Album Review: Man Overboard/ Senses Fail Split
I believe that record reviews are the collective response of the author’s objective opinion and taste on music in general, combined, however, with some undisputed facts. Pop punk defenders Man Overboard teamed up with hardcore heavy weights Senses Fail for a split single release on March 3rd through Pure Noise Records. The record features one song of each band on each side plus a cover song from one another to make things even more interesting.
TRACK LIST:
One Fixed Point
Cute When You Scream
All You Need Is Already Within You
Real Talk
Some facts. I like pop punk and hardcore music for the most part. That sentence reads like something very schizophrenic. My pop punk chart extends from Screeching Weasel, the Queers and anything on Lookout records to Blink 182 and New Found Glory. On the hardcore side I can enjoy anything from Circle Jerks, Youth of today and Ignite to Comeback Kid and Stick to your Guns. Still, I was never a fan of Man Overboard or Senses Fail. This split is a good incentive to see, if any of the two bands will join my “I like them” roster.
Man Overboard sounds like an even popier New Found Glory and while the music of both their songs have some heavier touches I cannot get behind that particular singing style. New Found Glory is either the exception to the rule that men singing like women is not my thing or very talented in blending pop with heavier music and essentially creating catchy songs. Man Overboard would, thus, not make my aforementioned list because of this split. The heavier approach on covering a song of Senses Fail is also not winning me over.
Senses Fail on the other hand has an appealing aggressiveness to their original song on this split, “All You Need Is Already Within You”, and do an excellent job at their cover song duty. “Real Talk” blends some indie influenced chord progressions with a fusion of melodic and rough vocals. This song is my favorite on this split and the irony is that the original song from Man Overboard is actually very good. I may have to reconsider; and truthfully a lot of their other material is pretty cool. Very cheesy, but still “pop punk” cool.
If you’re a fan of any of the two bands this release is interesting to say the least and covering each other songs is always a very nice touch. If you haven’t listened to anything from Man Overboard or Senses Fail this is a good choice to decide, if you should delve in.
About the Author
Erik Ghint Athens, Greece PWV role : Reviewer Erik was born and has always lived in Athens, Greece. Terrible place but good weather. Studied law and played music on the side, now is a part time lawyer and part time punk rocker. Split personalities are his thing. Still listens to punk rock after 20 years, loves discovering new bands and is nostalgic about punk rock of the nineties. Diss him about his reviews @ https://www.facebook.com/bandage.punkrock.3
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