By Ray Moore
I listen to lots of music, lots of different genres. So it’s rare that I hear something that I feel is really good and has potential to be something great. I also read plenty of magazines and websites about music, so I see hundreds and hundreds of names and reviews. Sometimes I don’t check out the bands and later when I do I really enjoy the band. This was the case a few weeks ago when I finally heard the band Elway. I have been seeing and reading about this band for a few years now. Just never gave them a chance. I even had the chance to see them last year but I didn’t go. Turns out that was a mistake. These guys have released one of the best albums this year so far.
The latest release from Elway, Leavetaking is their second full-length for Red Scare. And what a release it is. This Fort Collins, Co. unit has come a ways since they formed as 10-4 Eleanor back in 2007. Elway has a sound akin to The Menzingers, Captain I’m Sinking and Restorations. This is a sound that seems to be popular these days. I like to call it punk for the working class. It deals with real issues that we tend to go through at times. It’s just not the boy/girl dynamic that we get with pop punk.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HnPfbegNEI&h=297&w=450]
The thing that sticks out about this album is the emotion that comes from it. It is obvious that these guys have a lot on their mind and their hearts. It is album that we all can relate to at times. Like I said above it’s about the real world. I feel that in pop punk we don’t hear that enough. In the song “Prophetstown” Tom sings the line, “It’s a desperate kind of living when you are burning up the night, getting sick of all the drinking, getting sicker every day, cause I can’t say he things I really want to say. “This is something we all go through in life, a struggle with something. The way that it is put here is very poetic. We hear more of this type of writing in the one/two punch of “One flew east” and “One flew west”. These two songs are a two part story about losing yourself and not knowing what you are doing with your life but at the same time following your heart. This song has guest vocals by Steve-O from The Holy Mess (another awesome band that you guys need to listen to).
This album shows growth from these guys and I for one am really excited to see what is next for them. They have the potential to have a long and prosperous career if they are given the chance or they may just make it happen themselves. Either way expect to hear this name more.
Score: 4/5
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