Customer Reviews

All-American Rejects

5 star:		(509)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

A few months ago, I heard "Swing, Swing" for the first time and knew I had to buy this album. Though I had never heard of the All-American Rejects before, the adept songwriting and melodic punk-pop sound of "Swing, Swing" somehow had me knowing (after only one listen) that this would be a great album.

My instincts were right. The All-American Rejects' debut simply cannot be rejected. Ever since I bought this CD a couple of months ago, it has been a regular spin on my CD player.

This album consists entirely of songs with memorable hooks, up-tempo rhythms, melodic punk-pop choruses, and infectious lyrics. The album has been well-produced, enhancing the overall packaging of each song. More importantly, it's remarkable that such a young band has demonstrated these sophisticated pop sensibilities in their songwriting. The album contains eleven laudable songs, each of which is a worthy listen in its own right. Lead singer Tyson Ritter never misses a note, even transitioning in and out of falsetto, and the band adroitly blends hard driving guitars with keyboards and even orchestral arrangements. What's not to like?

With this debut album, the All-American Rejects have demonstrated they have sharp musical senses. Their music compares favorably with any emo-type artist you hear on today's radio. Between the band's natural musical talent and its alignment with today's hottest commercial sound, it wouldn't surprise me to hear more from the All-American Rejects. This young band is poised to make it big.

If anyone would have told me that I would end up buying The All-American Rejects' album, I probably would have laughed in their face. I mean, I loved "Swing, Swing" and all, but owning the whole album? Not likely. Who are these guys anyway?

Well, something happened and I decided I was in need of some new music, so I decided to buy it. Turns out, I was happily surprised to find out that I just adore every song on the album (pretty much equally). The lead singer's voice is just very captivating, melodic, and powerful. Each song is very catchy and gut-wrenching at the same time...a GREAT driving record, in my opinion. It's definitely not an album that will be making history any time soon, but if you are looking for something to just listen to all the way through and enjoy, buy this. It's really worth a try...at least.

Praise: For a debut this is solid material. The band puts their sweat and energy into this cd making it an enjoyable ride. Start to finish there isn't a clunker on this disc. They should have many more hits from here aside from "Swing, Swing". Standout tracks include "My Paper Heart", "Swing, Swing", "Time Stands Still", "One More Sad Song", "The Last Song".

Criticism: All American Rejects strongly resemble Blink 182, Green Day, and other modern punk bands of today. They also don't stray too far from their formula, leaving the songs to blur from one to the other.

Conclusion: Buy this cd. It's enjoyable to listen to when you compare it to all the dull music out right now. It's not the best this band can do, but it's a great start. All American Rejects caught my attention because they reminded me of old school new wave/punk like The Cars, The Cure, New Order.

I wanted to hate this record, I really did. After hearing about how these guys were "emo" and sounded like all of the boring, cheesy pop punk on the radio today, I didn't buy this until about a year and a half after its release, and even then it was only for $1 in a used CD store "for a laugh". Surprise surprise, its a tight record of compact power pop songs brimming with emotion and pure enjoyment. The album is vaguely reminiscent of one of my all-time favorites, Candy's "Whatever Happened to Fun?", in that underneath the deceptively simple and upbeat song structures lie serious emotional themes. Lyrics and key words are repeated - "breathe," "fade," "cheating," "crying," "away" and many more. It's almost as if they wanted to create an epic album, as evidenced by the full production and dramatic vocals, but when they got to the lyrics department they couldn't think of anything except how much some girl hurt them. And that's kind of a cute premise, if ultimately a bit melodramatic. Now, I understand that pushes the record dangerously close to hideous "emo," and maybe in the lyrics that's fine. But rest assured that this is musically closer to Jimmy Eat World (great band) than Dashboard or any similarly styled artless bleeding heart garbage. It doesn't hurt that the band is so clearly tuned in to the classic pop-rock of Rick Springfield and Def Leppard, and this album should appeal to fans of those artists as much as any of the teen beat stuff around now. Overall, I only found one clunker on the whole record ("Drive Away" is silly Good Charlotte cheese, but even my favorite Candy record had ONE dud). The rest is proof that even silly teenagers can create enjoyable melodic rock, and maybe even mean something while doing it.

