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The Rocket Summer
Of Men and Angels
Posted 5/17
Campus Correspondent review by Chad Comello
The Rocket Summer, solo project of multi-instrumentalist Bryce Avary, has been on the rise ever since its second full-length album Hello, Good Friend (The Militia Group) in 2004. With the release of Do You Feel in 2007 and the band’s newest album Of Men and Angels (Island Def Jam), it has become evident that though The Rocket Summer’s popularity has changed, its music has pretty much remained the same piano-driven power pop/rock it’s always been. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to the listener.
The lead-off song “Roses” and the album’s single “You Gotta Believe” demonstrate right away that Avary knows how to put the power in power pop. Other strong tracks include the Jimmy Eat World-esque “Nothing Matters” and the oddly titled yet strong “Japanese Exchange Student.” Avary’s brand is not original, however his now-predictable earnest yearnings come to us in “I Want Something to Live For” and “Walls,” which sounds like an American Idol song on power ballad night. On this album, though, Avary’s strength in creating catchy melodies comes out in most every song, especially in “I Need a Break…But I’d Rather Have A Breakthrough.”
This album is about four songs too long. The latter third especially starts to sound like everything we’ve heard before. But when this album is on, it oozes energy. The Rocket Summer in general is great for cruising on summer days, though for a generally brighter experience, Do You Feel would be the better choice. One of the criticisms of The Rocket Summer’s genre of rock is that “it all sounds the same.” Fans know this isn’t the case, but Of Men and Angels veers close to that accusation without completely falling off the cliff.
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