Customer Reviews

Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

According to All Music and their critics, Cute Is What We Aim For and their cheekiness is not much to their liking. But what's really strange to me is there was only a measely second of hesitation on my part to like this CD; by the time the ending of the first track "Newport Living" came along, this band had a brand new fan. "You wanted to sell out/ but you couldn't even do that right/ so your price tag has been slashed/ and now you're on a half price clearance rack," umm hello, what a crack up. I love the fact they make fun of everything including themselves, where some critics find that they are perhaps trying to too hard to be clever, I disagree and think they're just funny enough to be clever - "The Fourth Drink Instinct" the story of a girl who gets drunk and screws someone and turns around and is surprised when he leaves her in the morning is great. It's a power rock ballad and perhaps it's toned down in terms of lyrics I can surely relate to it (I know friends like that) (What made you think that he couldn't find the door in the morning/ when he found that bed so easily in the dark?) ; "There's A Class For This" includes lines "drama doesn't follow me/ it rides on my back/ I may be ugly/ but they sure love to stare..." and in "Risque" they give us "Medically speaking you're adorable/and from what I hear/ you're quite affordable..." I love it. Musically, the band is more poppy than Boy Kill Boy and less tragic guitars a la The Smiths, but they aren't quite as experimental and fun as say Wheatus, in fact they sound a lot like a lot of those bands I don't like that out now a days - the dime a door dozen type with the chugging guitars and the high pitced wincy voice, but this time around it has won me over, the music moves in jaunts and rhythmic motions and the vocals are actually giving me a thrill with the witty lyrics - so critics be damned I'm telling you The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch is clever and lovable and umm cute.

I didn't think I'd like Cute Is What We Aim For, since I'm a fan of the classics - Beatles, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, et cetera. I heard a couple riffs of "There's A Class For This" and thought, "Here we go, more emo pop".

Then I listened to the whole song.

And couldn't get it out of my head for days.

And found that when I listened to it on my way to work, I showed up grinning. So I listened to the rest of the album, and it's more of a good thing. For being so young, this band has some serious talent (and doesn't take themselves so seriously, which is refreshing).

Highly recommend this album to anyone who wants some upbeat, catchy, clever music!

Cute Is What We Aim For's <em>The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch</em> has no qualms over what it is: a light and fluffy (if self-indulgent) romp through merry tunes of crushes and heartbreak, of one night stands and ultimately, girls. <em>The Same Old Blood</em>'s ultimate savior is how often it doesn't take itself seriously, with tunes like the catchy "The Curse of Curves" or the self-aware "There's A Class For This." But when it really takes its time to sit down and ponder the universe ("The Fourth Drink Instinct" will likely become a teen angst favorite), it shines by its own merits, but surrounded by the fluff it is, it seems more a very welcome intrusion than anything else.

The CD starts off with a bang, with lead singer Shaant belting "Everyone's a letdown/it just depends on how far down they can go" in "Newport Living"> It's a biting line, one that rings with a resounding truth that any teen in their high school years can relate to, and the song itself is one of the album's best. The song is followed by the less successful first single "There's A Class For This." It's radio material, for sure, but it's self-indulgent ("Drama doesn't follow me/It rides on my back/I may be ugly but they sure love to stare"). It sure is easy to sing along to, but harder to feel for. It's breezy and fast, and over before you can truly complain about, and ultimately redeems itself before you reach the third number.

"Finger Twist & Split" is the first big mis-step for <em>The Same Old Blood</em>, and while not a big one, I found myself skipping over the song more than once. It's clichéd, and with a band that revels in clichés, CIWWAF seems to have thought this one was clever twist on an age old cinematic issue. It's not. The song is followed up with "Risque" (a personal favorite), with obvious but painfully honest lyrics that get under the skin. It starts over innocently enough, but before picking up with a chorus to be proud of.

"Sweat The Battle Before The Battle Sweats You" (a title Panic! At The Disco would be proud of. Come to think of it, it seems a blatant rip off of the chorus to "Camisado") is poppy and springs out of the speakers with a resounding clap. It's not bad, but it's not great. It's just there, taking up space. And that's not a problem.

