Album Reviews: Sonic Avenues – Television Youth
Not long ago, I reviewed the Dirtnap Records affiliate The Steve Adamyk Band, praising their knack for pumping out pop-punk material that didn’t sound aggravating, cliche, or passe for that matter. Fellow writer Nick Wan also just recently took a look at labelmates Mind Spiders, who similarly offer a sound that furthers the current pop-punk genre and keeps it in an appreciative state. Essentially, they accomplish the exact opposite of what Green Day does. Following the trend, the Sonic Avenues are set to release their sophomore effort Television Youth. To any of you who may have been under the impression that this album was scheduled for this past Sunday, it has now been pushed to the 31st, due to an unsatisfactory test pressing.
The Pros:
Being familiar enough with Dirtnap associate bands at this point, I assumed correctly that this would be an album of fast-paced pop songs intended for lighthearted and fun situations. If you are looking for comparison, the Sonic Avenues are a less abrasive version of The Steve Adamyk Band. Television Youth never or rarely goes into a minor key, regardless of the subject matter at hand. Even the kickoff track “Givin’ Up On You” is quite the bummer if you look at the lyrics, but these guys have a tendency to always maintain a happier tonality to their tunes. It’s admirable, because it shows that their outlook is to promote positivity, even in the saddest of times.
The Cons:
These songs all have a terrible propensity to become indiscernible from one another. After multiple listens to the album, it is still difficult to look at a random title of a song and think of how it played back. On a lyrical level, nothing defines itself from the pack. Their singer is already a bit of a pain to listen to because he sits on the hackneyed, wailing side of the fence, rather than expressing much legitimate feeling in his vocals. It sounds like factory-produced pop-punk vocals made for pop-punk music.
The Steve Adamyk Band never crossed that path of annoyance because Steve himself actually showed a lot of range when singing, as with the rest of the band. Another plus of Forever Won’t Wait was that every track showed varying song structures and styles. You could find anything from the Pixies-esque “Forever Won’t Wait” to the political burner “Election Day.” What does Television Youth have? “Fadin’ Luv,” which contains a refrain about “…fading love” and “Static Attraction,” which contains a refrain about “…static love.” It is a downright bear to listen to if you are someone who wishes for diversity between a band’s track listing and general songwriting talent.
The Verdict:
There are quite a lot of albums I review that meet this type of fate in the end. Nothing about Television Youth outwardly sounds offensive to the ear; the guitars aren’t grossly atonal, the drums are fine, and the bass lines are appropriate and agreeable. Problems arise from the Sonic Avenues’ inability to write music that is flexible or distinctive. Instead of presenting an attitude or personality, they waste their songs with overused, faux-beachy filler.
