For all his dabbling, Jelone is still very much a fart-smeller. This latest sniff comes after a series of farts which plumbed the depths of brazillian assholes with a poppy twist. Sure, there seemed to be a bit of smokey chipotle incorporated, but for the most part this recent fart just another anal blast to be inspired by Brazillian Fart Porn on Redtube.

Butt he's not building a legacy for himself, that's for sure...

I just don't know what to say about this review. My band got the chance to play with these guys and I learned that night that they are some of the best musicians in "Punk" right now. This album is my favorite album of the year hands down and it has been a pretty good year! This comes out waaaay above the new records by The Menzingers, The Holy Mess, Bob Mould and dare I say it even HOT WATER MUSIC in all it's greatness!

Sorry to say, but this review has single handedley made me drop this site as my home page.

I'm not the smartest dude ever, but I'm pretty sure the person who wrote this review is either 12 years old or has a horrible mental illness.

That is all

Good day sir!

Great record, not pop-punk in the slightest.

did the reviewer listen to this album?

While this review is completely inaccurate, it’s not all surprising. The subtle complexity of an album like Pig Factory is probably lost on people that don’t understand or appreciate high quality writing, musicianship and the amount of growth the Fake Boys have shown on their most recent effort. It’s a bit of a shame that our expectations have collectively become so low that we back away from anything that is challenging.

I’ll address your misstatements individually (in no particular order):

1) “Given their run of EPs, you’d think Fake Boys would have progressed a little bit more than Pig Factory indicates.”

It’s pretty clear that you didn’t bother to do your homework before you wrote your review.

If you begin with Sleepwalk (2007) and listen through their material up to and including Pig Factory, you’d know that they’ve shown tremendous growth over the course of the past 5 years. While they have certainly released some earlier material deserving of the “pop punk” moniker, Pig Factory represents a departure. If you listened to the EP that preceded Pig Factory, (Nice Knowing You) it gave us a strong indication that the band was growing in depth, ability and content. The result, Pig Factory, is heavy, smart, razor sharp, and is certainly much more rooted in early Superdrag and Gish era Smashing Pumpkins than it is in the Descendants or No Use for a Name.

The subject matter is meaningful, honest, complex and hangs together in a well-packaged composition. Listen to a song like Destroy the Radio off of Sleepwalk from 2007 and compare it to a song like Pig Factory off of Pig Factory in 2012. It’s pretty clear that the song writing has progressed. I think songs like “Best Post” is also indicative of the fact that the band is maturing and isn’t afraid to go out on a limb. Musically, the songs are decidedly more technical as well, especially with regard to the guitar.

2) “Nothing feels at stake. It’s thoroughly inoffensive.”

Who knew that being offensive was a criterion for writing a great album? I don’t hear one offensive thing on any Ramones records and everyone seems to love them right? Maybe if the Fake Boys cut themselves on stage and threw feces at the audience they’d garner your respect? Also to my first point, it’s clear that you didn’t do you homework once again. If you listened to their most recent EP, Nice Knowing You, you’d be familiar with the lyrical content of the song Drug Rug. “Jesus didn’t die for me and he doesn’t give a fuck about you.” Is that dangerous enough for you? I think it’s pretty clear that these are some people that are afraid to say what they think.

3) “…but they’re not building a legacy for themselves, that’s for sure. Pop punk is a hard genre to innovate, and Pig Factory comes off as utterly anonymous.”

Aside from your poor sentence structure, pop punk by definition is derivative. I’d agree that it’s difficult to be innovative within the pop punk genre, but how is Pig Factory any more anonymous then a Dopamines record (which you list as one of your favorites)? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not picking on the Dopamines, they’re a really fun band but even they refer to themselves as “the other Copyrights.” It’s not just pop punk or the “Ramonescore” bands either. How many more bands do we need that sound exactly like The Lawrence Arms or Hot Water Music? It'd be helpful to understand who is "building a legacy for themselves" in your eyes.

4) Right, now, they sound like a decent but forgettable opening band. I don’t(?) them much, but got-damn if I could tell what any of their songs sound like.

