Wow. Have we really forgotten what punk means? Have we been so brainwashed by MTV that we consider bands like the All American Rejects to be punk rock? Are you ****ing kidding me????

I sat down with the latest installment of the Punk Goes Acoustic series and was absolutely astonished by how horrifyingly lame these bands are. Granted, I haven't heard some of them before (on purpose), but thought I could give their acoustic songs a chance. My thinking there was that when you put parameters around bands...force them out of their comfort zone...that's when you see what they're really made of. How inventive they can really be musically and if their plugged-in-tensity can shine through without all the studio tricks. In most cases on this album...it falls on its pretty little emo face.

I'm not a fan of the emo...and this whole cd is emo. It's all cheesy love and loss songs with whining vocals and predictable harmonies. Maybe I would like some of these songs in a different context, but on a cd promising Punk going Acoustic, it's just really really bad. After a while, it starts to just be funny. Once you strip these bands down to their essence it becomes even more obvious how completely interchangeable and generic they are. What's the difference between Silverstein and The Audition? The spelling.

If I were Rise Against, I'd be throwing a fit.

When you finally get to the 2 punk bands on the cd, they stick out like a sore thumb. It's pretty laughable, actually. Why Sherwood is shoved in between them, I have no idea. I guess to break it up a little so there is no flow. So let's talk about the 2 punk songs that have gone acoustic on this cd. Anti-Flag's Welcome to 1984 and Set Your Goals with Echoes.

Anti-Flag ****in rocks it. They don't wimp out or give you anything even listenable. It's punk rock gone acoustic! It sucks...like acoustic punk should! It's all about the government and big brother, a stark contrast to the rest of the cd. Set Your Goals are the poppier end of punk, but still quite punk. Their pop sensibilities make this acoustic track pretty good since they have such a solid ear for melody and harmony, but there is still the fast pace and sloppy playing punk bands are known for. It's a nice way to end the album because it gives me hope that punk isn't really dead...Fearless just couldn't snag more than 2 of them from Fat Wreck Chords.

The punk thing aside, the second half of this album is significantly better than the first with a few stand out tracks.

Alesana- Apology (autotuned all to hell, but a pretty decent track)
All American Rejects- Night Drive (they could have easily fallen into the emo trap but cleverly avoid it...just barely)
Mayday Parade- Three Cheers For Five Years (if this were a little less whiny, I'd really love it)
The Spill Canvas- Staplegunned (the punkest of the not punk songs. Really good on its own)
Relient K- Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (surely people are pissed about them being on this cd, but I think this is the best stand alone song on the cd. They're great songwriters.)
Sherwood- The Only Song (this is a pretty track...and doesn't make me angry)