Review: A Day to Remember - Common Courtesy

Contracts are deceiving, the law is confusing and when legal issues arise most of us shy away from what is going down in the courtroom and simply wait for the final verdict. Well the ruling has been made, and A Day To Remember has released their fifth record, Common Courtesy, with permission from the judge.

Common Courtesy has been one of the most anticipated albums of 2013 and for various reasons. It has been three years since A Day To Remember has put out any new music with the exception of the song “Violence (Enough is Enough), which has been building up hype since December 2012. Most of all, the case with Victory Records has created a fair amount of complications for the band and owners of the label. Finally, Common Courtesy is here, and A Day To Remember is right back at it again. ADTR’s secret formula has always been the proper mixing of pop-punk with hardcore brutality, and the band has stuck with what has always worked for this fifth record.

The song style and creativity has been stepped up to match A Day To
Remember’s massiveness. Some may criticize this record for lacking musical evolution, and some will praise this record for sticking to the roots of the band’s style. I don’t know how long this style will last, but I believe fans will absolutely love this record. People will be jamming Common Courtesy for weeks, months, and even years to come.

Songs such as “Violence (Enough is Enough)” and “Life Lesson Learned The Hard Way” bring out Jeremy’s anger and brutal breakdowns all over. All songs have hints of influence from the bands previous albums “Homesick” and “What Separates Me From You”. “End Of Me” and “I’m Already Gone” slow down the record to a pleasant pace with a balance of acoustic guitars and huge build-ups. Overall, this album is fantastically balanced and is the truest representation of ADTR to date.

Fans have been expecting a lot from this record, and on every level A Day To Remember has delivered. Between constant touring, legal issues with Victory Records, and the difficulties with releasing this album, the members of A Day To Remember deserve all the praise for this record. Go pick up Common Courtesy on ADTR.com. You won’t regret it.

10/10

-Ryan

ADTR's Common Courtesy Tracklist Revealed

The tracklist for A Day to Remember’s highly anticipated new record, Common Courtesy can be seen below. Preorder the album here

1 City of Ocala
2 Right Back At It Again
3 Sometimes You’re The Hammer, Sometimes You’re The Nail
4 Dead & Buried
5 Best of Me
6 I’m Already Gone
7 Violence (Enough Is Enough)
8 Life @ 11
9 I Surrender
10 Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way
11 End Of Me
12 The Document Speaks For Itself
13 I Remember

Victory (Enough is Enough!)

Sometime today, the ADTR crew will be in a courtroom making their case against Victory Records about the release of Common Courtesy. I guess they didn’t make up their minds when they signed 3-4-5 on that dotted line.

A Day To Remember and Victory Records are meeting in a courthouse in Illinois later today in anticipation of a long-awaited court ruling on whether or not the band owes the label two more albums by contractual obligation, or if the court is satisfied in the band’s belief that they have fulfilled their contractual responsibilities.

Review: Pardon My French - Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!

With the release of Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!’s second album “Pardon My French”, fans can expect to hear the beloved pop-punk/hardcore band at its best.

The opening track “Restart” immediately brings listeners into the style of pop sung melodies followed by the rivaled heaviness of the sound that the band has come to master. This band has really proven that pop-punk and metalcore can be fluidly mixed at a happy medium, and in a more original way than most bands. The album reeks of an aura that can be compared to “Homesick” (A Day To Remember’s most popular album) only with a more creative spin to it. Songs like “Taking Chances” and “Between Your Lines” are perfect representations of the band and especially of this album.

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! takes the all too familiar sound of pop vocals with hardcore breakdowns to a more personal level on this album. The album’s eighth track “I Am Nothing Like You” gives an insight to the heavy side of the band. The song was not as intrusive as “Mr. Highway is Thinking About The End” was on A Day To Remember’s album “Homesick”, but it still has an impact that excites the listener for the rest of the album. The band also represents its versatility in the pop-punk genre with their song “So Close and Yet So Far”. This song shows a slightly softer side of the band that can be compared to a more intense and modern version of “I Miss You” by Blink-182.

Although the songs themselves are very good, this album does have its downfalls as a whole. The band created its pop-punk/hardcore sound from its first album “Something for Nothing” and the new release seems to follow too closely in its footsteps. Even though a definite progression can be heard overall, it seems the band played it safe with this album. They stayed close to the pop structured songs, catchy melodies, and punk verses that can be heard on almost every single song on both of their albums.

In the end, this album is a very good representation of the band but doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Considering that this is only the band’s sophomore album, not much else can be expected. Many bands will stick to what has worked in the past when it comes to releasing new material. For fans of the band, this album will be highly praised as it only reinforces the Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!’s definitive style. But for listeners that may not have liked the band’s first album, there really isn’t anything new to hear. It is more of a continuation of the pop-punk/hardcore style than a new revolutionary take on the well known genre.

Rating 7.5/10

A Day to Remember - Endgame tour setlist

Follow us for music news, tours and set lists.

1. The Downfall of Us All

2. A Shot in the Dark

3. I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?

4. My Life for Hire

5. All Signs Point to Lauderdale

6. 2nd Sucks

7. Homesick

8. You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic

9. It’s Complicated

10. Better Off This Way

11. All I Want

12. Have Faith In Me