Best Tracks:
"My Paper Heart" - OK, OK, this is pretty much emo 101 - the falsetto vocals are more than a little overdone. But, the xylophone and drum machine provide a lot more than you expect in a song like this, and the outro draws from Springsteen in effective melodrama.
"Your Star" - A Def Leppard ballad meets classic Elvis Costello bounce, with a bit of Green Day thrown in. Don't believe me? Check it out, you'll be surprised.
"Swing Swing" - A deserved hit. Surprised they couldn't turn any of the other gems here into a similar smash.
"Time Stands Still" - The fourth track here, and the fourth raging success. Acoustic lead in gives way to a monster chorus. Great song.
"Why Worry" - This is the tune that really made me appreciate what these guys are doing here. So simple, both in the instrumental and lyrical departments, but so sincere. It's the AC/DC ethic in the pop punk arena - less is much more. This song is simply a gorgeous power pop neo-classic. It's almost as if the narrator is alone and repeating these lines to himself thinking of what could have been, hopeful but ultimately unwilling to face the facts that a relationship is over.
"The Last Song" - Well, the opener was epic, with the ultra hopeful finale of "spring blossoms you to me". This closing track is stunningly defeated in its view, after all the sad tracks the singer is finally giving up. But it's also optimistic in a sense - maybe he isn't giving up so much as moving on. Maybe I'm reading too much into this album - I mean, it's hardly classic literature - but I find the bookend tracks to be a great lesson in creating mood in an otherwise silly genre (pop punk).

The All- American Rejects are anything but rejects. Thier debut album combines the emotion of Dashboard Confessional with the up beat music of pop-punk bands such as Sum-41 and Good Charlotte. Tyson Ritter's intense vocals make me feel like he's singing right to me. His voice sounds so young and fresh, just beautiful. Every song on the CD can be related to by any ordinary teen. The variety is awesome... you can pop this CD in the player to put you in a good mood for a date or you can listen to it while your laying on your bed, depressed about relationship problems. It works really well with my life.. aah haha. Any way, the AAR have proven their place in the music industry with their hit Swing, Swing, Swing as a band that anyone with eclectic taste could enjoy. I definitley recommend the All-American Rejects' debut album to anyone who enjoys the wonderful sounds of pop-punk/emo. peace.

I find myself listening to this CD a lot, it's a chill album. They've been compared to Blink and Green Day (I love both)...but they sound nothing alike All-American Rejects, totally different styles of music. I don't know what bands to compare the AAR with... they're just original. It's a great CD, 5 star worthy in fact! ...

My Paper Heart- Good lyrics, repeats the chorus a lot, but good singing, good guitar work, and good drumming, good emo song

Your Star- Great song, well written music with okay lyrics, good guitar work

Swing, Swing- Their first single, good emo song, good drumming...again, song repeats the chorus a lot, I'm getting a little sick of this song (only because I've heard it so many times now)-Still a good song

Time Stands Still- One of my favorites on the entire CD, good lyrics- nice choice of words like "epitome of perfection", good drumming and singing, great song!

One More Sad Song- Faster song, best lyric: "all the perfect words they seem so wrong", awesome lyrics-well written, awesome drumming and guitars!

Why Worry- Nice acoustic guitar in the begining, okay lyrics, not my favorite song but still a pretty good song, another well written song, best lyric: "angry and gone and the list goes on and on"

Don't Leave Me- Great drumming and guitars, awesome lyrics, Tyson has a great voice, little faster song, one of my favorites

Too Far Gone- Starts slow then speeds up, okay song, okay lyrics

Drive Away- The best song on this album! well written, great singing, guitars, drums...everything, I love it, I sing it in my head a lot, catchy song

Happy Endings- The beging of the song is really cool, I don't really like the counting thing in the chorus, still a very good song, best lyric: "my love for you is sinking to what seems an all-time low... or high", this song will get stuck in your head

The Last Song- Good ending for this CD, I like this song, well written, good drumming tabs

I was looking through the reviews and saw many reviews that hated the All American Rejects, while others loved it.

