Customer Reviews

Move Along [Vinyl]

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

On their second album, The All-American Rejects continue to forge the power-rock they started with their debut in 2003. Their greatest strength is their driving beats and extra-large guitar chops. At 42 minutes in length, it feels more like 21. However, the band has always had issues with sounding like Green Day or Blink 182, and that is still evident with their sophomore release. This band will have to try harder to individuate themselves from the rest of the pack if they plan on surviving the fickle music business and predominantly teenage audiences that buy their music.

There are glimpses of that individuality with the title song, perhaps the best song on the disc, "Move Along". It's anti-suicide theme set against a trippy drum pattern replete with a children's choir. One of the other stand out tracks, "Night Drive", sounds like the Bay City Rollers 1976 hit "Saturday Night" in terms of its beat. The band attempts a few power ballads in the form of "It Ends Tonight" and "Straitjacket Feeling" along with the final track "Can't Take It". Their success is varied, with "It Ends Tonight" being the best of the three. Elsewhere, "Dance Inside" begins with some great vocals, but then shifts gears into standard rock fare.

Overall, for a band that is still associated with their original hit "Swing, Swing" from their debut. The All-American Rejects continue to put out strong power pop-rock music when most artists are churning out bland top 40 drivel. I noticed that the band jumped record labels from Dreamworks to Interscope, which is usually a bad sign for a band, but hopefully Interscope will realize the potential of this band and encourage them to try new musical directions and expand as artists.

The one great thing about the Rejects' style is that it's fun. No real tear-jerkers on here, but great for the times when you just want to listen to something light to help pick up your day.

Move Along is definitely a different style from their debut album, but I find it more likable over all. They do lose the "garage band" sound, but to me it's a definite improvement (the obvious drum machine was possibly the most irritating thing about their freshman album).

Song by song:

1. Dirty Little Secret (8.5/10)- This was my favorite first time around, but after a while it started to get on my nerves a little. I'm all for blasting music, but playing this thing at full blast is enough to give me a migrane. It's a little flat overall, but definitely catchy.

2. Stab My Back (8/10)- I think this should have been their third single (as opposed to Top of the World). It did get old, but I took a break from it for a while and it remains among my favorites.

3. Move Along (10/10)- There's a reason this one is so popular, and that's because it's great. They keep it both exotic (with the bongo-like drums) and rockish at the same time, experimenting with different sounds (children's choir, anyone?) and it all just works together seamlessly. Uplifting, too.

4. It Ends Tonight (10/10)- I'm a sucker for the piano, so this one got me right away. It appears to be a ballad at first, but picks up and gets very fast-paced. Also my favorite lyrics on the whole album.

5. Change Your Mind (7/10)- Not one of my favorites. I really like the lyrics (actually, I think they're the best part), but I find the beat a little annoying. Not bad over all, I still do like to listen to it from time to time.

6. Night Drive (9.5/10)- This isn't one of the more popular songs on the album, but it's one of my favorites. The guitar riffs are amazing and not too overdone by like in Dirty Little Secret. You can almost feel the desperation in the lyrics. The .5 taken off was for the clapping (which does make the song stand out, but can grate on you if you play it too loud).

7. 11:11 PM (9/10)- I really like it, but it's not quite as memorable as the others. Nice and fast paced.

8. Dance Inside (9/10)- Took a long time to grow on me, but when it did it became one of my favorites. The lyrics are slightly on the *naughty* side, but hey, it is what it is. It's a nice, softer type song, if the hard guitar riffs of some of the others aren't what you're in the mood for at the moment.

9. Top Of The World (7.5/10)- I really want to give these guys credit for trying to come up with a different topic for a song, but it feels as if they're trying too hard and just jumping on the "bash Bush" bandwagon. I'm not a Bush supporter, but I don't really need to hear about him in every other thing played on the radio. The song is actually not bad overall, but the lyrics feel too contrived.

10. Straightjacket Feeling (7.5/10)- The slowest song on the album. I like it a lot, with a nice title and lyrics. Just not among the top few. ;)

11. I'm Waiting (6/10)- The only one I couldn't get into. I don't know why, I feel like I should like it, but I just can't. I like the chorus a lot, but whenever it comes up, I skip over it.

