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Fireworks

Adventure, Nostalgia and Robbery [7 inch] (2008)
Run For Cover Records

Reviewer Rating:

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

Published on April 24th 2009

In nine minutes and 21 seconds, Fireworks exhaust pretty much every pop-punk cliché imaginable, and it's hands-down spectacular.

Opening track, "Dave Mackinder vs. the World" stutters to a start before bursting into full-blown Fall Out Boy aping, with squealing guitars and squealing voices providing a backing for faux-hardcore riffs. The lyrics might be about girls, or they might be about being positive -- maybe both. It's not really that important once the gang vocals kick in.

Track two, the puntastic "Heart-a-Tact" is a faster number with even more gang vocals and aspirations of being Set Your Goals, giving away to a catchy breakdown with chugging guitars and jittery stop-start vocals. It is easily the highlight of the EP. [I really couldn't decide what to do with this paragraph at first, but ultimately left it as it was submitted (minus a comma deletion and capitalization fix). I'm sure the commenters will handle this for you kindly, wearestillalive... - Ed.]

"Decline of a Midwestern Civilization" opens with a recording of people talking in the background -- it sounds like they're in a restaurant or something -- and the emotional onslaught of one guitar and one voice singing about something sad that it's hard to care about. Then the gang vocals start and the drums kick in and the song builds and builds, getting more and more positive because, hey, when your hooks are this catchy, it's hard to stay depressed, right?

Finally, "Show Me Your Vanishing Act One More Time" is another attempt to match a hardcore drumbeat with pop-punk hooks, and the age old message to "LIVE! / Live for yourSELF! / Nobody else! / And fuck what they sell!"

To fault this album for being completely unoriginal, soulless and simplistic, or for riding a trend into the ground, is to kind of miss the point of it. It's straight-up fun for 10 minutes or less, a pure shot of sugar to the veins. If you like modern pop-punk at all then there will probably be something on this EP that appeals to you, that will make you smile or nod your head, or make you put it on in the background a couple of days later whilst you're trying to find another record to listen to.

And they actually do all the clichés WELL, would you believe? They're a pretty tight band, endlessley better than You Me at 6, Forever the Sickest Kids and the like. Give it a chance.

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dakotawint (May 16, 2009)

I love Fireworks. I wouldnt put them with forever the sickest kids nor say they wrote heart-a-tact. 10 for fireworks, 0 for reviewer.

givemeamuseumandillfillit (May 1, 2009)

Well, their EP is a poppier version of take this to your grave era fall out boy/self titled nfg and their new full length is a even poppier and slower version of that..

There's one track on the reviewed record that's in the vein of KD though, but as for every other song they ever made, no they're not trying to be hardcore, even if they got their name from an (awesome) American Nightmare song.

mikexdude (May 1, 2009)

Givemeamuseum:

"...faux-hardcore riffs. The lyrics might be about girls... It's not really that important once the gang vocals kick in.

Finally, "Show Me Your Vanishing Act One More Time" is another attempt to match a hardcore drumbeat with pop-punk hooks"

Pop punk hooks, hardcore riffs, songs about girls, gang vocals... sounds Kid Dynamite based on the review.

wearestillalive (May 1, 2009)

Sorry man, internet wrath is pretty uneffective, but I can give you my phone number if you like.

givemeamuseumandillfillit (May 1, 2009)

Tries to play? I don't know, they're just playing pop music, I don't think they're trying to sound like Kid Dynamite.

mikexdude (May 1, 2009)

I keep commenting because I want to be sure you feel the wrath of my Dan Yemin-man crush.

LooseKanonYankee (May 1, 2009)

its a great song (well the whole split is great) you should give it a listen
and Shorter, Faster, Louder is fantastic as well

wearestillalive (May 1, 2009)

None of this changes the fact that I only have the first KD record and no physical copy of this EP to hand because I ripped all my music to my laptop and left my records behind when I went to university, hah. I still don't get why this is offensive enough for you to need to KEEP commenting on it, but y'know, whatever.

mikexdude (April 30, 2009)

genre fireworks TRIES to play***

mikexdude (April 30, 2009)

I'll echo and elaborate; kid dynamite isn't just ANY punk bands, it's a band that basically perfected the genre Fireworks plays. It's not like missing some obscure hardcore band from the 90s -- you can't generalize all music like that.

Heart-A-Tact is atleast 20 people I know's favorite KD song.

cherrycolarain (April 30, 2009)

"The review is for a Fireworks album, not a KD biography so what's the fucking problem in not recognizing one song. Do you know every song that has ever been put out? There is an embarassing amount of scensters who sum up everything that is wrong with punk on this site..."

Who said anything about every song? The thing is, it's PUNKnews.org and KD just happens to be a punk band. When you're going to review for a punk website and the band covered another punk band then it's a good idea to research it. Also, if you actually have the vinyl I'm sure that somewhere around there they must give credit to Kid Dynamite for writing the song, so it doesn't take anymore "research" than reading what's on the packaging.

wearestillalive (April 30, 2009)

Just wanna clear up that I'm not attacking Brian or anything, just trying to point out, perhaps heavy handedly, that if my 'mistake' was THAT big a deal on a site like punknews, then something more would have been done about it.

