"This holiday is yours, but we all share with you the hope that this day
brings us closer to freedom, and to harmony, and to peace. No matter
how different we appear, we're all the same in our struggle against the
powers of evil and darkness. I hope that this day will always be a day
of joy in which we can reconfirm our dedication and our courage. And
more than anything else, our love for one another. This is the promise
of the Tree of Life." ―Princess Leia Organa
Hectic holidays this year! Lots of tragedy and joy intermingled, but here I am, drinking hot buttered rum, watching Riptide and gorging myself on fruitcake...
...So all in all things are good. Merry Christmas everyone! We'll get back to the records after today...
Track Listing: 1. Disappointed 2. Out of Focus 3. What's in a Name 4. You Could've Had Everything 5. Hollow 6. Think for Yourself 7. Just Like You Said 8. Solitaire 9. Best Defense 10. Icons 11. Shame on Me 12. Estranged
face to face chicken out at the fan backlash to "Ignorance is Bliss" and run back into the studio, tails between their legs, to churn out "Reactionary," probably the safest face to face album possible. The whole thing feels like trolling; from the album title, to the first track being called "Disappointed," to the whole gimmick of letting fans determine the track listing online. "Just tell us what you guys want and we'll do it! Yessir!Yessir!"
I remember at the time how rote "Disappointed" seemed. Here was face to face wiping away the last couple of years and going straight back to "Big Choice." Except the results were disconcerting, because if "Big Choice" wasn't exactly a progression from "Don't Turn Away," it was at least a lateral move. Maybe if I had disliked "Ignorance is Bliss," my feelings would have been different...I dunno. It felt insincere.
But as the record goes on, there are actually a lot of good tracks on here. After all, the band had always been excellent craftsmen when it came to hammering out pop-punk and their skills in this department had not deteriorated. "What's In a Name" is an excellent recreation of the"Big Choice" sound and even manages to momentarily capture some of that magic once the chorus hits. "Hollow" and " Just Like You Said " are brave enough to push things into "self-titled" territory, with slightly more melancholy guitarwork. "Just Like You Said" is particularly good with one of those ultra-catchy Trever Keith vocal melodies that propels it to my "best of face to face" mix.
I think your opinion of this album will be colored by your feelings towards "Ignorance is Bliss." If you disliked that album (as many do) and thought the band went too far into alt-rock territory, then "Reactionary" will probably be a huge relief. If you liked "Ignorance is Bliss" (as apparently only I do), then this is going to sound regressive and cowardly. Still, if you like face to face it's hard not to enjoy this record. It's face to face settling on a sound (burly, meat and potatoes melodic punk) and hammering out some catchy tunes. Nothing wrong with that, really...
This is the most recent face to face album I own. At one point, I had a copy of the follow-up "How to Ruin Everything," but it felt like the band had been frozen in a thick-ass slab of carbonite and I lost interest and gave it away or traded it somewhere over the years. I think the band has continued to churn out albums to this very day. If anyone has any recommendations for the later stuff, I'm all ears...
Let's listen to some music. Here's "Just Like You Said"by face to figgity face. Enjoy...
Track Listing: 1. Overcome 2. In Harm's Way 3. Burden 4. Everyone Hates a Know-It-All 5. Heart of Hearts 6. Prodigal 7. Nearly Impossible 8. I Know What You Are 9. The Devil You Know (God Is a Man 10. (A)Pathetic 11. Lost 12. Run in Circles 13. Maybe Next Time
Apparently, punk is just a tempo to most people. face to face slow things down and instantly the results are loudly trumpeted as "not punk" by the fans. It's like a burlier version of emo mixed with SoCal pop punk. And the
speedier fare on the album more closely resembles post-punk than
pop-punk. In reality, you could probably double-time the bass and drums on a lot of this and the results would likely sound like the last album. Still, Trever Keith sounds great on those big-lunged, long melodies that a lot of these songs sport.
