Customer Reviews

Record Play

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

 

 

This album is what you'd get if you asked some hypothetical supercomputer to create the most perfect indie-emo record. It is basically flawless, but at the same time it does feel maybe a bit too smooth and perhaps a little inorganic.

Don't know what you call the genre- maybe "emo" is a cuss word to you and "punk" brings about ideas of overdone and cliched packed venues full of screaming, shirtless idiots wearing ripped jeans and listening to music as common as student fund-raising car washes. Shoot, maybe indie makes you cringe at a stereotypical "hipster" label that's popular with the kids these days. Okay just screw genres! Whatever you call bands like Braid, The Promise Ring, The Get Up Kids, etc. doesn't matter, because they all have this incredible and almost ethereal ability to conjure up great emotions of nostalgia, bleakness, and more that I can't define. That's not to say the music's bleak- hell no! And this Mock Orange album is just about as perfectly full of feeling as you can get!

Lyrics- smart and highly interpretable to your own situation. Drumming- straight up, the drummer is one of the most talented ones out there and he's hiding out in this relatively unknown band even today when they moved on to more northwestern indie inspired music. The guitars are chunky and intense, and the bass is skillfully played. To sum, a very talented group of dudes making intelligent music. Best songs? Well, you're not going to download any singles. That's just disrespectful. The whole album is a wholesome, powerful experience. Get the whole thing. better yet, buy the CD to support the band more directly.

"Emo-Punk-Indie" bands all hit me hard with ruminations of the past in emotional drownings. I've found that this album in particular smashes me down right at the end of summer vacation, before you have to go back to school and realize you just wasted your time doing absolutely nothing productive all alone bored as crap, yet you want that to last as long as possible. The aimless, destination free bike riding, throwing sticks in flooded retention fields, trying to think of a way to get shoes down from power lines, and freezing wasps for five minutes to tie a string to their leg and a weight on the other end so they unfreeze and miraculously still live and try to fly away. Ah, my bleak little summers at the ripe old age of 18. It's like these days just drip away into the hot windy breezes like a receipt for new Chuck Taylors. You just don't want them to go even though you ain't returning those sick sneakers! And I'm at that point right now, exactly a week until vacation's over. There's nothing I'd rather listen to in order to absorb a summer gone by. Loneliness is bleak, heaven hits me hard. Damn it, Mock Orange, you're just what the doctor ordered! Now let's go on the swing sets at the abandoned park for no reason and get those stupid shoes off the line by the sidewalk down the road!

I can immediately tell that this album was produced by Mark Trombino who also produced No Knife's albums. There is a definate similarity. Vocally it is a mix between the vocals of Chris Broach and Bob Nanna (both x-Braid). So if you miss Braid and like bands like the Get Up Kids, No Knife, and Jimmy Eat World--this cd is right along those lines.

Mock Orange's NEW cd "The Record Play" isn't as good as their first Full Length album "Nines and Sixes" but is a change for them I say! Other bands like Mock's new cd: "Lagwagon", "get Up Kids" "Dynamite Boy", "Braid", "TrueZero" and "the Anniversary". IF you like their emo/indie style den get the Record Play tape! I give "Nines and Sixes" 5 stars though...

this is the best full lenght that the guys ahve released. nines and sixes just blew in my opinion. this one was refreashing to get and gave me confidence that these guys can write good lasting music. slow song, she runs the ride, nothing to write, brake lites on, are the best songs.

Mock Orange exemplifies everything that is wrong with the independent scene. Now, don't misunderstand me: there is nothing wrong with the band itself. In fact, I am falling head over heels in love with their sweet blend of Braid, Jimmy Eat World and American Football. The problem lies in their label -- Lobster Records. Now, be honest, how many people have heard of this label? I see maybe a few hands. I'm not badmouthing the label, either. The problem today is that too many really good bands put their albums out on obscure indie labels with little to no distribution, and in turn, very few people will hear the band. Essentially the market is becoming flooded. If this band could get on Polyvinyl, or Doghouse, or Big Wheel Recreation, they could be absolutely huge. This album just will not get out of my head to save it's life. From the opener, "Brake Lights On," with it's stop/start drums and crazy guitar licks, to "In Even Time," which will have you wanting to play air guitar for 3 minutes straight, to "Nothing To Write," which sounds like a Braid outtake [but it is much better than Hey Mercedes], Mock Orange rocks hard. My only wish for this band is that they get incredibly popular, at least on the independent scene. Music this talented deserves to be heard. Good luck, boys!

I just read that this CD was one of Papa Roach's favorite cd's of the year, so now everyone has to buy. It is a great CD though so buy it now. Other bands on their list were Snapcase, Drowning Man and At The Drive-In. www.ubl.com.