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For.the.Win. play a brand of punk rock that's awfully familiar -- the gruff, poppy, gritty kind (they call it 'Bay Area posi-core,' and their lyrics fit the description like a glove) -- but familiarity doesn't necessarily mean mediocrity, and their debut The Black & the Blue is an enjoyable slab of goodness that's packed to the brim with sincerity and other endearing qualities.

Fast, catchy foundations are prevalent in several of these songs, especially in the opening 1-2 punch of "Let It Begin" and "Another Day." There are some hardcore tinges in tracks like "Dirty Rock 'n Roll," "Pick This Loch" and "Attack" (the latter featuring some fairly neat chord progressions), but nothing in any of those songs is ever too brooding to stunt the record's momentum. "For the Win" and "Neckline" are poppier, catchier numbers, heavily reliant on on infectious melodies and solid gang/backup/group vocals. For.the.Win. does toy with longer, more anthemic song structures on "I'm an Outsider" and album closer "Die Young," and is able to pull it off relatively easily.

Again, there's nothing terribly groundbreaking here, but For.the.Win. is a nice addition to the rosters of Asian Man and Solidarity and The Black & the Blue is hopefully the beginning of something big for these guys, because we really can never have too many good Bay Area punk bands.



People who liked this also liked:
The Swellers - Ups and DownsizingChuck Ragan / The Loved Ones - Give and Take [7 inch]No Target Audience - Gifts and ReturnsThe Marked Men - GhostsCity of Ships - Live Free or Don't Tour [12 inch]Outclassed - This Might Be Coincidence... [12 inch]How Dare You - Comfort RoadGit Some - Cosmic RockHellmouth - Destroy Everything. Worship Nothing.Nobunny - Love Visions



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    Posted by inagreendase on 2009-05-26 15:08:51

    Based on a song or two, eh.

    Posted by BadSceneYourFault on 2009-05-26 03:20:34
    My Score:

    I like some of the other stuff this label has put out, The Honor System, Anchor Down, but I dunno about this one. Maybe it grows on you?

    Posted by 120db on 2009-05-26 01:24:35

    The album is pretty mediocre to me. The only track that is really good is "I'm an outsider". I'll give this album few more tries before giving it a score though.

    Posted by Blackjaw_x on 2009-05-24 14:52:37

    Buddy on the cover is in the same position as buddy on the cover of The Menzingers' Hold On, Dodge.

    Posted by robalobadob on 2009-05-23 12:48:06

    Yeah, I didn't understand what that meant for the longest time. I would just start singing that Tiger Army song in my head.

    Posted by Sliced-T on 2009-05-22 18:12:11

    I'm glad I'm still punk rock enough that when I read FTW on the internets I think it means Fuck The World and am momentarily confused before I understand the lameness.