Customer Reviews

Open Up & Say Awesome

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Some albums just get to you and this is one of them. No innovation here. The engergetic fun delivery short circuits any critical analysis that can be offered. File under pop/punk/emo tag and get over it. There is just a certain something to this album that transports me back to the early nineties when music was wide open. It is big dumb rock circa 1991. I don't know if I would buy another album by these guys since it seems like they found a sound and stick with it. There is only one song I don't like and that is the uber-cheesy "Forever". That said the songs are all about girls and being in band. Sloan does this thing better but, damn, it gets me rockin'. While I feel a little ashamed when I think about liking this album, there is no doubt when I have it pumping.

The last UFB CD, "This will be laughing week" was a masterpiece It was full of rockin power pop songs that never ceased to amaze. It almost was as good as their live shows (well worth checking out)It had lots of energy and was pure rock n roll. This cd is rockin...its not the same as the last CD, little more time and emotion in the slow tracks, very well written with a totally different vibe, but when it comes to the rock, it still brings it. I have to admit it has grown on me the last few days... so maybe when I get to see these songs live i'll like it as much as their old stuff, worth the purchase for any rock music fan, but if your looking to get introduced to UFB, buy This will be laughing week...... or check a live show. No matter what UFB will rock you.

Ultimate Fakebook is best experienced in concert, but their raw energy comes through loud and clear on this album. While not as funky or exploratory as "this will be laughing week," this album does offer up catchy song after catchy song. The slow songs are inter-mingled well, and the closing song, "Popscotch Party Rock" is simply amazing. Definetly worth a look, not as crappy as everyone makes it out to be, honestly.

This record is well...awesome. I've been dissing this band for a while when I've never heard them, and I feel [bad] after I listened to this. That just goes to show that you should never judge any band without giving them a chance and a good listen or two first. But like I said, this Cd blew me away. It's so well written and played, and it sounds great. This is the ultimate rock/pop album in my book. Especially for what I consider an indie band. They're on one of the best labels around (Initial Records...go Louisville!), and have been around for a while. This is their third LP (?I dunno, I just got this CD and don't know much other than that it's awesome), and I doubt that they could top this...But I could be wrong, which is why I'm going to go look these guys up and get the rest of their records. So in conclusion, "Open Up and Say Awesome" is an amazing record and should be picked up ASAP, you will love it. Rock.

This is one rocking band ! I took a guess with them with This Will be Laughing Week and then again with Open up & Say Awesome and I'm glad I did. This is the kind of music you'll have a blast listening to. It usually doesn't take long for me to get into a good energetic song. Think Blink 182 for example. It didn't take 10 times to get into Rock Show. It rocks from the first time you listen to it. Ultimate Fakebook, on the other hand, managed to pull off energetic songs that you won't get the first time around. Songs like Wrestling Leap Year and When I'm With You, I'm OK rock my world now, but they didn't when I heard them the first time. I was thinking it was ok, but not that good. It took a few listens and when I finally got it, I couldn't listen to anything else.

Of course, Ultimate Fakebook (UFB from now on) is also able to pull Rock Shows of it's own. The Scheme to Listen No More is great right from the start; it's the short kind of songs UFB did also on their first album, like I'm All Out of It Now (System of a Down also does this on their CDs). Also, Popscotch Party Rock is a finish that will leave you wanting more, MORE ! Then, there are the slower songs. Some think UFB should stick to their more rocking sound, but I really like the slower songs on here (and on This Will be Laughing Week). Inside Me, Inside You and Forever, Forever are really catchy while Girl, Here's Another Lie and Red Elbows are most likely to make you stop and listen (maybe drop a tear if you're the sensitive kind).

I had to drop one star here because this record isn't perfect. It slows down a bit with Before You Leave and only picks up after Valentines. The four songs included here aren't bad, they're just not up to the rest of the songs. Plus, they slow down the album. Doesn't mean it isn't recommanded, because it is. So there you have it. If you do get Open up & Say Awesome, after you "get" Wrestling Leap Year, the best way to listen to it is to start with the last song and set your CD player to "repeat all". Then, you'll definitely open up & say... No! Not Ahh! It's awesome!

It's so beyond me why radio and MTV play so much garbage when amazing rock and roll like UFB are out there. This album is almost as good if not as good as "This will be laughing week." Hard driving guitar and pounding drums are balanced by McShane's smooth pop, sometimes falsetto, singing. I've been to a bunch of shows and the crowd is mixed - girls love the lyrics and singing, guys love the hard rock sound, old, young - there is something for everyone. Best tracks are "The scheme to listen no more" "When I'm with you, I'm ok" and sorry, I can't remember the rest. Are you ready to rock? It's not a question baby...

I had the impression this was going to be another downer emo-y CD probably from the hype I've read & the bands these guys played with when they came through Houston. Boy was I surprised when they unleashed a can of Replacements-Titanic Love Affair-Big Drill Car influenced-Power-Pop whoop ass on me. This is good! Check it out. Clever band name too.

You can call it pop-punk, punk-pop, emo, or whatever you want, but "Open Up and Say Awesome" traffics in generic power pop, circa 2002. All fuzzy guitar riffs and straining teen boy vocals, there's nothing here that a thousand other bands don't do just as well. In the Fakebook's defense, however, I should add that there are fifty times more who don't do it even this good.

There's a fat bald guy playing air bass on the cover -- be ashamed of yourself for even looking at this cd.