Yellowcard
Ocean Avenue

THE REVIEW

Let's get things clear: if you love Rock/Pop, Yellowcard will drive you crazy. The Californian band has that something extra that elevates them above the average of the dozens of clone bands that are rampant on MTV these days (Good Charlotte; Simple Plan; etc.): a violinist in the group! If you frowned at the thought that a violin has nothing to do with powerful and exhilarating songs, you'll reconsider as soon as you insert the CD into the stereo.

The first 3 tracks ("Way Away", "Breathing" and the title-track "Ocean Avenue") are powerful and exhilarating, unbelievably catchy, and don't get old even after dozens of listens. Just these would be enough to make "Ocean Avenue" a CD worth purchasing, but luckily there's still a lot to go before the end of the CD. After the acoustic ballad "Empty Apartment", we return to talking about Punk-Rock with "Life Of A Salesman", a very fast track with distorted guitars, with a vague Blink-182 flavor. Here, the drummer Longineu Parsons's skills are appreciated at the best, on a par with Travis Barker. In sixth place, we find the inevitable hit single "Only One", of which the video also circulated in Italy for some time... a great song, probably the most emotional of the CD (especially if you've just broken up with your girlfriend)!

Next up is "Twentythree": more of a "filler" track, nothing noteworthy, but even Yellowcard are human... If you had resigned yourselves to a series of useless songs until the end of the CD, luckily "View From Heaven" lifts your spirits. And how could it not, with those violin riffs? Moreover, not only is it musically stunning, but it also has beautiful lyrics (presumably the theme is the death of someone close to us)... "and I'm sure the view from heaven, beats the hell out of mine here..."... And it's not over yet, there are at least two more excellent hits from Yellowcard to come! "Believe", incredibly catchy as usual, and "Back Home", slower, entrusted with closing this fantastic journey that is "Ocean Avenue".

If you appreciate Rock/Pop, you must buy this CD, you will treasure it as your dearest possession and never abandon it... definitely a milestone of the genre! BUY IT!