Customer Reviews

Forget What You Know

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

First off, let me say that I love Midtown. They are my favorite band. Don't stop reading this review now because you think that I'm going to give it a great review just because I love the band. I won't. I did not like Living Well is the Best Revenge and I would give that about a 3.5/5 because it was subpar. Forget What You Know, however, most definitely earns a 5 star rating. Hopefully, I have established some sort of credibility as a non-biased reviewer and you will give this critique a good viewing.

Let's start with the obvious: it sounds different. Get over it. No longer is Midtown playing for the pop-punk crowd, they have matured and created a sound that is different than most other bands garnering success today. You may have read other reviews on this website or other sites claiming Midtown sold out on this record; this is not true. They recorded the music that they wanted to record with their own money without any label backing them. This CD is the CD Midtown wanted to make and they did it so how anyone can claim that they sold out is ridiculous. Even more ridiculous would be giving them a one star review off of their own ignorance than by basing it off the music.

Back to my review, this CD earns a perfect rating because it is exactly the thing that I have come to expect from Midtown: great music with great hooks and great lyrics without sounding cheesy and redundant. It starts off the brooding intro of "Armageddon" and then leads directly into a headbanging "To Our Savior." This is the listener's first glance at Midtown: Reborn. No longer are they singing about heartbreak from girls...you can feel Gabe Saporta's heartbreak with life. It's so hard to believe what you're looking for in life. This theme of being disillusioned with life carries through the entire album nearly flawlessly.

"Give it Up" is the next track which was the first to adorn the radiowaves. Not hard to believe when you hear how catchy it is. "Is it Me, Is it True?" follows, declaring lyrics like "Sex is old, old and boring, when you're feeling nothing." It's easy to see how people can be turned off by this CD but if you give it a chance and listen to it for what it is, you will learn just how incredible it is.

"Whole New World" and "Nothing's Ever What it Seems" are both good songs that will keep you tapping your foot while also provoking thought. "Empty Like the Ocean," the second single which has not yet been released, is probably the best song on the CD, though it is not my favorite. It's completely different than anything I've ever heard and it's a phenomenal track. Listen to it and you will see.

"Waiting for the News" is the slow song on the album which, a rarity for slower songs, is one of the strongest tracks on Forget What You Know. 'Even though we sleep together, we're alone.' Yes, it's about a girl, but about a girl in a different way than 'A girl broke up with me and I'm sad.' This song puts Midtown in a completely different league than their peers.

"Until it Kills" is a moderately-paced song that is more upbeat but in all honesty, I believe that this is the worst song on Forget What You Know. There, I said it as a Midtown fan. It's a good song but all of the other songs are better. "Hey Baby, Don't You Know That We're All Whores?" comes next and while can be seen as a joke song from the title, it's not. Listen to the lyrics; you're a whore and I'm a whore.

"Help Me Sleep" is probably my favorite song on the album lyrically. 'The more I learn, the less I know' is one of the greatest lines on the album because it's extremely true. If you think about it, it's just about being bogged down with so much in life that you think you know something but you really don't know anything. "Manhattan" is a slow track that ticks into an explosion of awesomeness. It's about how Gabe can't believe how he's living his life and how he feels lost.

"So Long as We Keep Our Bodies Numb, We're Safe" is my favorite Midtown song ever. This song contains every element of what I love about Midtown. The lyrics ('Every time you swallow do you get a taste of what you've become?'), the rocking pace, the tri-vocal harmonies...it's an incredible track that people say is most reminiscent of Midtown's past music.

Forget What You Know is my favorite album from 2004 for good reason. This is Midtown's best work. They did not sell out, they refined their sound into something that they wanted with amazing results. Buy this album now and give it a good listen before making any ignorant judgments.

5/5

Forget What You Know is the best album of 2004. Midtown shreds its emo-punk roots and instead charges forward with heart-wrenching lyrics and and even more tremendous musicianship.

Midtown's bio mentions FWYK: "The songs, they all deal with the same things: The dissolution of the lines of reality, our abstraction from meaning, searching for it in the wrong places, filling empty spaces with things, garbage." It's hard to say it any better. It's unfortunate that this album will never get the acclaim it deserves because it's easily the best of 2004. Outstanding in every way.

Midtown's Forget What You Know is one of the most ambitious records of the year. The members of the band paid for the recording out of their own pockets, with Butch Walker producing. Columbia ended up signing them and releasing it. In my opinion, this is the record of the year...and here's why...
1.Armageddon An intro that leads into the next track with a chant.
2.To Our Savior (5/5) Awesome first song of the album. Fast-paced and catchy.
3.Give It Up (5/5) The album's first single. It's very Police-influenced and catchy as hell.
4.Is It Me? Is It True? (4.5/5) This is the track you would never find on their past releases. Good depressing rock tune.
5.God Is Dead intermission track. Piano leads you into the next track.
6.Whole New World (5/5) Other vocalists step in more than Gabe. Slow, smooth rock song. It's excellent. "Save yourself, there's no salvation." Pessimistic.
7.Empty Like The Ocean (5/5) Probably the strongest track on the album. Rocks harder than most Midtown songs.
8.Nothing Is Ever What It Seems (4.5/5) Another rock song. Slower verses with explosive choruses.
9.Tragedy Of Human Condition Last intermission track of the album. Starts off Waiting for the News
10.Waiting For The News (5/5) Catchy pop rock song. Mellow track with an awesome chorus.
11.Until It Kills (4.5/5) Slower song. Clean (for the most part) and catchy.
12.Hey Baby, Don't You Know That We're All Wh*res (4.5/5) Fast-paced rock track gets the cd's speed going again. Very Foo Fighters-ish.
13.Help Me Sleep (4.5/5) Smooth verses with a heavy explosive chorus. Awesome song about insomnia.
14.Manhattan (4/5) Song I enjoy the least...Slow soft ballad song...very depressing. Explodes at the end.
15.So Long As We Keep Our Bodies Numb We're Safe (5/5) Reminiscent of older Midtown songs. Catchy and fast-paced. Has a bridge that repeats over and over again for about 12 minutes, yet I never get sick of it.
Go pick this album up if you haven't and you enjoy the following bands: Foo Fighters, Autopilot Off, Northstar, Saves The Day.