Eelsupinsideya (April 30, 2009)

The review is for a Fireworks album, not a KD biography so what's the fucking problem in not recognizing one song. Do you know every song that has ever been put out? There is an embarassing amount of scensters who sum up everything that is wrong with punk on this site...

inagreendase (April 30, 2009)

What's with all this talk of editors? Every review posted since fall 2004 has been edited by just me (except for like four updates Jesse did when I was on birthright).

Also, since Punknews doesn't pay, you're right, I'm not professional in this context. I probably take my editing more seriously than any unpaid reviews editor covering music like this but it doesn't mean I'm not gonna joke around and have fun with it.

LooseKanonYankee (April 30, 2009)

so after all this, have you listened to the original version of heart a tact yet?
If not, then this was all for nothing haha

wearestillalive (April 29, 2009)

Clearly people here have a different idea of what an editor does or is meant to do compared to, well, just about everywhere else.

lessthangene (April 29, 2009)

oh, no no. the editors clearly did their job as the note he left clearly states. you're the one that slipped up. better luck next time i guess. if this didn't teach you a lesson then we're all just going to blast you again.

mikexdude (April 27, 2009)

Editors do syntax, grammar, and all that jazz, not substance. That's your job.

mikexdude (April 27, 2009)

Blah blah editors.

wearestillalive (April 27, 2009)

Then thats about as professional as not researching a review properly, I guess.

LooseKanonYankee (April 27, 2009)

In all honesty they probably didn't change the review so you would look foolish/uninformed, and then everyone would blast you in the comments

again, don't want to be a dick, but thats what the editors were thinking

wearestillalive (April 27, 2009)

I assume you mean the note in the review which, yeah, I read. Though it's not a change to what I actually wrote, and it's not the review not being posted, is it?

givemeamuseumandillfillit (April 27, 2009)

"None of it happened"?!

...Did you read the note?

mikexdude (April 26, 2009)

I love how the "People who liked this also liked" albums include both Kid Dynamite full lengths.

wearestillalive (April 26, 2009)

I'm not looking to get in to any arguments with anyone or criticise the editors or anything like that because it's not really that big a deal to me, but surely if it was THAT big a deal to the people who run this site then it would have either been changed, sent back to be changed, or not posted, but none of these things happened. So if it doesn't matter particularly to me, or the people who run this site, then I guess all you guys have left to do is to complain to no one in particular and all I have left to do is learn from a mistake.

mikexdude (April 25, 2009)

Brian did his job, you didn't.

LooseKanonYankee (April 25, 2009)

don't want to be a dick, but the editors knew it was a cover (see the editors note in your review)

wearestillalive (April 25, 2009)

Whoah, guess jokes aren't allowed either. Ok, I missed a cover song, but the editors posted it anyway so they did just as lousy a job as me, hah.

Bryne (April 25, 2009)

What Mike said.

mikexdude (April 25, 2009)

If you want properly researched reviews, try somewhere not on the internet I guess.

Way to take pride in your writing. Why even bother writing reviews anymore? You're only making people question the validity of your reviews with such an apathetic approach to music.

wearestillalive (April 25, 2009)

It's not on the Kid Dynamite S/T so I don't know it, hah. If you want properly researched reviews, try somewhere not on the internet I guess.

mikexdude (April 25, 2009)

Shiner is my favorite KD song.

cherrycolarain (April 25, 2009)

And to Etwiel:

"A Calendar filled up with sleepless nights keeps time"

cherrycolarain (April 25, 2009)

Not only is it Kid Dynamite, it's also everyone's favourite Kid Dynamite song! (well, it's mine at least...) Good luck dude.

mikexdude (April 25, 2009)

Ouch... that's a nasty fuck up. I won't think TOO less of you, I'm sure we've all made mistakes, but why do that to Yeems?

Score's for editors.

thomas7155 (April 25, 2009)

Hey moron, "Heart a Tact" was a Kid Dynamite cover.

maladroit (April 25, 2009)

terrible review, awesome album

etwiels88 (April 25, 2009)

Wow, I meant "Just how many are there on my side?"

Score is for me

etwiels88 (April 25, 2009)

Is anybody on my side?

KidDangerCat (April 24, 2009)

Score is for album.
Fail is for review.

Brick (April 24, 2009)

wow I am really suprised you didn't know that was a kid dynamite cover.

jamespastepunk (April 24, 2009)

I feel bad for Fireworks now.

But yeah, I'm sure this is a review by a person just getting into it, so let's go easy on the entity, okay?

LooseKanonYankee (April 24, 2009)

haha, if this was a more popular band this reviewer would get ripped to shreds for that little oversite

bryne (April 24, 2009)

It is a Kid Dynamite cover.

Score's for the amount of research put into this review.

deadxlast (April 24, 2009)

"Track two, the puntastic "Heart-a-Tact" is a faster number with even more gang vocals and aspirations of being Set Your Goals, giving away to a catchy breakdown with chugging guitars and jittery stop-start vocals."

That wouldn't happen to be a Kid Dynamite cover, would it?