Yellowcard Ocean Avenue CD

Capitol Records Debut From Young So.Calif.Quintet.



This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Yellowcard: Ryan Key (vocals, guitar, bass); Sean Mackin (vocals, violin); Benjamin Harper (guitar); Longineu Parsons (drums).
Additional personnel: Alieka Wijnvelat (vocals); Rodney Wirtz (viola); Christine Choi (cello); Peter Mosely (piano, bass).
Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California between February & March 2003.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel: Ryan Key (vocals, guitar); Sean Mackin (vocals, violin); Aliska Wijnvelot (vocals); Ben Harper (guitar); Peter Mosely (piano); Longineu Parsons III (drums).
Audio Mixer: Tom Lord-Alge.
Recording information: 02/2003-03/2003.
Yellowcard makes its major-label debut with Ocean Avenue. This SoCal punk-pop fivesome slightly softens the edges found on its previous two albums in what is an attempt to win over the TRL crowd. Regardless of the reasons why, Yellowcard works with that familiar formula of spastic, crunchy guitar licks, emo-inspired lyrics, and vocals tailored for that tinny, whiny effect. Some say it's been done before, and by 2003 it surely had, but Yellowcard seems to not give a care about it because Ocean Avenue delivers despite of its catchy recipe. The 13-song set switches in mood and tempo for a layered, dynamic sound, and vocalist Ryan Key could very well chasten Dashboard Confessional's Christopher Carrabba about keeping things short and simple. Songs like "Way Away" and "Empty Apartment" thrive on the basics of rock & roll -- foliated guitars weaved in between high-speed percussion. But that's not all. Yellowcard has a secret component when it comes to crafting its own punk-inspired presentation. Violinist Sean Mackin is impressively skilled, and his talent allows Yellowcard to have a bit of an advantage in making something sound original and fresh. "Believe" and the acoustic guitars of "One Year, Six Months" are proof of that. Ocean Avenue isn't exactly outstanding in the sense that this band has done something outrageously different, but it is a worthy collection of songs with a real heart; that alone shows that Yellowcard is on to something solid. ~ MacKenzie Wilson
Yellowcard's major-label debut is that rarity in latter-day punk-rock--a nuanced, almost subtle collection of distinctive songs with lyrics sensitive enough to reference moonlight, the ocean, and DEATH OF A SALESMAN, amongst its more usual expressions of post-teen angst. (And, by the way, they also have a violinist.) But, far from consigning them to the ranks of the irredeemably nerdy, OCEAN AVENUE is the sound of a young band flexing its imaginative muscle and emerging from behind the one-sound-fits-all sonic shadow of Green Day to produce a singularly distinctive collection of songs.
Sure, the album's opening salvo "Way Away" is straight out of the SoCal punk rock playbook, but by the shimmering intro to "Only One" it's increasingly obvious that there's more on offer here than one-dimensional posturing. It's not that Yellowcard are any slouches in the sonic thrash department, as evidenced by the breathless rush of "Twentythree"--it's just that they're not afraid to let their strong lyrics and musical smarts speak for them as much as their twentysomething stamina.CMJ (7/21/03, p.6) - "...By simply adding a classically trained violinist into its mix, Yellowcard has already masterfully set itself apart....giant hooks and undeniably catchy choruses...are propelled to monstrous levels by Sean Mackin's violin..."