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The Junior Varsity

The Great Compromise [CD/DVD]
2006
Victory

The Junior Varsity - The Great Compromise [CD/DVD] (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Anchors
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Published on September 19th 2006

Maybe a forgone conclusion before the album even came out, the Junior Varsity’s latest, The Great Compromise is another lackluster release.

The clunky and often scatterbrained effort of this record will do nothing if not further illustrate that point. Not only is the sum of the parts, but those individual pieces lack cohesion. Some riffs feel forced, some vocals artificial, and when strewn together, those vocals often sound completely detached from the rest of the band. “Park Your Car” combines the band's attempt at “hard-hitting” chord progressions with some whimsical (whiny) vocals, but the song just doesn’t sound complete. The two parts don’t even come close to meshing, often sounding like they were taken from two completely different songs and mashed together for the sake of it. “I Sang a Song to Be Sung” presents much the same issue -- the band just is not on the same page, and the fact that they try to inject some proggy parts into their pop-punk basis doesn’t bode well either. Things just sound lifeless, and though bits and pieces can come across in an enjoyable manner, the Junior Varsity are wholly unable to sustain that sound.

They try to combat this with the sheer amount of music found here, and I can somewhat give them the benefit of the doubt. This is a re-release of an album recorded two years ago, and they’ve added a ton of music this time around. There’s nine bonus songs, taken from a broad range of releases, including a 2002 self-titled EP, demos, acoustic versions, and even a re-recording or two. It’s admirable that they want to give their fans a window into the songwriting and development process, and sometimes, it even ends up working out for them. The acoustic version of “Mad for Medusa” is somewhat endearing, and the demo rendition of “Everyone’s Got Something They’re Running Out Of” is a quick blast of fun. Still the same terrible lyrics, still some off-key vocals, but the bouncy rhythm can provide some fun on an album that sorely lacks it.

And in a last ditch effort to save the album, there’s some DVD footage as well.

Almost two hours worth, providing a wealth of live songs, interviews, and some stories behind songs on the album. Admirable that they’d put so much material on there, but again, none of it is truly all that compelling. The live footage is well shot and well produced, and if you’re into the songs, you’ll be into that as well. Unfortunately, the songs live do no more for me than the little I was able to take from the songs on record, so the DVD was nothing to write home about either.

Those that are already fans of the band will likely eat this up, if for no reason other than the sheer amount and variety of material. Everything that could be requested from a Junior Varsity fan is here -- the problem lies in the little done to convert those like me, who couldn’t care less about the band in the first place.

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Posted by almosttragichero on 2006-12-02 20:25:51
My Score:

I loved Wide Eyed, when it came out I immediately fell in love with it, but with the re-release of The Great Compromise I was incredibly disappointed with it. I love you boys, you're a great band, but this album fell way short on the "kick-ass" ranking.

Posted by crazytoledo on 2006-09-20 19:59:34

Well at least you could probably sell it to someone for more than a $1.07. Probably 3-4 dollars. Just go to a coffee shop one day...

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 7:41 PM (EDT)

I like emo, scremo and all that stuff, but this band is the ABSOLUTE worst band i ever heard. I bought there cd out of a 99 cent bin at a record store, and i want my $1.07 when tax is includeed back.

Posted by crazytoledo on 2006-09-20 18:55:24

wide eyed ruled, some awesome pop-punk with spacey guitar at times. nothing amazing but it gets shit on too hard i think. new spitalfield will probably be a little better for the style, but still, these guys are alright.

Speaking of Spitalfield, their new album is a major improvement from their last album.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 6:36 PM (EDT)

Posted by feeeding5000 on 2006-09-20 17:51:06

The fact that there's info about this band on absolutepunk says a lot. These whiney trend-surfing bastards are exactly the kind of band absolute loves. Hopefully this review will lead kids to listen to the music praised on this site, at least until I can start the breakaway site of 'corenews.org.

Posted by crazytoledo on 2006-09-20 12:23:22

http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=158647

That pretty much sums everything up about what he went through.

Posted by crazytoledo on 2006-09-20 11:08:15

Posted by Scruffy on 2006-09-19 23:28:46

What happened to the singer?

I think his girlfriend went missing and then she was murdered. Look at Absolute Punk, thats where I found out what happened.

Posted by rkl on 2006-09-20 01:12:45

he got bukkaked so hardcore like , that surgery was required to remove a 5lb clot of semen from his eye.

Posted by Scruffy on 2006-09-19 23:28:46

What happened to the singer?

Posted by ILOVESCOTT on 2006-09-19 23:01:45

anchors, why did you even review this when it was a forgone conclusion that you don't like them?

Posted by crazytoledo on 2006-09-19 19:32:58

So worried this was going to be another crazytoledo review, glad to see it got the asswhooping it deserved.

Hmm..didn't I give the Junior Varsity's 'Wide Eyed' a 3 out of 10. Yea I did.

I don't mind you calling out my taste in music, but at least get it right. I don't like every Victory band. These guys are one of them. Aiden is another.

Posted by dusticles on 2006-09-19 18:05:37

icapped2pac....

i totally agree with you about what he went through.

but man i still dont like this band

Posted by Icapped2pac on 2006-09-19 17:35:46
My Score:

I totally agree with the review. I downloaded this and didn't even bother keeping a single track, let alone the album. I feel bad saying how lackluster I think this is considering the horrible tragedy the singer endured recently, and I'm sure everybody shitting on their album won't help. However, it seems that some of the best music comes from the worst experiences, so maybe their next album will be a serious step up. Let's hope so.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 at 7:33 AM (EDT)
My Score:

This is actually a rerelease of their first album with "bonus" features. I think it's slightly better than the reviewer credits - there's a little "Kinsella broken vocal" sound on the couple of tracks that I'v heard.

Posted by dusticles on 2006-09-19 01:28:56

this band is from my college.

man they suck

Posted by Dante3000 on 2006-09-19 01:09:40

So worried this was going to be another crazytoledo review, glad to see it got the asswhooping it deserved.
-Dante

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