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| Bouncing SoulsHopeless Romantic1999 Epitaph 
 Review by: mattp330 See others by this writer official bouncing souls website (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on March 31st 2006
In such a short period of time, it is amazing to see the boundaries and extremes "punk" music has hit. I'm not an elitist, and I will never post on a message board "why is news about (insert band name here) being posted, I thought this was punknews.org." There is a point to all this rambling; for all the naysaying that runs rampant on this site, there is one band that almost everyone agrees is actually "punk," and in 1999 they released a remarkable album. That band is the Bouncing Souls, and that album is Hopeless Romantic.
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This is my favorite Souls record. New one is up there, but this takes the cake over all of 'em. Am I the only one who liked "It's not the heat, it's the humanity"? Whats weird about this album is, i think its their worst and weakest, but one of my favorite souls songs is "Night on Earth" 1- How I spent My Summer Vacation who's gonna throw the toilet? who's gonna throw the toilet off the roof? Oh and last summer I took my shirt off at the beach and a girl laughed at me. Summer blows too. I fucking hate the ocean, it's cold and filled with sharks, and that's on the west coast. Don't even get me started on the bastard that is the Atlantic Ocean. I know I'm in the minority but The Bouncing Souls so called inspirational songs like Kid and True Believers just come off way too hokey and cornball and don't evoke any kind of real emotion in me. I much prefer them singing songs about throwing the toilet off the roof. Flame away. 1. How I spent My Summer Vacation Am I the only one who liked "It's not the heat, it's the humanity"? Great album. A lot of people dislike it, saying it's not the real bouncing souls. I can see what they're saying on a couple of songs, but besides those few, the rest of the album is a great one to listen to all the way thru. disclaimer: I realize kate is great is arguably their best song. OTHER THAN THAT, i think Hopeless was a drastic improvement over the s/t. my second favorite souls album, after 'summer vacation'...it doesnt get much better than "87" "kid" "hopeless romantic" and "night on earth". what brings it down is the kinda crappy second half of the album, but it was still a drastic improvement overall from the s/t effort and lead to their grand slam best album 'summer vacation' 2 summers later. My fiance is a hopeless romantic and this album makes me love him more, Inspirational humor! Terrible review. Solid, yet inconsistent? If you read the lyrics to "Kid" you'll see that its a pretty inspirational and uplifting song, not one of heartbreak. this album is typical of all the pre-summer vacation stuff - some excellent songs and some cringerworthy ones (especially with some of the vocals) I love Shal's drumming, precisely because its not very good. Part of the band definitely died when he left. There's not as much goofiness anymore. Now the guys just seem to be about THE ROCK. They're still good, just not as fun. Okay..the "not punk" argument was childish and stupid. You get points for that. But, really, I don't think any of the '90s pop-punk bands are going to endure except NOFX (because of popularity, and posturing) and Bad Religion (because of popularity, skill, and good songwriting). good album, not a very good review. Dude, have you ever listened closely to the Souls' drummer on some of the earlier albums? Motherfucker is AWFUL. He only plays quarters on the hi-hats during the doubletime punk parts. You can get away with that if you are in a thrash band or something, but not when your band plays midtempo punk. Listen to the Tie one On record too...just horrible. dude below, those lyrics are wrong. "I've heard a lot of people say what they think is love/ Well I know what it means to me I fall in love so easily." "Summer Vacation" & "Maniacal Laughter" are my favorites, but "Hopeless" does have some great tunes, namely "Night On Earth" & "Wish Me Well". Pretty much all their stuff is good except that cover song of "I Know What Boys Like". I hated the original version of that song and it's so damn annoying that I don't think I'd like it done by any band. good review. good album. summer vacation still slays as the best souls album...but this shit definitely is good as hell. this album is good as fuck. however it falls behind "summer vacation" and "self titled". the souls are arguably the best punk band of the last decade. cant wait to see them again touring for the new one. "Monday Morning Ant Brigade" is easily their most underappreciated and underplayed