Unwritten Law Elva CD

2. Up All Night


3. Sound Siren


4. How You Feel


5. Blame It On Me


6. Seein' Red


7. Nick & Phil


8. Hellborn


9. Geronimo


10. Rescue Me


11. Actress, Model.


12. Raliegh (Soliloquy Pt V)


13. Babylon


14. Raliegh (Soliloquy Pt VI)


15. Rest Of My Life


16. It's Alright


1. Mean Girl


Unwritten Law: Scott Russo (vocals); Steve Morris, Rob Brewer (guitar); PK (bass); Wade Youman (drums).
Additional personnel includes: Neville Staple (spoken vocals); John Shanks (guitar); Tony Kanal (bass); Josh Freese (drums); Michael Fisher (percussion); The Allday Singers (background vocals).
Producers include: John Shanks, Miguel, Unwritten Law, Josh Abrahams.
Engineers include: Marc DeSisto, Eddie Ashworth, Tobias Miller.
Recorded at Total Access Studios, Redondo Beach, California.
Unwritten Law includes: Scott Russo (vocals); Steve Morris, Rob Brewer (guitar); PK (bass); Wade Youman (drums).
Additional personnel includes: John Shanks (slide guitar); Tony Kanal (bass); Josh Freese (drums); Marshall Goodman (percussion).
Producers include: John Shanks, Miguel, Unwritten Law, Josh Abraham.
Engineers include: Marc DeSisto, Eddie Ashworth, Mike McMullen.
Personnel: Allday, Neville Staple, Scott Russo (vocals); John Shanks (guitar, slide guitar); PK , Miguel, Steve Morris, Rob Brewer (guitar); Wade Youman, Josh Freese (drums); Marshall Goodman (percussion).
Audio Mixers: David J. Holman; Josh Abraham.
Recording information: Total Access, Redondo Beaach, CA.
Photographer: Dean Karr.
Unknown Contributor Role: Ekaterina Kenney.
Taking a cue from fellow alternative pop bands like Everclear, Unwritten Law beefs up its production and plays with its trademark sound on Elva. The band is moving farther away from the anemic punk rock that made it a critical bull's-eye in the '90s, and the newer pop direction fits Unwritten Law's abilities perfectly. The only real issue with the album is the generic way the band approaches most of the rock songs. Slower, more weighty songs like "Seein' Red" get the maximum treatment because of their knack for building to a strong chorus. But the rockers tend to start with all guns blazing, just to fizzle out after a few verses. There are obvious exceptions, especially the excellent "Mean Girl," which packs a powerful punch around the chorus, and "Nick & Phil" stays interesting due to the raging vocals contrasting with the syrupy background vocals. But then there are songs like "Rescue Me," which does not maintain energy because of the overly smooth chorus that follows the Jawbox-esque verses. Still, to see Unwritten Law attempting new things is always comforting, especially when the band is good at them. From the reggae-tinged "How You Feel" to the Soul Asylum country-rock of "Rest of My Life," there is a lot here that branches out from the group's previous sound, and it is this variety and catchiness that makes this a recommendation for fans of alternative pop bands. ~ Bradley Torreano
The fourth full-length from the San Diego latter-day punk quintet is bristling with energy, radio-ready hooks, and a full-on production that highlights the band's muscular musical smarts and nuanced lyrical sensibilities. The anthemic "Seein' Red" is an obvious crowd pleaser, while "Geronimo" belies its sensitive verses with sledgehammer pop-punk choruses.
No space is wasted here. ELVA is packed with snappy moments such as the intro to "Actress, Model..." ("Dear Mom, I'm dating an actress"), that leads to a witty dissection of the give-and-take of celeb relationships and the acerbic chorus ("Actress, model dancer--whatever,") that points to a sardonic, Ray Davies-like view of celebrity. But Unwritten Law's collective heart obviously remains in rock, as evidenced on tracks such as "Babalon," album-opener "Mean Girl," and "Blame It on Me," upping the ante on the latter with an irresistible stacked vocal chorus for a winning one-Rolling Stone (2/28/02, p.58) - 3 stars out of 5- "...The stylistic diversity provides some dizzying fun, and the hooks fly fast and furious, like nO DOubt overdosing on testosterone..."
CMJ (3/4/02, p.11) - "...ferocious, fast guitars and aggression-based lyrics...[plus] feel-good, uplifting melodic jams....Good alternative pop/rock..."
CMJ (3/4/02, p.11) - "...blend of ferocious, fast guitars and aggression-based lyrics....[plus] feel-good, uplifting melodic jams....Good alternative pop/rock..."