review.

THE SIDEKICKS - WEIGHT OF AIR

I had downloaded this album quite some time ago and felt quite guilty as this album was the number one album of many 2009 lists on punknews including their own list. After being encouraged by Jeff Rosenstock to give this a good listen at the beginning of this year, I finally did. But it wasn’t until this summer when Jeff’s band Bomb the Music Industry! brought them to the middle east club for a double header on a hot July day of which I attended both. I found myself listening to this album endlessly in the weeks leading up to this concert as I performed mindless tasks at my summer job, and these tasks seemed to fly by faster than usual. It was when I finally saw this band live that I understood what the hype was all about. The power of both vocalists is quite apparent in the opening track “Let It Breathe”, which is merely supported by an acoustic guitar in the first verse, and the addition of a banjo in the second. The album comes in hard and loud with a thunderous alternation of high hat and snare which is followed by huge cutting open chords. This song could be plucked straight of the movie “That Thing You Do”, with its catchy hooks including the endless chant of “Looking for love in all the wrong places/Looking for love where it can’t be found”. My friends and I found ourselves singing this line over and over as we waited for their second performance at the middle east. Their ability to manipulate simplistic elements into thoughtful and well posed songs of love as well as lost love is quite apparent in the third track “A Healthy Time” in which the importance of distance after a relationship ends is addressed. I hate to downplay the significance of this album in such few words, but it really has helped me conquer the depression I have encountered from the end of a significant relationship. The words “It takes a healthy time to redesign our lives/To forget when these traces of past constantly remind” feel as though they were tailor fit for the situation I am currently in. The rest of the album continues to highlight their ability to write catchy punk songs that are riddled with country, folk and often soul influences. This unique combination allows for endless replay in my opinion. Not to mention that their ability to harmonize vocally is quite a defining factor of the unique beauty of this band. Words border shouting but never leave pitch, to provide something that not many punk rock bands can say for themselves. These songs are nothing but heartfelt and I would think that it can be appreciated by anyone who enjoys a good rock and roll band with a punk heart and attitude to boot.