Artist: The All-American Rejects
Album: Move Along
The All-American Rejects first caught my attention with the song ‘Dirty Little Secret’. I think it was mostly because it was that I hadn’t really heard this kind of rock sound coming from a new band, so I paid attention.
I was channel-surfing late last night, and stumbled across Bon Jovi’s episode of Unplugged on VH1 Classic. It was a nice treat to find Jon on TV after a long day at work followed by getting completely lost while out running errands.
Artist: The All-American Rejects
Album: Move Along
The All American Rejects are one of the few newer groups whose work I really enjoy. They always seemed to be one of the few who really got what rock should be all about. This particular song is one of my favorites off Move Along.
I like this particular song mostly because of the heavy drumbeat that drives most of it. It’s not a particularly complicated drum part, but it’s powerful. It shapes the entire identity of the song and provides the driving force that links the imagery of the lyrics with the instrumental part of the song.
If you’ve been reading some of my other posts, you also know that I’m a sucker for a good breakup song, especially the more defiant ones like this one. The lyrics of this song are especially good in that they really capture the ambivalence that comes with a breakup. The narrator is leaving because he can’t take a bad relationship anymore, but at the same time acknowledges that it hurts to leave as well. A lot of songs never really explore that kind of territory.
This kind of good, solid rock is why I really like this band so much.
Well, the opening act for the tour was finally announced. I can’t say I’m thrilled. Granted, it’s not as bad as it could have been. (They could have pulled out an American Idol reject, none of whom I am keen on.)
This is the second time in recent memory that Bon Jovi has pulled out an emo band to play as an opening act. Now, I can’t speak for anyone but myself and my friends, but none of us like emo. We don’t like being depressed. And we certainly don’t go to concerts to achieve that end. I would imagine that most other Bon Jovi fans don’t go for the whole emo scene any more than I do. I’m not sure why they keep bringing in bands like Dashboard Confessional and My Chemical Romance; I don’t think any of them are very popular with the Bon Jovi fanbase.
On the other hand, it could be worse. At least Dashboard Confessional has a solid grasp of melody, and they write decently original songs. It’s not my cup of tea, but it could have been a whole lot worse.
Honestly, I would have preferred the All American Rejects. They were an opening act during the Lost Highway shows at the Prudential Center, and they are one of my other favorite bands. It would have been a perfect double bill as far as I’m concerned, and my friends would have enjoyed it too. I think it would have played better in general, because the All American Rejects’ style has a lot more in common with Bon Jovi than Dashboard Confessional does.
For the second year since their eligibility, Bon Jovi has been snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (There’s more information at the LA Times.) One could argue that they are one of the most influential bands to have come out of the 80s. Many of the bands that Bon Jovi has influenced are just now coming into their own. Perhaps in a few years, once a few more of the bands that are proud to claim Bon Jovi as an influence and inspiration have really hit it big, Bon Jovi will be considered for eligibility. There are plenty of bands out there that certainly sound like they were influenced by Bon Jovi, like the Killers, Daughtry and the All-American Rejects.
I love the All-American Rejects. I’m still bummed that I bought tickets for the Prudential Center shows before the opening acts were announced and I ended up with Gretchen Wilson instead.
Alice Cooper isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame either, something which seems like a glaring oversight to me. After all, KISS is nominated this year. They were pioneers in a lot of respects, and certainly very deserving of a spot in the Hall, but they were also influenced by Alice Cooper’s work in a ton of ways. It just doesn’t seem fair to me that they should make it in before Alice Cooper does.