Down to Earth Approach - Another Intervention

Down To Earth Approach
Another Intervention
Vagrant Records
Grade: A-

This is the record that the Get Up Kids should have made after Something To Write Home About. Neat, crisp, melody-laden music that makes you feel good populate the eleven tracks on Another Intervention. The four-piece Down to Earth Approach initially hail from the sticks of western New York, Batavia, but now they are living in LA. And with good reason. Since, I went to school near there I can verify that absolutely nothing happens in Batavia - at all. It's the kind of place that people living there refer to Rochester, NY as the "city." That makes it all the more amazing that these guys are able to come up with such good shit out of such a desolate place. As the above mentions, Down to Earth Approach take a good deal of their swagger from the Get Up Kids, but sprinkle a bit more contemporary pop-punk to sweeten the deal. In that respect they walk a thin line. When lead singer and guitarist Jonathan Lullo's vocals are nearing the whining of today's pop-punk, you want to strangle him mostly because you hear how damn good they are without the whine. These accents may turn off the casual listener who may characterize the band as simply another clone. Since this is DTEA's debut on Vagrant, the band has time to mature and for Lullo to find his own vocal sound. Another Intervention starts out on "Exhibit of the Year" with enthusiasm and pop that is enhanced by thoughtful guitar work. "Exhibit of the Year" is a choice track to lay out the basic plan for the next ten songs. Other songs that smoke include "We're Sleeping," "Honey and Vinegar," "Face First" and "Lights" with its phenomenal opening. Honestly, save for the whines Another Intervention is one of the best records I've heard all year. If Vagrant pushes hard enough for these guys, they will very likely make a colossal splash with Another Intervention. Look forward to seeing these guys as they support the record this summer and fall.