12. Can't Take It (10/10)- I love this one. The violins give a nice, dramatic tone, which just makes the lyrics more meaningful. A little on the short side, but sweet nontheless.

There were also two bonus tracks that you can download online (if you didn't get them with the CD), Kiss Yourself Good-Bye and Eyelash Wishes. Both are good, if a little reminiscent of their old style, so I recommend checking them out.

In the end, this is a good, fun album. Check it out, you shouldn't be disappointed (unless you're expecting death metal, of course). ;)

This is a very good CD, regardless of any labels it's given. If you want to call it punk that's fine, but if you want to call it pop or something else go ahead and do that too.

The All-American Rejects astounded listeners with their first album (particularly "Swing, Swing", who hasn't heard that) which was really impressive (buy that too!). With this album, however, you can tell they're maturing and refining their sound to their own style. This record is more....rounded out, I would say, with each track memorably different yet containing the classic AAR sound.

"Dirty Little Secret" and "Stab My Back" get this album off to a good start, with catchy melodies which will stay in your head all day. "Move Along", the title track, is good too, and the lyrics actually make you feel like you matter, however corny that sounds.
"It Ends Tonight". We can all identify with this song, whichever side of things we happened to be on. It's followed by "Change Your Mind", which is one of my favorite tracks, upbeat and catchy. Then again, is there any AAR song which isn't catchy?
"Night Drive", which may not be one of the best songs on the CD, is still good. It doesn't sound like AAR (besides Tyson's unique voice)as much as you would expect, but open-minded people will like this. I really like "11:11 pm", which has the same kind of qualities as "Change Your Mind" but is just different enough to be awesome.
Now for my favorite song on the record, "Dance Inside". This song is so beautiful I've cried listening to it. The music is beautiful and the lyrics are perfect. Someone on here compared it to Coldplay; I wouldn't agree. I'd go so far as to say it's like Angels and Airwaves. Even if you don't like the All-American Rejects, listen to this song and see if it doesn't convince you.
"Top of the World" is a fun song. I like the guitar on this; it kind of starts off sounding Spanish and then hits you with a barrage of music. The vocals are kind of bratty and the melody is really strong. "Straitjacket Feeling", which follows it, is kind of wiped out by the previous songs. It's kind of similar to "It Ends Tonight", and I often find myself blending the two because they're so alike.
Ending with "I'm Waiting", reminicient of album number one, and "Can't Take It", a calming-down song which reminds you the CD's done, this album closes with the impression there will be more and to come in the future.

I wouldn't really try to compare AAR to any band, although you'll like them if you like Green Day or blink. If you have the first CD, get this one too. Do it. NOW.

I bought this CD for two main reasons - "Dirty Little Secret" and "Move Along." After sampling the tunes I found myself liking a few others and so I took the plunge and bought this CD.

This album has been getting lots of play on my CD player these days. The songs are totally addicting! I'm especially hooked on the following tracks:
Dirty Little Secret (full of energy, loads of fun)
Move Along (love it!! I repeat it over and over again, it's insane! My kids also love it because of its excellent beat. It is also featured in the "She's the Man" movie/dvd and "Bionicle" tv commercials so it's been getting lots of attention lately)
It Ends Tonight (nice, soft, ballad)
Straitjacket Feeling (has a strong 'emo' rock feel)
I'm Waiting (another fast, energetic tune)
Can't Take It (slower, more ballad-like)

Most of tunes are full of energy and are a blast to listen to. A couple have a slower beat and feel more like 'emo' rock. There is not one song in this album that I dislike. Overall, it's an excellent CD. Many of the tunes will stick with you and you'll find yourself humming them over and over. I usually don't buy CDs unless I like several of the songs in the album and this one is definitely one of those rare ones. It's a keeper and one that my whole family actually enjoys.

I can't stop listening to this!
I heard "Move Along" on the Radio once. I HAD TO FIND OUT WHO THIS WAS. So, after a litttle online researching I came to be a fan of The All American Rejects. One day, I spotted this CD on a trip to Wal-Mart. I hadn't listened to anything but "Move Along" before, so I decided to try to listen to some more of their songs.
My personal favorite on the CD would be VERY hard to say. It'd be a Tie between 5 diffrent songs.
1. Dirty Little secret
2. Stab my back
3. Move Along (first song by AAR I heard)
4. It ends tonight
6. Night Drive
are all my top 5 favs by them. I'd reccomend buying this.

