Earphoned: Yellowcard's "Southern Air"

So let me try something new for the blog. As some of you may have surmised from the previous posts, I'm a big, big fan of the pop/punk/alternative side of the music scene. My playlists are littered with songs ranging from "roll-your-car-windows-down" summer jams to "mosh pit worthy" tracks to "cut-and-slash-your-wrists" classics to "radio-friendly" tunes. I can confidently say then that I have a pretty good idea of what's cooking in the pop-punk scene. So together with my trusted earphones, I present the segment "Earphoned" (what a creative title), wherein I'm going to review (or at least try to) past and current albums of bands from this genre. Hopefully, this segment would introduce you to some really good music that you're surely missing out on while at the same time saving your ears from the depths of music purgatory currently dominated by the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction. Heh.

After the jump, learn more about Yellowcard's latest album "Southern Air"!

Probably best known for 2003's Ocean Avenue (which spurned hits such as "Ocean Avenue" and "Only One"), Yellowcard has been steadily putting out good music though none enjoyed the commercial success attained by that breakthrough 2003 album. Their recent release however, may give Ocean Avenue a stiff competition in terms of the label "Best Yellowcard Album". Southern Air, released last August 14, 2012, is the band's 8th album and features yet again solid performances from the quintet. Though fans of the band might still long for the raw passion and energy of Ocean Avenue, or the punk rock vibe of 2007's Paper Walls, or the poppy-ness of 2011's When You're Through Thinking Say Yes, Southern Air combines elements from these previous albums to create what could be the most diverse yet complete release of the group thus far.

The albums kicks off with the track "Awakening" which starts off with a simple guitar riff while lead singer Ryan Key sings out the line, "Bottoms up tonight/I drink to you and I/'Cause with the morning comes the rest of my life..I want this to be my awakening." The track then explodes into a mid-tempo jam and immediately you feel that distinct Yellowcard feel. If there's one thing that this band does very well is that they have a knack for creating catchy choruses and "Awakening" certainly delivers in that aspect. "Surface of the Sun" is a hard-hitting follow-up though I find the chorus a bit repetitive.

The next two tracks feature what could be the most radio-friendly songs by the bands since the days of Ocean Avenue. The lead single, "Always Summer", features what could be the most epic and sweet violin solo from Sean Mackin. Just give it a listen and find out for yourselves. The 2nd single, "Here I Am Alive" sounded too poppy for my tastes when I first heard it but has since grown into a solid number for me. The song also features back-up vocals from Tay Jardine of We Are The In Crowd, a band I hope to feature soon on this segment.

 

The middle part of the album is where I think Southern Air shines the best. The four-song stretch starts off with "Sleep in the Snow", yet another typical mid-tempo Yellowcard track. I'm a sucker for sad songs and lyrics though and lines such as "But you're like the winters that you've always known/You're warm on the inside while I sleep in the snow", from the said song just gets to me. "A Vicious Kind" then takes you into a ride full of catchy paragraphs and lines. I couldn't stop myself from belting out "I want you to know that I'm not sorry at all!"  during the chorus or sing along to the "on and on and on.." parts of the verse. The next song, "Telescope", flows seamlessly from the last track and slows down the mood of the album but 3 minutes and 52 seconds later, "Rivertown Blues" once again ramps up the energy through fast-paced guitar and drum parts. The song eerily reminds me of another Yellowcard song ("The Sound of You and Me")   though the latter part of the track excels with a wicked guitar solo.

The album ends with the tracks "Ten" and "Southern Air". "Ten" is mostly an acoustic track (with the occasional violin, of course!) though the strength of the song comes from the powerful depiction of a child lost at birth (or so I assume). "Southern Air" ends the album with a typical 'this will always be home' vibe where the band shows that they haven't forgotten their roots.

Overall, Southern Air delivers on what you would expect from these guys who could already be considered as pillars of the pop-punk scene. The music is nothing groundbreaking but still, the album deserves a listen or two as it contains enjoyable and catchy-as-hell tracks.