The Upsides
(Note: This review was written while I was sitting in accounting class. Up the punx!)
The Upsides – The Wonder Years
This is probably one of the most important albums to come out within the last couple of years. The Wonder Years as a band have progressed and grew up at the same pace that I have. Much of the joking and rather toilet humored lyrical content has been replaced by commentary of a twenty something struggling to accept the world at large.
The importance of this album is not measured by just the change in musical style and lyrical content, rather, for the brutal honesty that Soupy brings to the listener. If any of you actually bought the album, he goes into great detail about the writing process of the album. Certainly much of the audience will not be able to empathize, considering the average listener’s background is middle income, suburban America, where the biggest concern is who is responsible for bringing booze to the next party.
The opening lyric that shows up sums the overall feel of the record — “I’m not sad anymore, I’m just tired of this place.” It brings the true feeling, not of sadness or depression, but absolute restlessness. Much of what I deal with on a personal basis becomes subject matter for a bunch of guys from the Keystone State.
I know that the album leaked months ago. I’m aware that you can easily find it on Rapidshare or Mediafire. The excitement in reading through the liner notes and lyrics has become a forgotten past time because of these things. However, if you DARE call yourself a fan of music, buy the record. The Upsides is one of examples of this. Lyrics, explanation of writing process, are a rather interesting lay out is found within pages. There is no feeling that replaces owning a physical copy of a highly anticipated album, let alone one of this magnitude and importance.
The Upsides is one of the best albums I’ve heard in recent years and will definitely be one of the albums of the year. I’m sure that’s not much coming from an 21 year old, unemployed, Econ student, but anyone who reads my blog should know about this record.