songs ever. Its such a testament to their style. The kazoo fucking rocks, and the breakdown/bridge at the end is just amazing. Simplistic genious. "And I have to say, I don't think they're really all that punk." (A) s/t very great, i liked all their albums only anchors aweigh is not that goo.... Yeah, honestly, The Souls could probley play country-influenced britney spears cover songs, and I'd still like them... :D I have a prejudice. I can't like a person who doesn't like the Bouncing Souls. I just can't. When a band is this uplifting, this inspirational, this unpretentious and this dedicated to fun and friendship, I cannot comprehend someone not liking it. Souls arn't really about being "Punk" or not, it is more just about a really REALLY good ability to infuse "generic" sounding songs with so much emotion that most of their fans have a genuine connection to the band, that they shall always be loyal. I can't stand this band, and nor do I understand all the hype/fandom with them. It's very generic Epitaph stuff, part of it Bad Religion, part of it the whole early 90's skatepunk deal. Great for Vans commercials, not great for music. ...Hate to be an asshole, but OH MY GOD, do I HATE this band. I don't know what it is that I don't like, but there's something about them that just makes me want to turn it off. They're either too pop, or not pop enough. They're not "posers", and they're not really "sellouts"...I just don't like their music. And I have to say, I don't think they're really all that punk. Listen to this against BR, and you'll see that lack of a message. Listen to this against Born Against, and you'll see that it's not all that "punk." Hell, listen to the Vindictives, and tell me which has more of a punk sound/attitude.. First album that got me into the souls - i still like it - i just kind of feel all their songs are starting to run together. I mean, does every song have to be about the radio? That's why i like 'anchors aweigh' so much. Nothing earth-shattering, but has a bit of a darker and different sound than the rest of their albums. However, i'd say 'undeniable' is my favorite song ever by the souls. Dammit - now i want to listen to them. Alright - still love 'em. I'm retarded. my list was better than any of yours. kidding. but seriously. My favorite souls record This is my favorite CD from the Souls... probably because of the time it came out, I was a senior in high school and I played it every day of the summer and it just brings back good memories with awesome music. 1. how i spent my summer vacation 1. summer vacation the title track on this album is the only bouncing souls song i've ever liked. ever This is very good... Night On Earth is scary good, especially live. when the pete keeps hitting that one note over and over all you feel is the fucking chills. one of the best melodic/slower punk songs to date. this cd as a whole lacks in my opinion. there are about 5-6 classics yet also 5 bummers. Summer vacation slays this cd Brilliant, although Summer Vacation still is tops in my book-oldpunker i really love the last song on here. wtf? i never realized this wasn't reviewed. i woulda done it years ago. This was the first Souls album I got. I found it used not too long after it came out and I was still new to the whole punk thing and recognized the name and the Epitaph logo. It was probably one of the best impulse purchases I ever made even though I didn't fully get into them until I first saw them two years later. my idea of "bullying the jukebox" Pick a god awful song, my normal choices would include the dix chix, or clay aiken...something along those lines. Then play $5 worth of said song, usually breaks down to 10 plays. after the first play, leave. Not their best, I only like the first half of the record. no fuckin way this gets four stars how can you not include Ole as one of the best songs on the cd?? how has this not been reviewed? i'm surprised this hasn't been reviewed yet. this is my favorite souls record. i'd rank em: "They are one of the five or so bands I'd be willing to get a tattoo of. " To jump on Godfather's ranking of souls albums: shark attack did it for me, the st is definitely better God, I love this band so much. I cannot wait to see them on Warped Tour. They are one of the five or so bands I'd be willing to get a tattoo of. That's just how much I love them. i think the st is better but im gonna double check and take a listen to this one again goin' to see them 6 nights in a row in june at the knitting factory for the record release. i cannot wait. My least favorite record from one of my favorite bands. I agree with your first statement. I can't think of anyone on this site that has said a bad thing about this band. 1. how i spent my summer vacation |
