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And Nothing is #1 is built
upon self-absorbed lyrics spouting angsty silhouettes
of melancholy dispositions and want-you-back one-liners.
Lyrics like "I'm trying not to hide that I'm horrible
but I am" and "I'm fine and that's what I've
been telling" weigh the album down with mundane
problems and emotions that don't seem worth singing
about -- and when the band isn't focused on the first
person, it's the second person, who is ever so dearly
missed ("I'll see you in a month and maybe we'll
talk about / Everything that's happened from then to
now").
If you can get beyond these points,
you'll find that Up Up... play some pretty good music.
The EP is a nice mix of bare melodic riffs and crashing
guitars, balancing angry screaming vocals along or on
top of downbeat, 764-HERO-style singing. Transitions
between tracks are elegant and subtle; the best instance
occurs when the sluggishly relaxing "You Landed
so Gracefully" slips into "I Know You'll Find
Out That I'm a Geek"'s suave beat and driving melody.
The harder moments are angular and edgy, revving up
the unusually stylish melodies of the aforementioned
songs and "Muscle, When Will I See It?".
This
is a short record -- ten songs in less than 30 minutes.
The music changes constantly, rarely adhering to predictable
structures. Except for a few brief slips, such as "Is
That a Terrible Thing to Say?"'s horribly saccharine
strings, it shifts easily between faster and slower
segments. If only the lyrics were as innovative as the
music, and Nothing is #1 would be great.
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