| Reviewing Joyce Manor |
| Written by Tim Crisp, Vidette Blogger |
| Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:10 |
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This all works pretty well for me because 23 year old white boy blues is sort of my thing and on top of that this new generation of punk bands would be the first to grow up with 90’s alternative. Gin Blossoms, Lemonheads, Superchunk, Weezer. I dig it. The band released their self-titled full-length a little over a month ago on 6131 Records and clocking in at under 20 minutes, I’ve listened to it many many times since I downloaded it and have to say that I find it better each time I hear it. Excellent walking music, I wish I picked it up last week when I found walking fun. The band’s sound rests somewhere between a cleaner version of early Jawbreaker and a gruffier Superdrag as well as that nonchalant sarcastic wit of the first two Weezer albums. The sound isn’t completely original, but the band writes good fast songs and throw in a few solid mid-tempo numbers that give the record plenty of definition. Though they don’t re-write the book, they don’t repeat themselves. Each vocal melody is ridiculously catchy and original and the band adequately works around them. From the infectious “whoas” of opener Orange Julius to the desperate folk-punk screams of Leather Jacket not a single track falls short on this, what may be a front runner for the best of 2011 on many punk rock blogs. For a young band still finding their feet, the strength of this debut is astounding and the promise found in it is pretty exciting. Check out Joyce Manor’s bandcamp to stream their demo which includes two songs from the full length which can be downloaded here. If you like what you hear, the record can be pre-ordered from 6131.
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23 is the new 18. Everyone goes to college now, stretching adolescence into your early 20s making 23 the new age for kids to start punk rock bands and start complaining about growing up (which I think is the basic premise for 
