10- The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 8, 2002
Hype is just about all 'Sti
and Stones' has going foi

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By Tony Ding
Daily ArtsWriter
Analogous to the cliche "don't
judge a book by its cover" is another
aphorism that holds true in the
music world: Never trust what the
media says. When pop-punk late-
bloomers New Found Glory released
their second major album recently,
the pundits were flooding the air-
waves and filling the pages praising
their glory, so to speak. "They're
more mature," we hear. "It's a must
have album!" they toted. More
gullible than fruit flies trapped in a
streetlamp, fans swarmed in a feed-
ing frenzy, shooting Sticks and
Stones, NFG's new CD, up to #4 on
The Billboard 200 charts. Amazing
marketing job indeed.
The Blink-182 spin-off did all of
their homework. They jumped on
Get y

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the religiously punk Drive-Thru between three different pitches and
records bandwagon, made a damn resounds in a nasal tone that many
good self-titled debut (2000) and found worth complaining about in
genuinely earned inter- the past.
national success CA The much heralded
through four years of single on this album.
extensive, non-stop ** "My Friends Over
touring. Their headlin- You," manages to stay
ing position on this NEW FOUND true to NFG's pop-
summer's Vans Warped GLORYj punk tradition, and it is
Tour is an accomplish- rather tastefully com-
ment and a testament to Sticks and Stones posed, not to mention a
the south Florida quin- MCA surprisingly clear pro-
tet's vision. Their strat- jection of the song's
egy, however, has led to unfortunate vernacular. Compared to the band's
side effects-namely a neglected 2000 hit single "Hit or Miss," how-
recording studio. ever, the spark of innovation is just
"Understatement" opens the 12- not there. It's a lovely song, but just
track Sticks and Stones with a clas- not as spectacular as it has been
sic NFG beat. Jordan Pundik's sold. In contrast, the track immedi-
vocals are still characteristically ately following on the album,
unnerving, especially after the two- "Sonny," is something of a gem. The
minute mark, where he switches slower tribute is homage to a grand-
our 41shes, utensifs,S
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miner ofi a oanu menme nuw
passed away. It's almost possible to
picture the boys red-eyed and dis-
traught, playing their way of saying
good-bye to a loved soul with all the
sweetness and sincerity significant
to NFG's usual track record of
puppy-love diatribe.
There are more hardcore-geared
selections on Sticks and Stones as
well, given the album's title. This is
immediately notable in "Something
I Call A Personality," which features
fist-pumping crowd pleaser adages
on vocals from the Aussie Chris
Georggin and punk-core bands Bane
and What Feeds The Fire. Long-time
mentor Mark Hoppus of Blink-182
also thumbed away a bit in the song
on hass.
Where NFG's teenage offerings
teemed with high-pitched screech-
ing, on this album, the phenomenon
only occurs in "Singled Out," where
guitarist Chad Gilbert revives his
scream voice from hardcore days
past. The song's begisning diddy is
also a noteworthy 80s disco jive that
uses the same socio-retro techniques
NFG mastered in their previous
album. This reminds us of how
much the boys love to sing cover
songs, such as their well known,
inventive covers of infamous roman-
tic hits - everything from Aero-

S1111 I 5 1 011 1 dillto VIPSN
Thing" to Celine Dion's titanic bal-
lad "My Heart Will Go On" - on
the gentlemen's 2000 EP, From The
Screen To Your Stereo.
Sticks and Stones, is decent at
best, and aside from a few excep-
tions worthy of their name, this
new offering is just not what we've
been told it should be. Save your-
self disappointment and download
some samples from your reputable
online music sources, before fork-
ing over lunch money on this new
concoction. For those with a moral
conscience or who are internet-
challenged, at least listen to the CD
before you buy it at the store.
Sophomoric productions are time
and again leaner, less neaty meals
than a band's debut. As ansother
industry proverb says: sequels will
often pale in the light of an origi-
nal hit.

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