"The Fourth Drink Instinct" is where Shaant really stops to slow things down. This is where I'm really stuck on the album. The song is amazing, really. The lyrics are like a sudden slap to the face. They're truthful, they're mature beyond their years, and the chorus begins with such a force of emotion it's amazing to be hold. But ultimately, the song feels out of place among the teen angst, with lyrics about one night stands and drinking. But "Sweet Talk 101" picks up where "Sweat The Battle" left off, and it's sure to make a radio hit (a more fitting one than "There's A Class For This"). The line "The arch in your eyebrow can tell the truth/Just imagine what your back could do" will go down in history as one of the greatest placed instrumental changes in a song, and one of the funnest lines to belt out to. Go ahead and try turning it up when you get to that part.

"The Curse of Curves", the whole reason I fell in love with CIWWAF, is egotistical ("With my combination of my gift with one liners/And my way, my way with words"), and a joy to endulge in. The lyrics are amazingly easy to remember, and it's so enjoyable to sing along to that I'm surprised it wasn't picked to be a single (though I'm holding out for it to be).

"I Put The 'Metro' In Metronome". The only reason I even really remember this song is the pre-chorus: "Your clothes don't fit the season/You're cold and that's the reason." It's a moment of sheer wit, one that seems all too out of place with the song, better suited for well placed hooks and snappier choruses. It's not a bad song by any standards (there's no "bad song" on the whole album), it's just disappointing follow-up to "The Curse Of Curves."

"Lyrical Lies" is a welcome change, based almost soley in acoustic. It's sharp, heartbreak material, with one of the disc's best lines: "You want to be dressed in poetry/But imagery doesn't fit." The song doesn't feel to out of place as "The Fourth Drink Instinct" and fits well in the context of the CD, but "The Fourth Drink Instinct" is still superior in every aspect.

Whoever decided to place "Moan" after "Lyrical Lies" was brilliant, as it starts up as fast as "Lyrical Lies" ends, and is such a quick change of pace in that no lull is ever detected. It's a breather and a rush (fitting to the the song with the line "Swoon this is the same old rush with a new touch"). It's naive but such a guilty pleasure that you can overlook stumbles like "And we all wet our lips to prepare for the kiss/It was but a game" and "So come back/Such a task and this is such a blast."

The album ends with "Teasing To Please (Left Side, Strong Side)", and it's a fitting end. It's not epic ending that some bands try to do, though it does have a harmony fade. It's no big bang, but really, <em>The Same Old Blood</em> has no reason to try to be something it's not (and they were smart to remember that). It's there for those late summer afternoons or laid back nights. It's fast and it's fluffy, but ultimately there is no shame in purchasing it. Just don't expect something revolutionary.

Newport Living (9/10)
There's A Class For This (7/10)
Finger Twist & Split (6/10)
Risque (9/10)
Sweat The Battle Before The Battle Sweats You (7/10)
The Fourth Drink Instinct (10/10)
Sweet Talk 101 (8/10)
The Curse Of Curves (9/10)
I Put The "Metro" In Metronome (6/10)
Lyrical Lies (8/10)
Moan (9/10)
Teasing To Please (Left Side, Strong Side) (8/10)

Recommended.

This album may have some of the best lyrics ever written. Suppose you'd never heard of Cute Is What We Aim For, and a friend said Hey listen to this. You would first hear a energetic indie/alternative band with 'rocker boy' vocals. You'd go to their Myspace or Purevolume and listen to them again. Sooner than later the lyrics start to stir within you. Once you have actually heard the lyrics you will not be able to get them out of your head until you have the CD

The hook at the beginning of the album, Newport Living, hits deep with every young adult. I doubt any teen introduced to the social clichés can disagree with lyrics like Everyone's a let down/It just depends on how far down they can go and If you lie you don't deserve to have friends.

So now you're hooked and start to play the next songs and you hear lyrics like Drama doesn't follow me it rides on my back (There's A Class for This), I got birds in my ears/And a devil on my shoulder (Risque), and You have a jump in your step/ But a rip in your/ A rip in your rep (Sweet Talk 101) the lyrics get better and better as they go.

By the time you get to Curse of the Curves, if you're not already hooked, you will be. I want someone provocative and talkative/but it's so hard when you're shallow as a shower The whole song is wonderful. It's nearly impossible to quote the best part.

