Band: The A.K.A’s (Are Everywhere!)
Album: Everybody Make Some Noise
Genre: Punk/Rock
Label: Metropolis

Tracks:
1. This is The Way We Move
2. Confessions of a Dangerous Mouth
3. Dead Flowers Forever
4. In Case I Die Tonight
5. Little Miss Apocalypse
6. We Write Our Own Anthems
7. Deaf Before Dishonor
8. Everything is a Commercial
9. Let Your Mama Know
10. Knives on 45’s
11. Paranoia is a Skill
12. Tools of the Trade

When a band, such as The A.K.As have their own moniker, you know you should expect something big. The band adapted the tag line “are everywhere,” with eh release of their first full length album and in fact, lived up to their word. Due to a strong determination to make it in the industry,t hey tour hard and played even harder and it all started to pay off. Soon enough they were popping up on larger tours and they’re picture was beginning to be featured more frequently in magazines and whatnot. So what do you do when you sense your dreams at fingertips length? You release another album of course and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Unfortunately, Everybody Make Some Noise, falls a bit flat, but that’s not to say it’ll slow down The A.K.A.’s at all. This anthem laced album will be the perfect soundtrack for Warped Tour this summer and regardless of how well I think it is, when it comes t a band with as much heart and determination as The A.K.A’s, they will make it all on their own.

The album kicks off with, “This is the Way We Move,” which is a perfect way to kickoff an album all about making noise. It’s got a dance-tastic beat with a simplistic chorus you can sing along to while moving around. Any band trying to get your attention should take note from this song: use, “whoah-oh’s,” because they can make a song that otherwise wouldn’t be anything spectacular. The follow-ups, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mouth,” and, “Dead Flowers Forever,” give the band a slightly more gothic punk feel, but doesn’t really rattle your bones to much. It becomes clear early on that the fun beat and simplistic chorus of the lead track may be a re-occurring theme that hinders the album’s development. on, “Dead Flowers Forever,” seems forced to be dark and angst laden. The chorus is little more than repeating the line, “Valentine’s days,Halloween nights, these are suppose to be the best days of our lives,” and you can probably, like me, already see Hot Topic’s horde of followers scrolling that same lame line across their myspace pages to reflect the hurt the feel at 14. I don’t know, maybe it’s genius that they hit this sect of the music scene so well, but at the same time it seems like they’re aiming for an easy target.

“We Write Our Own Anthems,” has such a solid lead in that you instantly know it’s going to be a special track and The A.K.As follow through with a solid bass line lead through the verses and a well crafted chorus. It’s one of the more solid track on the album. However, the two following tracks are just inconsistent. Both, “Deaf Before Dishonor,” and, “Everything is a Commercial,” have great beats, but the vocals and lyrics just pack no punch. However, on track ten we find solid gold. “Knives on 45s,” is the kind of song you are hoping the whole album could be made of. It’s fast, angry, danceable, and has a chant that may outlive the band. Seriously, it’s a near perfect use of gang vocals, but I don’t want to give it away here. The tracks following, “Knives…,” close out the album with some pizazz. They ride off the fumes of track 10 and keep the speed and catchy writing going till the very end.

It’s a bit sad to me that it took ten tracks to really grab me with this release. I generally love this kind of music, but it all seems so generic and forced to be such that it turned me off. However, after a few listens, you learn to appreciate it in bits and pieces, but still, it’s nothing too phenomenal. However, I stick by what I said in the intro to this review, The A.K.As will be “everywhere,” regardless of how amazing or not this album is. Band’s that have the kind of work ethic and passion they do always pull through. They have the kind of live show that makes you want to support them just so others can share in the glory you’ve witnessed and that will carry them for a long time. Everybody Make Some Noise may not be the best album of the year, nor the best The A.K.As are capable of, but it’s going to be blasting in car stereos and underground clubs for quite a while.

*Written By: James Shotwell*
GRADE: 5.5/10

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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