Aside from another poorly constructed, incomplete sentence, I’m not exactly sure what you’re trying to say here. It’s evident that you haven’t seen the Fake Boys live (or at least any of their live footage). If you have, you’d be amazed that they play every show with such intensity, note perfect, every time. I’ve seen them play to five people and I’ve seen them play to 1,000 people. It’s the same level of effort at every show.

It’s very difficult for a three piece band to sound great live and if you’ve ever seen Jim sing and play his guitar leads simultaneously or the accuracy in which Joe and Ryan manage to effortlessly change time signatures mid song, you’d know that they’re far from forgettable. I’m sure that their upcoming set at The Fest in October will be illustrative of their ability to captivate a crowd.

Lastly, I find your statement regarding being “god-damned” if you could tell “what any of their song sound like,” puzzling. Didn’t your opening paragraph proclaim that the Fake Boys are derivative of The Decedents, The Smoking Popes, and No Use for a Name (all awesome bands by the way)? Which is it? What generic comparison are we supposed to associate them with? What box should we put them in?

Make no mistake, pop punk is dead. You were probably 9 or 10 in the early 90’s when it died. Have we had some outliers in the recent past that have suggested otherwise? Sure. The Ergs, The Copyrights, Dear Landlord, and a few others of their ilk have managed to capture that spirit before the death rattle but let's face it, they're few and far between.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re all certainly entitled to our opinions. After all, that’s what makes us individuals. I’m actually happy that someone has the courage to write a negative review but stringing together a few paragraphs of incomplete, grammatically compromised sentences with poorly constructed arguments won’t sway anyone’s opinions (just as me wasting an hour typing this on a Tuesday night isn’t going to result in 15,000 Pig Factory downloads by tomorrow morning).

Further, and this is a cheap shot, giving credence to the work of someone that lists Third Eye Blind, as one of his favorite bands won’t likely reaffirm confidence in your ability to accurately review anything. Keep hoping for more records about high school dances, zombies, horror movies, bubblegum, and drinking too much Jameson. I think This is Our Sound (track 2 on Pig Factory) sums it up pretty accurately, “simple ears are hard to please.” Take comfort in the fact that they’re referring to you.

Finally, you’re not very good at this. As noted above, your arguments, urgings and comparisons are poorly conceived. Can’t you just get back to telling us about the new Transplants record or something and leave the bands that are trying to be innovative alone? We don’t need you to tell us how good they are. We already know.

everyone's entitled to their opinion. my opinion? this record is amazing and it seems the review was a little harsh. the comparisons seemed a bit out there.

Not to say the reviewer isn't more than entitled to their option, it just threw me for a loop.

Wow, this review really bummed me out. Super off the mark. This album stands out so much more than average pop punk. It has so many awesome influences and makes them into something unique. I really hope this review doesn't turn anyone off this album cuz its definitely worth a listen.

jelone, you're kind of a lousy writer huh?

Such a shitty review for such a great album. I remember talking with Jim at my mom's house where they were staying about how this record was everything they'd wanted to write and it shows in the songs. You obviously didn't listen to it.

everyone loves to classify music into neat little parameters because they're afraid of being challenged. this fake boys record isn't a huge diparture from their previous records, its just like they've found their stride and know exactly what they're playing. its alternative rock, power pop, punk but at the same time its completely different than any other band around right now. reviews are useless because they just give one simpleton's opinion. everyone knows how varied taste is, especially when it comes to music. but speaking in general, pop punk fans seem the most closed minded and eager to hear the same band put out the same record over and over again. this is why i do not see typical pop punk fans enjoying the fake boys. however, if you are a MUSIC fan, this is the record for you.

Some weird stuff here (for The Fake Boys), but I ended up liking it.
Also, good guys!

What a shitty review for such an amazing album.

:(

It's aight.

this album/band rules

nice, maybe next time you could actually listen to the record you review. i would tell you that you should be ashamed of yourself but if i had to guess i'd say you probably already are.

This album really grew on me. Very fun power-pop.

So...I mean...Why didn't you actually review the record at all?

they're boring and the same
boring bands get strung up on some days and get lauded on others.

One of Laura Jane Grace`s favorite bands

Well....I really enjoy this album.

Too rough, dude. Too rough...