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The Copyrights

Make Sound (2007)
Red Scare

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Contributed by: Justin
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on May 1st 2007

The best pop-punk album of the year goes to the Copyrights.

Now that that's out of the way, the Copyrights are back for the second year in a row with Make Sound on their new home Red Scare. Their followup to Mutiny Pop sees the band growing up a bit and making their own niche in the Lookout!/Ramonescore/pop-punk genre. "Kids of the Black Hole" opens up the album, complete with harmonica and shout-along chorus. And yes, I mean harmonica. It takes you by surprise and if you're like me you'll rewind the MP3 to hear it again to make sure it's there.

The album progresses with their "buzz-pop" sound, mixing the sounds of classics like Screeching Weasel, MTX and more contemporary labelmates Teenage Bottlerocket with a few nice new songwriting additions. Overall, the highlight of the album seems to be singer/bassist Fletcher's lyrics and voice. In "Planet Earth Nineteen-Ninety-Four," he sings about that magical year when most of us 25-year-olds and our friends were doing idiotic things like being "fucked up on listerine, smok[ing] anything we got our hands on, lov[ing] anyone we got our lips on." Oh to be in 8th grade again.

The whole album, in a way, is a pleasant timewarp for most people at this time. It's a throwback to a simpler form of punk rock: a few chords, a bunch of friends and some upbeat melodies. The first track on the "second side" of the release "Stuck in the Summertime" features Chicago's finest, Brendan Kelly, on backup vocals and is destined to be played at full volume in parking lots and house parties in every cul de sac and street corner this summer. "Caveat Emptor" has a simple refrain of "I won't get fooled again, I've seen what happens when you're playing not to win, I won't get fooled again" and the smoothest delivery of the album with its mid-tempo rocking.

The weakest part of this album is the length. 14 tracks seems to run a bit long for a band that overall sticks to the same formula. It's a good formula mind you, but perhaps cutting out some of the less memorable tracks would have been nice. As I write this and listen to the album for the 26th time, I just can't place which songs would get the axe though.

Overall, we've got yet another solid release from Red Scare and a band that has definitely come into its own and hopefully will become a staple of this recent resurgence of straightforward, fun punk rock like the Ergs!, Teenage Bottlerocket, the Steinways, and the Marked Men.

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withoutbellson (July 15, 2010)

can't decide if i like this or learn the hard way better. they're both solid for sure.

Sherlock_28 (April 24, 2008)

great album. you can't help but sing along to this shit.

MrStylson (May 19, 2007)

Brendan has backing vocals on "The Company" and "Unsatisfied" as well

Anonymous (May 3, 2007)

Liked it. Get it if you got a pair. Of either.

Anonymous (May 2, 2007)

no songs are upto the standard of some the songs off mutiny pop. big disappointment for me

Anonymous (May 2, 2007)

i fucked toby in the ass while watching small wonder. serious.

Anonymous (May 2, 2007)

awesome disc. I'll be surprised if TBR or Ergs are half this good.

Anonymous (May 2, 2007)

It would be alot better if it wasn't on Red Scare. Toby is gay.

Anonymous (May 2, 2007)

The Ergs aren't even in the same ballpark as any red scare band. Copyrights, Bottlerocket, or otherwise. This record is hot stuff.

onegirlarmy (May 1, 2007)

Definitely an awesome album. As for best pop punk record of the year? I'm waiting until the end of the year and then having a grudge match between The Ergs and The Copyrights for my personal opinion on that one.

Anonymous (May 1, 2007)

No, wait, score is for my reading skills

Anonymous (May 1, 2007)

Score is for the reviewer not mentioning Brendan Kelly. Know your audience, man.

icapped2pac (May 1, 2007)

Fuckin A. I'm SO glad you put that there's a harmonica in the first paragraph. Thanks for saving me five minutes.

Anonymous (May 1, 2007)

"The best pop-punk album of the year goes to the Copyrights"

It is only May, and The Ergs have that title at the moment.

teebor (May 1, 2007)

Doesn't Brendan do backups on a couple other songs, like "Unsatisfied?" Good album!

Scruffy (May 1, 2007)

The new Unlovables is not even close to this.

blue_bullets (May 1, 2007)

What? The new Unlovables is the best pop-punk record of 07. At least until the new TBR comes out.

8dollarclarinetsolo (May 1, 2007)

its not a cover, they just borrowed the title.

dont say buzz pop

baseball (May 1, 2007)

Mutiny Pop was really good, i really have to get around to ordering this

Anonymous (May 1, 2007)

Best pop punk album of the year is very likely for this gem. Teenage bottle rocket has their work cut our for them. We shall see. been a pretty great year so far though, could only get better.

Anonymous (May 1, 2007)

If this album only had an orifice ...

bryne (May 1, 2007)

Great album.

Anonymous (May 1, 2007)

"Kids of the Black Hole"

Adolescents cover?

-K

cooltobeyou (May 1, 2007)

This is an OK review, but "Make Sound" is a five star album all the way. I agree that this is the best pop-punk album of the year though, and I highly doubt the new Ergs, Teenage Bottlerocket, and Methadones albums will be able to top this.

I disagree that they should have removed some of the tracks on this album though, because every single song on this CD is insanely sick. The best tracks are: "Kids of the Black Hole", "Knee Deep", "Pentagrams", "The Company", "Planet Earth 1994", "Flat."

GlassPipeMurder (May 1, 2007)

the best pop-punk album of the year only gets a 7? the future doesn't look bright : ( have yet to hear this, so i'll save my guesses on best of 07.

on a side note, drinking listerine is a really bad idea...you can permanently lose your vision!

DarrenMcLeod (May 1, 2007)

Excellent review. I was going to write one for it, and it would've been damn near identical. Great album.

Anonymous (May 1, 2007)

The best pop-punk album of the year goes to the Copyrights.

Someone didn't hear Good Mourning Revival.

On a side note, it's nice to see someone review a CD that they really like without giving it a fucking 9 or 10.