Although it may sound stupid, I usually listen to music while I'm pretty busy at work, Thinking and concentrating on other things. If what I'm listening too grabs my attention and pulls me from my work I know that its a good one. While some albums just become background noise to me, this one stood out, I couldn't help but take notice of this one, tap my feet and enjoy what is a happy emo-filled power pop record. How long I can listen to it without getting bored? I don't know yet, 3 months and counting so far. I'm still not sick of there debut, I like it, I like their catchy sound. I don't believe these guys are trying to be anything they are not as some may speculate, don't over do it, no need to be harsh... its not hard.. Like it for what it is, or don't. I thought it was great.

I have to admit that while I really liked All-American Reject's first album, I felt something was lacking and as a result they were not in my top ten bands. The new album is a great development from their last, their music has matured without loosing the essence of AAR and they have explored more different sounds to add to each song. Each track is no longer a repetitive collection of riffs, more like a collection of riffs highlighted with various additional instruments to create a more melodic collection.

If I could, I'd give them a pat on the back for their progress. This is definitely something you want to buy if you are already a fan of AAR or if you are in to Panic! At The Disco, The Rocket Summer and Fall Out Boy, among many others.

I liked their first album; It was good and catchy. It wasn't brilliant or mind-boggling, but it was good. This album, Move Along, is better. It has more diversity than their debut, which focused mainly on love lost. Their songs are catchy, like the first album. But the topics and styles of the songs have variation, something the first cd lacked. From "Dirty Little Secret" to "Dance Inside" to "Can't Take It" Tyson Ritter shows a maturity in his voice that he lacked in his first effort. Most importantly, the band made progress. They improved, something that doesn't happen too often anymore. The All-American Rejects are different from the typical punk rock bands. They have something unique. If that's what you like, then definitely buy this CD.

Fall 2002- AAR's first album is released on an indie label. Winter 2003- AAR's first album is picked up by Dreamworks and re-released. Spring 2003- AAR were all over radio and MTV with the song "Swing Swing". Following that they had 2 other minor hit singles, then disappeared. Thats right- nobody heard a damn word from these guys for over 2 years. Then in late summer 2005, they released this. Their comeback single, "Dirty Little Secret", shot them back up on the charts, and is still in heavy rotation to this day. "Move Along" is also a big hit right now.

The album itself is great. You can expect more power-pop/emo (think in the vein of Weezer or Jimmy Eat World, but with slightly higher pitched vocals) from these Oklahoma kids, they sure know how to write a catchy hook thats for sure. This album may not be quite as youthful as their debut, but it certainly sounds much more real and raw than the debut (which had its share of drum loops and computerized sounding guitars, most evident in the song "My Paper Heart"). Not every song on this album will hook you in right away, but give them another chance and you'll be singing along in no time. My personal favorites are "Stab My Back", "Move Along", and "Night Drive".

PS: And to the guy below, just shutup, please. I listen to Bad Religion, the Sex Pistols, AND this band, and trust me- those 2 bands are nothing "harsh" to the ears compared to this, both those bands also have their share of catchy melodies and pop hooks. If you wanted to "scare" the little kiddies away, next time look into some more hardcore bands or something.

PS2: Oh, and since I'm a greedy mofo, I'm just gonna advertise my band, check us out if you like catchy pop punk:

[...]

"Move Along" is a very mature release from The All-American Rejects. The songs are catchy. Singer/Bassist Tyson Ritter deffenately knows how to write a good song.

Songs like "Dirty Little Secret", "Stab My Back", and "Move Along" kick the record off with a bang. These songs get easially stuck in my head.

There's also slow songs like "Straightjacket Feeling" and "Can't Take It". These songs are amazing and really show off Ritter's vocal ability. Not only that, but it also shows off his song writing abilities. The other band members(Nick Wheeler, Chris Gaylor, and Mike Kennerty) have also grown as musician because the background music is amazing.

My best friend bought me this cd for my birthday and I haven't been able to take it out of the player since. If you like bands like Fall Out Boy, The Ataris, Relient K, and so on, then you will like the All-American Rejects. It's enjoyable to people of all ages(my 6 year old sister loves it and even my mom can't help but like "Move Along" and "Dirty Little Secret").