Let's get a few things straight. Midtown is one of the best bands right now. They refuse to belong to one genre. If you actually listen to their albums, you'll know this. Each one is a different entity. The first one had some punk. The second one had some pop. (this) The third one has some rock. Refusing to belong to one genre, being talented enough to avoid such barriers makes for a good band. Gabe (lead singer) can be quoted as saying "if it's not rap and it's not country, it's just rock and roll."

Now, take into account their album's title "Forget What You Know." This is a very intelligent band. Note the lyrics, note that members are Rutgers alumni. If anyone reading this ponders about the other reviews, ignore them. Notice how all of them say how much the band has changed their sound.

I assure you that the band has indeed changed. It's found a new direction. As musicians, they're growing. The sound is more complex, all the instruments have found a steady place in the sound. The vocals are more focused. The lyrics are a little more vague, more poetic. This is more than a CD to listen to and ignore in a week. Take this as an experience, friend. They're not the same band releasing the same album. Their the same band changing, growing, and releasing DIFFERENT albums. Midtown could very well change what you think.

As for the CD, it starts out odd. As a long time Midtown fan, I was a little confused. An instrumental track? How odd. It's like a snowball rolling down a mountain. It gains momentum as it rolls and towards the end, it seems as though it's going to shatter. It does, and so goes the lead into track two, "You're My Savior."

As the album goes on, you'll notice that the lyrics are very sincere, introspective, and even a little complex. Each song compliments the others well. It's hard to pinpoint one song because the entire album, as mentioned before, is an experience. The album winds down and the last track kind of unravels the aforementioned snowball. They pick you up gently, rock your socks off, put you down softly, and tuck you into bed. What an exhausting ride.

Midtown, for lack of a better term, rocks. Listen to the samples, read some lyric pages, do the math, add it up, whatever. Buy the album. Support the band. Don't do drugs. Animals are our friends. I love you, good night.

"To Our Saviour" (7/10)
"Give It Up" (9/10)
"Is It Me? Is It True?" (6/10)
"Whole New World" (7/10)
"Empty Like The Ocean" (7/10)
"Nothing Is Ever What It Seems" (8/10)
"Waiting For The News" (6/10)
"Until It Kills" (7/10)
"Help Me Sleep" (7/10)
"Hey Baby, Don't You Know That We're All Whores?" (7/10)
"Manhattan" (5/10)
"So Long As We Keep Our Bodies Numb We're Safe" (8/10)

Midtown's latest record, "Forget What You Know," could be referred to as decent at best. None of the songs are extremely catchy and seem to song very similar. Standouts would be "Give It Up" and "Nothing Is Ever What It Seems."

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Short and simple. If your into the old Midtown records, then this isn't for you. The high energy, stay young image has faded and a new trend has come in. The change is drastic.

Well, Living Well is the Best Revenge was and is an awesome CD. I love it, and i have for over 3 years now. I was excited when i heard Midtown had a new CD coming out. So, it came out, i bought it, put it in my CD player. Man, i wasn't very impressed. The first actual song is way too catchy....it's a wonder it wasn't a "radio hit" for them. The CD overall was pretty mediocre. A lot of filler and just plain horrible songs. I was able to find 3 that stood out. "Empty Like the Ocean", "Nothing is Ever What it Seems", "Help Me Sleep". Those songs kick some major ass, and for that, i give the CD a 2. I'll be hesitant to buy their next CD.

I became a fan of midtown a few years back. I liked some of the songs on Living Well Is the Best Revenge but that cd does'nt come close to Forget What You Know. Every song on this cd is well written and performed.

The first time i listened to this album, I'd have to say i was a little undecided about midtown's new sound. I instantly knew it was much better than their previous releases, and so i gave it another listen. By the third time, i was blown away. The depth and honesty of this album surpasses anything I've heard this year in rock.
As with any midtown release, the vocals are great, but now add in sophisticated lyrics, and awesome guitars, and you've got something special. This definitely is my favorite cd so far in 2004.

I've bought alot of albums in 2004. Only a select few...Bad Religion, My Chemical Romance, to name the rock cd's. This is a great album in 2004. Yeah it sounds produced, but I didn't find it to distract the music. The melodies, rhythms, chord progressions, bass lines, drums and harmonies are still creative. Too many people mistake well-produced with a record that is meant for commercial success. These guys are talented and have used that to take their band into the direction of Blink-182. To make this short, I recommend this cd to anyone who likes the sound of the new Blink. It's still the same band, but it is definately not pop-punk, whose sole purpose is for short, sunny day choruses. If you like rock in the direction of originality, get this. You definately won't immediately compare it to 1000 other records; something that could have been done with the last two Midtown records (although I still enjoyed them none the less).