Song by song: New Found Glory - Radio Surgery

New Found Glory have grown as a band, and on me, since I first heard them. I initially saw them as jumping on the blink-182 bandwagon but in truth they have stuck with it, been consistently good (except I've never gotten into Coming Home) and they were pioneers of Easycore. I heard that with new album Radiosurgery they were trying a more '77/power pop sound which I've always found a bit hit or miss (NFG pun, sorry.) but I was looking forward to it nonetheless.

Radiosurgery

The opening riff and production harks back to an early time for melodic punk and this song really sets the tone (sorry again!) of the whole album. Everything is simplified compared to the hardcore-influenced output of the last few releases but it is a catchy song and the vocals help it retain their sound.

Anthem for the Unwanted

This starts suspiciously like something Green Day would produce since they 'grew up' ie got boring. Luckily the rest of the song is fun and has more hooks than a pirate in a butcher shop. The guitars and bass work really well, and the song is structured nicely.

Drill it in my Brain

Okay, there's 5 guys in the band, how did none of them clock that the opening riff is from Motivation by Sum 41? Someone must have noticed.. Srsly gize? I guess it has been about 10 years since Motivation but it's gonna be pretty awkward when they co-headline the kerrang tour. The chorus is good though, which is of course one of the things they can do well. The outro is pretty sweet as well, just a hint of hardcore influence and then some good vocals back and forth.

I'm not the One

One of the best songs on the album, if not the best. All the hallmarks of one of their classics (After ten years they get to have classics, right?) It starts with what sounds like an infomerical from the 50s/60, which is an era they revisit here and there. Anyway, hardcore elements, great vocal work, slightly more complicated drumming and tempos, everything really. And a 2-Step 101 bit! Quick, go mosh with your bros and join in some GANG VOX before you go back to hanging out with that girl you like at the gig! Really good stuff though.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

Again I'm amazed that no-one called out whoever wrote this and asked them how much Lars Fredrikson they'd be listening to..Or Billy Bragg.. Or a version of I Fought the Law... Basically a mish mash of all three. Not even a good song to boot...

Dumped

Ah this sounds like one of their own songs. Experimenting with some Beach Boys style backing vocals that are sure to annoy the REAL PUNX even more but actually are probably as much as a nod to Ramones. This will be stuck in my head forever I fear. And more woahs than....The Offspring karaoke?

Summer Fling, Don't mean a Thing

I love this song! It sounds like a P0P PUNK C0VAR OF KELLY CLRKSN LOLOLOL that you'd see on youtube. Except some 30 something year old dudes with tattoos wrote it instead. So well put together I could see it getting into the chartz. They say 'summer' a lot of times in it and even though it's dark, wet and miserable here in Ireland, in October, this makes me want to go hang at the backyard pool of one of my big circle of friends from high school, or whatever it is that American teens do these days. Chooon. And check out the backing vox around the 2 minute mark.

Caught in the Act (feat. some beure who sounds like Hayley from Paramore)

This song is slow and I'm not really into it. It has a kind of 50s/60s/prom night/grease musical feel to it in the chorus. I'm sure some girls will like it. I guess. It even has a RADIO ROCK SONG GUITAR SOLO. Neeext.


Memories and Battle Scars

Thank goth this is uptempo and sounds like a pop punk song. It reminds me of the old powerpop songs where the singer tries to explain their feelings through the love-you-so-much-it-hurts kinda shtyle. Jordan is 32 now but whatevs, he got married two years a go.. still, good song.


Trainwreck

This sounds like AC/DC a bit..Not sure if I'm into it..that is all.


Map of Your Body

For 90% of this it's a great pop punk song. Relatively fast, melodic, woahs, the works. Then they go back into the 50s/prom/grease thing for some reason. It sounds a bit like a more fggty version of Saturday Night by Misfits, if that's possible. Maybe if some beure had dumped me lately I'd get it a bit better. Still the rest of the song is good and it's a positive to end the album on.

Gonna give this 7/10 even though I've had conflicting emotions on the album for two weeks about at this stage. I'm Not The One and Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing are great, there's lots of solid catchy ones too but the occasional dud and I hope they don't go down the 'mature' means boring route.