UK Release March 21st 2011 on Hopeless Records
They might be the grandaddies of pop-punk-emo, but Florida-formed LA-based Yellowcard sound like they’ve come through a Cocoon-style rebirth on this, their seventh studio album. ‘When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes’ is the result of their return after a two-year break, and after one listen, you’ll wonder how you coped without them.
This is sizzling, gut-knawing emo, hot as the California sun and fun as cruising in an open-topped car. For a band that’s been together 14 years, this is exploding with energy and pace. As always, the wistful yearn for summers/girls/moments-gone is never far away (‘The Sound Of You And Me’, ‘Be The Young’). When they hear this, Lostprophets will pack up and go home.
Voracious drumming from sticksman Longineu W Parsons III (really) and singer Ryan Key’s imploring vocals keep the whole thing vein-poppingly alive. The gigantic anthems just keep coming (‘With You Around’,6 ‘See Me Smiling’ and the storming ‘Life Of Leaving Home’). And they put the ‘pow’ back into power ballad (‘Hang You Up’ and ‘Sing For Me’) – or is that ker-pow? Brilliant. These songs would be hits in the hands of the more well-known Goo Goo Dolls or Lifehouse.
There’s nothing clever-clever or pretentious about this record, it’s pure balls-out rock. The songs would be just as good without the violin of course, but it’s their quirk, and it works. 2011 is quite the year for reformations (Get Up Kids, Rival Schools, Blink 182). Nobody has done it better than this yet though. Say yes, hell yes.
Review by Mel J
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