/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"STWLTG is, by no stretch an essential album. It is however, a quality album. There are several classic moments (the guitar break in "Come On" is exhibit "A" for anyone wishing to argue that pop punk isn't a bastard genre), but there are many more instances of leaning on stock rhymes and predictable hooks. There is, however, a great energy in this disc. Not like At The Drive In had, but something that comes from whatever whiny,sincere suburban Tao propels this group. However, be warned emo fans, the emotion on this disc is under a fairly heavy coat of radio gloss (particularly for a first album on an indie label). The vocals could be mistaken for almost any other band on Drive-Thru. And the instrumentals sound like you've heard them on a half-dozen other discs, with the exception of a few amazing breaks.
In the end, this is great choice for those of you who love catchy punk with vocals that sound like a massively snottier Jermey Engik (from SDRE). For the rest of you get "Something to Write Home About" first. The songwriting is better and the energy is more raw. As far as "Living Well..." skip it unless you really connect with it in some way or are trying to impress someone recovering from their nu-metal phase."

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