In fact, their album quickly improves by the second song, “Fallin Apart”. With keyboard, strings, clapping and lots of backing vocals on the chorus, this number seems like it is right off the High School Musical Soundtrack. However, the lyrics that are juxtaposed with song shows that it goes a bit beyond a Zac Efron love song as Tyson Ritter sweetly sings a lyric that fills you with pity, “Where ever you go, I’m crawling even when we’re fallin’ apart.” I suppose he eventually figures out the relationship is ruined by the next song where the guitars take a darker turn and Ritter curses the girl who broke his heart on “Damn Girl”. The chorus turns into a brooding round.
The songs on this album continue to teeter back and forth between songs of regret and longing to songs of hate and revenge. Instrumentally, the album, while it uses electronic instruments, has a very raw and acoustic feel. This naturalness in the instrumentals leaves the emotions of the lyrics more exposes.
While, the lack of variety in some of these songs was a bit of disappointment (”Real World” has a similar structure to the single “What Gives You Hell”), the addition of some duets with the sisters from The Pierces was a pleasant surprise for songs like “Another Heart Calls” and “Back to Me.” Duets aren’t even used on the previous albums and the call and response on “Another Heart Calls” is executed beautifully. Even when the vocals switch from solo guy and girl to groups, there is still a nice balance where the guys sing, “Oh oh oh” and the girls respond, “La la la.”
This album may not be as critically substantial as Move Along, but it is catchy and if you’re already digging the single, then you will surely enjoy these other songs. When the World Comes Down hits stores December 16, 2008 or you can stream the album in its entirety on the band’s MySpace page now.
