Broadway Calls - Good Views, Bad News [Album]

Side One Dummy

September 26, 2009, 06:51 PM

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All right, you might say there are enough Greenday and Blink 182s in this world but I say hey, if they’re this good, keep them coming!

“Good Views, Bad News” is the second full length from this young pop punk outfit from Oregon. The first entitled quite simply “Oregon,” had been reissued one year after its original publication by Adeline Records, Billie Joe Armstrong's label.

All 35 minutes, from track one through eleven are exactly what you would expect from any skateboard friendly, American band; catchy, basic, positive, something to pump at full volume riding in a cabriolet in the LA sunshine. Maybe "Good Views, Bad News" by Broadway Calls won’t be appreciated by the over twenty, or by those geographically affected by lack of sunshine, but again, who doesn’t need a shot of good mood every now and then?

Broadway Calls are mainly a live band; their list of important support slots, festivals and headlining tours is impressive for an act that have only recorded two albums. Musically, it may be a simple concept but it’s perfectly executed. The lyrics are not really quote worthy but they go well with Broadway Calls’ juvenile, unpretentious sound.

I’ve listened to “Good Views, Bad News” quite a few times now. At home and on my IPod wandering about town and it’s a pleasant background, even slightly addictive if this is what turns you on. It makes you smile, see a bit extra pink in the world and “softly” run down the Underground escalator [rather than just stand there all lazy and bored]. However, it would be difficult to pick a favourite. I can’t find one song that truly stands out from the rest, and maybe this is the only thing that is missing; a potential hit, a surprising riff that sticks in your mind after just a couple of radio airplays. The first single from this album is the second track 'Be All That You Can Be' and as it starts, it reminds me of an old Jimmy Eat World song but unfortunately the chorus is not as memorable. I would have rather picked the following 'Election Night' or 'Tonight Is Alive,' as singles but they are still nothing particularly new.

“Good Views, Bad News” is an album I’m definitely going to keep in my collection and Broadway Calls are a band I’m looking forward to seeing live. I’m also curious to listen to their old material, if it’s on these levels and if Billie Joe Armstrong thought it was good enough to reissue, it must have its appeal. A good album, worth of the money for all the pop punk fans out there. That being said though I can’t see an “American Idiot” coming out of this one.

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