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Street to Nowhere: Charmingly Awkward
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Written by Elizabeth Rabbit
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Wednesday, 03 January 2007
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Personally, I have an un-wavering soft spot for melodic punk, and with Street to Nowhere I make no exception. I’m also crazy about bands that use a menagerie of instruments, drunken sing-a-longs and breaking glass on their record. I think we can already see where this is leading...
In June of this year, Street to Nowhere signed to major label Capitol, home of forefathers Jimmy Eat World. Their debut album Charmingly Awkward, originally released in November 2005, has since been catapulted into the alt-mainstream. Some may worry that these kids from Oakland, California could drown in the shark infested waters of the mainstream, but Charmingly Awkward is a record as catchy and well-crafted as it’s possible to get, without selling your soul to the puppeteers behind McFly.
As diverse as a genre can be, this record has catchy, spiky songs with all-together-now choruses (“Boxcars Boxcars Boxcars”, “Leave the Cameras On”, “Tipsy”), sitting comfortably between Bright Eyes-esque acoustic tales of longing love (“Georgia, Can You Hear Me?”, “Sun”); both led by a quivering, emotional vocal. The production is at times so smooth it’s almost impossible to believe the record was recorded in busy living rooms and damp basements. Capitol made and kept a promise to re-release this album exactly as it was first released, with only the addition of a parental advisory sticker (the outstanding song “Waste My Life For You” featuring a certain four-letter expletive).
These guys have it all; talent, good looks, an impressive selection of plaid shirts and friends and collaborators in some of the best bands around today. Charmingly Awkward is a melodic masterpiece and for Street to Nowhere, the sky is the limit.
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