Reggie and the Full Effect
No Country for Old Musicians
Pure Noise Records (2013)
Sounds like: The Get Up Kids, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday
Score: 9/10
The best comeback records are written by people who never really went away. Lifetime, for example, was able to knock it out of the park with their self-titled release after a 10 year absence as a band in large part because their songwriters stayed active and continued to hone their craft in bands like Paint it Black and Zero Zero. Similarly, Descendents crafted the gold standard of comebacks in 1996 with Everything Sucks, recorded after a 9 year break that found all but one member perfecting the art of the pop punk song together under the name ALL.
So in all honesty, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that No Country For Old Musicians, James Dewees’ first album under the Reggie and the Full Effect moniker since 2005’s Last Stop: Crappy Town, is as good as it is. Dewees has spent the last 5 years touring with emo megastars My Chemical Romance and whether you loved or hated them, it’s hard to deny that the dudes were consummate professionals.
But man, I did not expect No Country for Old Musicians to be this good.
After a quick, country style introduction, the record kicks off into gear with the high octane pulse of “Super Croc VS. Mega Doosh.” I would believe you if you told me James wrote this track for My Chem’s Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, even though I know in my brain that he was still a Get Up Kid at the time of that album’s release. The influence of playing those tracks live night after night must have rubbed off in the right away.
Similarly, “Kanji Tattoos…Still in Style???,” which features guest vocals from Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzara and is another album highlight, recalls the popular emo of the early part of the millennium. Anyone who grew up loving the dual vocals of TBS, or Reggie’s 2003 duet with Hot Rod Circuit frontman Andy Jackson “Happy V Day,” is going to love this, and the pulsating drums are an added bonus.
James does a lot of experimenting on this record, sometimes to great effect. “Gimme Back My Leg,” another highlight, is a bit of a departure in the Reggie sound, sort of a mix of the hypnotic indie pop of bands like Tanlines and the warm, fun vibe of the Super Mario World 2 soundtrack. Surprisingly, one of my favorite tracks is just James saying “chicken” over and over. “Fowlin’ Around” is a quirky 30 seconds that features multiple levels of James repeating the word, and once you hear it it will never leave your head.
The straight up joke songs make their near obligatory appearance here, including a song each from resurrected europop and death metal alteregos Fluxuation and Common Denominator, both of which were absent on the previous Reggie album. Those songs are fun, particularly Fluxuation’s ode to whip cream. “And oh yes, I’ll be bringing, something so fantastic, sweet and sticky and white” James croons on the track, called “Sundae, Booty Sundae,” a song that I’m 100% positive has no double entendre.
But the album’s best tracks come when James manages to ground the humor within more traditional, Get Up Kids style emo pop, resulting in a sort of Edgar-Wright-of-music style satire of the genre. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Ralph’s” paints a vivid and humorous picture of life in a West Hollywood apartment, coupled with hooks that will end up ruling your life. “37” is an irreverent tale of aliens and monsters abducting James due to their love of Reggie sophomore album Promotional Copy. And “Revenge Is a Dish Best Served at Park Chan-Wook’s House,” a tribute to the neo-noir film director, crafts a great parallel between the traditional upset, emo breakup song and the over the top Chan-wook revenge.
You see, it’s way too easy to fall into the trap of nostalgia. Greatest Hits and Promotional Copy were the soundtracks of high school and college to me, with more good memories than I can recite in their combined runtime. And while No Country has a few tracks I really can’t get into (“Guerrera” just plods along and the rapping on “Who Needs Another Drank” just doesn’t work for me) I think that, overall, it’s the most enjoyable and poignant album the band has produced.
-Emily Matview
No Country For Old Musicians is available now via Pure Noise Records
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