Yellowcard's Ocean Avenue Perfect for Any Collection

Pull out your ipod's and press play, if your lucky enough to hear Yellowcard you will agree, every song on Ocean Avenue is awesome! Yellowcard over the last year risen from the ranks of pop-punk rock to full fledged Rock-N-Rollers. The Album Ocean Avenue is proof.

Besides the witty lyrics and punk rock violin, Yellowcard knows what makes a band is it's fans. These boys strive to make a personal connection with every venue. Whither that venue is a High School, arena, or a living room. Even if you have never heard the album Ocean Avenue, you press play and start to rock out, bopping your head is not required but is encouraged. This is not your mother's rock band.

Yellowcard - Ryan Key, 23 (vocals, guitars); Sean Mackin, 24 (violin, vocals); Benjamin Harper, 22 (guitar); Longineu Parsons III, 23 (drums); and Pete Mosely, 24 (bass, vocals) formed in 1997 and have known each other for most of High School. Ryan moved to Santa Cruz for college but dropped out to pursue his love of music. He played in a few punk bands out of California and Florida but the pickings were slim. Yellowcard guitarist Ben Harper stumbled on Ryan and kicked their old singer to the curb. The rest is as they say it, history.

"We started playing some songs I had written," remembers Key, "and it all just clicked. Sean and I had always been really tight and I had a good relationship with the rest of the guys. It just seemed to work very naturally somehow."

In order for Yellowcard to ensure their place in rock history, they packed their bags and moved to Southern California. Ventura County became their hot bed of activities and a central point for the move outward. Lucky, Ryan wrote before even joining the band, these words formed the first two albums; One For The Kids and The Underdog EP. Though these received only mediocre reviews, there was a general buzz about the boys. Critics enjoyed the upbeat, honest nature of Yellowcard and destined them for greatness.

According to Yellowcard's website www.yellowcardrocks.com Ocean Avenue is their debut for Capitol Records, produced by Neal Avron and mixed by Tom-Lord-Alge. On the album, themes of self-empowerment and self-awareness reveal themselves throughout the 13 songs on tracks like "Believe" and "Inside Out." And there is a conspicuous lack of irony or sarcasm vs. sincerity rules. "We're definitely a positive band," says Key. "We want to take experiences in our life and use them in a productive way, to encourage people not to let anybody tell them what to do with their life."

Ocean Avenue offers a passionate brand of upbeat punk - but with a twist, complementing the standard band setup with the exotic (by rock standards, anyway) inclusion of a violin as a rhythm instrument, played by Sean Mackin. It makes their songs stand out, says Key. "I write the verses and the chorus and then let the band take it from there. They come up with any new kind of rhythms or chord structures that they can to just make the songs more interesting, to make them better. It's a very equal-parts thing that comes out really strong."

Ocean Avenue's opener, "Way Away," finds Key speaking to the idea that people are ultimately the masters of their own destiny. "We're talking about really owning up to what you want to do in your life," he explains of the song. He cites his own personal journey from dropping out of college to pursue his dream of being a songwriter, and the band's decision to leave their hometown of Jacksonville for California. "It's like, I'm not going to stay here just because you tell me I have to. A lot of those people who say that are doing the 9-to-5 and they're not happy. You have to do what you want to do."

On other songs, Yellowcard cull directly from their lives. On "Only One," Key talks specifically about the recent breakup with his girlfriend. "I can't stand albums where every song is about some chick who broke your heart," laughs Key. This song is different, though, he says. "I made the decision to end the relationship because it was the right thing to do, even though I'm not sure exactly why, and this song is about knowing it was right but still trying to understand it."

On "Miles Apart," Yellowcard reflect on the divergence of friends' lives after seminal periods like high school. "Twentythree" is about youthful idealism giving way to maturity. And the frenzied pace of the song stands out on Ocean Avenue, as do the vocals, done not by Key but by Mackin. "It's amazing how Sean can sing a song and it still sounds like Yellowcard," says Key.

From beginning to end, you find yourself on an emotional rollercoaster. Starting at "Way Away" and ending with "Back Home" which parallels most adventures in life, you start out going away and when it's all over your back home. Ocean Avenue is a "sentimental reflection," (www.yellowcardrocks.com) on what we have done, will do and what is left behind. "Sometimes when you've gone out to do what you want to do, you miss what you left - home, security, friends, family, safety," Ryan exposes. "We wanted to end the record with that kind of reflection."

"It's awesome to know we sacrificed and followed our hearts to end up where we are right now," says Key. "We definitely feel lucky, but we've worked hard as hell to make that luck happen."

Ocean Avenue is my pick for Awesome Full Album. If you start this album with the intent of mindless listening, beware! There is nothing mindless about it. Every word, song, chord is placed perfectly for a maximum emotional ride. It will make you feel better about life, love, and yourself. I mean come on, Yellowcard has a classily trained Violinist, how cool is that?