I don't know. I was kind of expecting the band to do an album like this. This was when emo was breaking through and the pop-punk bands were starting to sound a bit stale to a lot of people. And the previous album already hinted at this direction. I remember buying this during the autumn of '99 and it felt like the right record at the right time. And despite the lackluster first single ("The Devil You Know," which is probably my least favorite song on the album, next to the overly emo-ish closer "Maybe Next Time") I like this album a lot and only see it as a very slight step down.
"Burden," "Everyone Hates a Know-It-All," "Heart of Hearts," and "Nearly Impossible" are all killer tracks, with huge melodies, vocals and a fascinatingly spacious atmosphere. And like the previous album, the pure sound of the record is great. Everything is loud, clear and set for maximum impact. And I have to add "Lost" to the pile of all-time great face to face tracks. It's where this new direction crystallizes and I find myself not missing the skull-rattling speed of "Don't Turn Away" and "Big Choice" at all. I realize I would be perfectly fine with a more mature face to face churning out this kind of material well into their twilight years...
Some copies of this album came with an additional EP called "Why Aren't You Happy?" but I don't have that version. I remember running across it at a Best Buy but I already bought "Ignorance is Bliss" once already and didn't feel like shelling out another $15.00 just to get a four more songs. But the song "Bottle Rockets" from that EP is pretty boss, although I think the choice to include it on a separate EP was a good one, because it sounds a bit more "Big Choice" or self-titled than most of the stuff on "Ignorance is Bliss." I can picture a lot of punks walking around saying, "The only good song on the album is Bottle Rockets!" The rest of the songs on the EP are pretty dispensable though, if you ask me...
Alright, let's listen to some face to face. Here's "Lost." So get lost, eh?
Track Listing: 1. Resignation 2. Walk the Walk 3. Blind 4. Ordinary 5. I Won't Lie Down 6. Can't Change the World 7. Handout 8. Everything's Your Fault 9. Take It Back 10. Complicated 11. Put You in Your Place 12. Falling
The album "face to face" by the band face to face featuring the hit single "face to face." Y'know, as time goes on I appreciate this album more and more. Nowadays when pressed to name my favorite face to face album, I might have to go with this one. Which is weird, because it doesn't feel as jam-packed with stunning hits as the first couple, but the hits that are here hit hard. And they sound fucking fantastic.
Matt Riddle and his rattly bass are gone, which robs the band of one of their most easily recognizable facets but ultimately ends up not hurting things much at all. Scott Shiflett's playing is more fluid and melodic and highlights the songs more. And while the first album had an appealingly scrappy sound, this recording is pretty much an ideal example of how slick, corporate punk should sound. Thick, tough, dark, hard. Not unlike my shlong (sorry).
And I'd name about 3 of these tracks as the best face to face ever laid down. period. (y'know I mean business when I actually write down the word period and not just the punctuation mark). "Blind" is just a nice, simple, effective melody that hits a perfectly melancholy note while featuring some great sounding harmonies. "I Won't Lie Down" is a dense powerhouse that has an unforgettable chorus. I remember this getting some light airplay at the time, but Christalmighty. This should have ruled radio back in '96. Its' failure can only be chalked up to everybody was too busy paying attention to Gravity Kills' masterful "Guilty." Duh.
The big song on here, and in the running for the band's definitive moment, is "Complicated." The perfect face to face chorus. And there's a a section of the song that's so "fuck yea" that it kills me every time I hear it. It's when the song suddenly puts on the breaks and goes into a dark, shadowy, emo-ish alley that is so effective that you kind of forget about the rest of the song. Then suddenly the drums suddenly get a skip in their step, the band winds up and BOOM! That glorious chorus hits in again and it sounds so much more powerful for its extended absence. Just a brilliant arrangement.
Alright, I've got to blow this shithole. But before we go, let's listen to some damn rock. Here's "Complicated" by face to face. Enjoy it while you can...
Sorry about the lack of posts this month. 2016 has been Hell Year and I've been hanging out in hospitals instead of haunting used record stores. I had the rare chance to get to a computer and hack out this message. Hoping things calm down soon and I can resume the Friday Night Record Party in earnest.
