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"When All Else Fails", the new release from California-based punk band Bracket is a catchy, upbeat, well-produced pop punk album. This album is really fun to listen to, and has led to my walking around singing songs to myself. The guitar work on this album is very precise and poppy. One of the tracks even features Fat Mike (NOFX) on guitar. If you can listen to this album and not walk away humming to yourself, check for a pulse, you may be dead.
The album begins with the sickeningly catchy song "Everyone Is Telling Me I'll Never Win, If I Fall In Love With A Girl From Marin". This song just sucks you in. You're stuck singing along for the duration the album now. Even if you don't know the words, you'll be hooked by this song, and do your best to keep up vocally. The choruses are your best bet to sing to.
"No Brainer" is a great song too. It's little harder than the rest of the songs, and that may have a little something to do with the fact that Fat Mike helped write it, and plays guitar on the track. The vocals on this track are great, as it is with the rest of the album. "Cynically Depressed" is a sweet song. It starts off with a totally 50's style riff, and kicks into the pop punk sound of the rest of the album.
"Warren's Song Part 9" is the newest installment to a song that has stretched across release after release. This song touches on the ska element for a moment. But in a NOFX sorta way, not a true ska sound.
"Me Vs. The World" is my favorite song on the album. It's rocking song, with a great lead riff. The bouncing bass line helps make this a great song. "Happy Song" has a very bouncy sound that carries you through the song on an upbeat, then out of nowhere, it drops to this strange, almost accoustic-like outro. A really creative move.
"Yoko Oh-No" contains the best guitar work on the album. This song really utilizes the 2 guitar set up. A sweet lead riff. This song is a great way to wind the album down. "A Place In Time" goes back to the signature sound, and serves nicely to put you back at square one.
This album is sweet from beginning to end. The only true flaw I could find in the album was the tendency of the songs to sound the same from time to time. A great deal of that came from vocalist, marty Gregori, keeping with the same vocal mood throughout the album. So the similar sound is actually a talent, but distracting nonetheless. This is one of the better albums I've heard in a while. It's stuck in my personal music rotation for a while now. This album in due in stores on May 9th, and I recommend picking this album up. It's definitly a jewel.
Samuel Barker is Senior Editor. Contact him at suma@rockzone.com.
