September 20, 2010
119_Mixtape Mondays: Conditions
_Currently Addicted To: Conditions, Fluorescent Youth
_For your reading pleasure, A Review!
_Overview: Conditions’ debut album Fluorescent Youth puts them in a prime position to take the pop-rock throne, now that acts like Taking Back Sunday and Fall Out Boy have moved on to stadium-rock fame. However, Conditions’ debut is so good, it kinda makes us wonder why we gave Taking Back Sunday or Fall Out Boy the throne in the first place.
_Specifics: Conditions will instantly remind listeners of early Taking Back Sunday, when John was still in the band, or early Brand New, before they got all alternative (in the best way possible), or early Anberlin (not that Anberlin has changed much over the years, but anyway). That is to say, when pop-rock was only just getting out of the garage and there wasn’t that pesky thing called fame distorting it.
_The most impressive aspect of Fluorescent Youth is the way it handles itself with such poise. Musically it is solid, but not complicated, stirring, but not overblown. Lyrically, it is honest without being (dare I say it) emo, inspirational without being cheesy, and uplifting without being religious, overly political or overly optimistic. It steps up to all those lines and walks them like a pro.
_While lacking any obvious religious or political motivations, Conditions does pull off some crippling social commentary and they nail it. Their main concern? People lying to themselves and buying into what society tells them to be. Tracks like “Natural Competition” and “Miss America” in particular nail this concept on the head, berating a lifestyle of cheap sex and empty emotions.
_All that combined with some great riffs and the result is a balanced, honest album that has the youthful energy of an angsty garage band mixed with the dignity and wisdom of a bartender giving advice.
_Rating*:
_Pre-Order The Special Edition
_Conditions: http://www.myspace.com/conditionsband
(* A note on our new rating system. It goes, from worst to best: Don’t Bother – Burn Your Friend’s Copy – Buy It Off iTunes – Pre-Order The Special Edition. The new system was created when we realized that no one pays attention to stars, but people really want to know if an album is worth spending money on.)
_Keep listening, and we’ll see you next week.
- Kid