I loved this Album, every single song.

I am generally not a fan of bands like this, including ones like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, but after I had heard the song "Swing Swing" on the radio, I gave them a try. I fell in love. The instrumentals are nothing to die for, in fact, generally, they're quite easy, so if you're looking for a band where the guitar solos take up the whole song, and the drumming is to die for, I don't suggest this band.

His voice is sweet sounding, and unlike many artists, he really sings, and it comes much more from the heart. Their songs are catchy.. and cheerful. They have a different sound than any other band I have heard of, even though they are classified in that punk rock/emo/pop section of music.

Honestly I'd have to say you need to try this for yourself, and you need to listen to it with an open mind. You make the decision on whether or not you like it... and not just based off of the fact that they're an "insult" to the genre they fall under.

After hearing the All-American Rejects' first single, "Swing Swing", I was hooked. I bought the CD and gave it a good listen, only to fall madly in love. The best tracks, "My Paper Heart", "Too Far Gone", "Drive Away", the appropriately named last track "The Last Song", and of course, "Swing, Swing" bring an upbeat flavor to this new band. "My Paper Heart" is reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World, "Too Far Gone" sounds like sad, sappy emo songs that we all need sometimes, "Drive Away" is something you'd want to do just that with on a road trip with your best friends, and "The Last Song" opens interestingly and holds the listener's attention throughout the duration of the track. "Swing, Swing" was a perfect first single for the All-American Rejects, as it is the CD's catchiest (note: catchiest, not necessarily the best, though it is MY favrote) song. The All-American Rejects is a solid investment for everyone who enjoys the pop-punk genre of music, such as New Found Glory and Something Corporate. Also, Jimmy Eat World and Reggie and the Full Effect/Get Up Kids enthusiasts will enjoy this disc as well. Have fun! And don't forget to take a look @ the band's website... the lead singer Tyson is highly attractive :).

"My love for you is sinking to what seems an all time low or high." An all time high is not even half of what the All-American Rejects' self-titled album does to its audience. With its quirky tunes and upbeat rythym, who could resist the music that comes from these small-town Oklahoma boys that make up the wonderfully titled All-American Rejects? With catchy songs like "Swing, Swing" and "Don't Leave Me," as well as magically orchestrated ones such as "The Last Song," the Rejects' first major label debut is perfectly wound together. "Your Star" is an excellent song portraying the fear of love and relationships. Through strain and sorrow, "One More Sad Song" deals with being alone. The band's vocalist/bass player, Tyson Ritter, blows the competition away with his amazing voice and convincing sadness. Those who like more veteran bands such as Allister, The Starting Line, Something Corporate, or Taking Back Sunday will surely love the All-American Rejects and what they are about. Overall, this CD captures what it is truly like to be experiencing love and all that comes with it. The Rejects fully rock.

One night me and my friend were talking and and he brought up the all american rejects and I didn't know who they were and I look at my tv and the all american rejects were on the tv and there music video for the last song and it was awesome the tune kicked butt. So I went out and the cd and I'll break it down for you.

1. My paper Heart- 8/10
Its great way to open up the cd but not the best.
2. Your star- 9/10
Cool song only wish it was a faster tempo
3. swing, swing- 10/10
AWESOME SONG!!!! nick wheeler hits an awesome solo that I still haven't figured out how to play the ending of it
4. Time stands Still- 10/10
my favorite song. it kicks butt
5. One more sad song- 8/10
awkward song still cool, but its not sad its just life.
6. Why worry- 9/10
cool song he's kind of worrying about not worrying
7. dont' leave me- 7/10
not the best song on there probably my least favorite
8. Too far gone- 9/10
I love that song its cool and its a nice ballad
9. Drive away- 9/10
i love this song i gave the lyrics to my girlfriend and she loved it
10. happy endings-10/10
coool upbeat song its very cool
11. Last song-12/10
Awesome way to close to cd

*yes I know I said 12/10