The album does not stop there, continuing to astound until the end. When it is over I am never ready to be done listening to it and consistently start it over and listen to the whole thing again. A warning this album does have some not so discreet sex references. I do think that they have good morals for the most part. They have a few lyrics like Caught up in her own hard liquor world/But liquor doesn't exist in my world and Let's not let us forget/Where she gets the habit/She gets the pills from her skills/She gets the skills from the pills/And just look at that clique/Do you really wanna be the star of it? Those are good messages that few bands give.

Ok first off we should disregard everyone that doesn't like the whole emo/poppy-punk genre...there's no point in you even thinking about this album if you don't like guys whining about girls.

Luckily, I love that kind of thing.

Cute is What We Aim For has a lot of potential, they just haven't quite got it right this time around. Their demos were highly regarded for the stripped-down emotional qualities (such as "lyrical lies") which unfortunately in these rerecorded versions come out a bit bland.

There are a lot of good moments in this album but the overproduction has really washed away the emotional quality that drew me to the band in the first place. I honestly feel like those studio morons are ruining modern music. We don't need reverb and 5 vocal tracks for every line, and we don't need voice correction software to fix every minor voice crack. It's ok though because I'm crossing my fingers that they'll get it right the second time around.

The album is worth it having but isn't fantastic. They're young, however, and I think given enough time they'll be able to work the studio instead of having the studio work them.

I just bought this album today, with much, much, MUCH anticipation. I had become a big fan after listening on Myspace and Purevolume. Overall, I was very pleased with the album, although three songs (There's a Class For This, Finger Twist and Split, and Risque) I had heard previously as demos. I actually liked the demo versions better, so I just replaced my cd tracks on itunes with my downloads of the demos. All better.

For the rest of the cd, I just have to say: this band is NOT at all similar to Panic! at the Disco, as I have heard many people allege. Their music is slower, and less dance-oriented. However, I love both bands, and most P!ATD fans should, too, and even some Fall Out Boy fans. This band's talented and will probably get better by the time their next album comes out.

This album is very impressive in all the important ways. The singer and lyricist Shaant has a charismatic vocal presence. The lyrics are honest and not cliche. The music is catchy but at the same time mellow and not shallow (mellow without being boring, I generally don't like mellow music). There are fast songs and slow songs but all are good. This album is worth listening to all the way through, unlike most albums. The first time I listened to it I was doing things on the net and so gave it no attention, it was so good that it impressed it's worth on me through the minimal subconscious attention it was given. When I listened to it without distraction I found it good but like all great albums, it took a while to grow on me, and grow it did. It is now one of the best albums I have bought in a long time. Pick it up, esp. if you like the emo scene, you won't regret it.

So, I bought this CD on a complete whim. Never heard of the band before I bought the CD, but the band name, the album title, the track listing and the price ($8!) caught my eye.

Then I listened to the album and the lyrics really caught my ears. They're extremely catchy and, for the most part, original, witty, and sometimes poignant. The music is great for... well, actually I haven't found much that you can't do to this album. I tend to use it to stay awake and energetic through really unpleasant tasks. The lyrics keep me entertained and the music keeps me moving.

Generally, I'm not a big fan of emo/power pop/whatever you want to call it, but I love this album and if you're looking for something that sounds pretty light without being totally insubstantial, I'd highly recommend it. Borrow it or preview it, if you're really unsure, but don't be surprised when you find yourself singing "Drama doesn't follow me..." for a week afterward.

Cute is on to something and I think they're only going to improve from here.

When you first get the record, it's the catchiest thing ever. I really loved "Fourth Drink Instinct" and "The Curse of Curves". The only problem is after listening to a million times, it gets kind of old. So if you get it, it's really good, but you forget you have it. I guess it's to good relisten to if you haven't heard it in a while.

To be perfectly honest I grew up on the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Warren Zevon, and Tom Petty, so basically I'm firmly ensconsed in the Rock camp, but I'm always willing to give other bands a chance.

I kinda wish I didn't give this band one.

The songs are catchy, certainly, in the same way that 'The Song That Never Ends' is. You will soon wish to drive a stake through your skull. The band members are not bad musicians, but they are solidly average. The singer, well he can hit higher notes than I can, which would be impressive if he didn't sound so much like a prepubescent boy.

CIWWAF is clearly attempting to follow in the footsteps of Fall Out Boy or Panic! At The Disco but their stride falls short.