After three indie releases and a self-titled Tooth & Nail debut in 2000, the members of Ace Troubleshooter seem determined to use their back catalog as both a reference point and a springboard for their latest effort. True to much of what has preceded it, the new project, The Madness of the Crowds, once again showcases the Minneapolis foursome's love of all things punk/pop-related. Songs like "Amanda" and the album-opening title track are built around the chugging, pop-savvy neo-punk of artists such as Rancid and the Offspring. In the same way, tracks like "Let's Go Away" and "Out to Sea" (Hey, Mamacita/ Ain't it great?/ Putting distance between myself/ And all the shelves/ Of smarmy, charmy human creeps) feature heaping portions of the cheeky, pun-heavy language that artists from MxPx to Green Day have come to hang their collective hats on.
Where its forerunners more or less confined themselves to the punk/pop arena, the Madness release shows the Troubleshooters adopting a slightly more divergent musical palette. The plaintive, romantically-themed lyrics of "2:00 Your Time" and "Estella" exhibit definite emo rock tendencies. Likewise, the intricate chord progressions and shifting time signatures found on tracks like "Estella" and "Numinous" fall somewhere along the thin line separating the punk and emo genres. The bounding energy and soaring falsetto vocals that inform "Have it All" show a certain similarity to the modern-day guitar pop outfits like Oasis and the Elms. And the lilting melody and plentiful major-to-minor key changes of "Age of Gold" hark back to the classic pop stylings of everyone from the Beatles to Badfinger.
All said and done, the band's decision to broaden their musical scope has been an overwhelmingly positive one. Those who circulate in punk circles will be encouraged to find that Madness features the AT cooperative's most solid line-up of frenetic punk/pop compositions to date. Listeners who prefer their tunes to be knit from a kinder, gentler weave, on the other hand, will take no less delight in the group's newfound propensity for marrying intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics to infectiously melodic pop/rock odes. While a small handful of the ventures outside of the punk/pop domain produce less than letter-perfect results, the new album more than compensates for the deficit by carrying with it the enthusiasm and excitement of a set of musicians stretching out and trying something new. And, this time out, both the band and its listeners walk away winners.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis June 2002Reviewed by Matt ModrichMinnesota's favorite Tooth and Nail band, Ace Troubleshooter, is back with their second album entitled "The Madness of the Crowds." "Madness" is actually quite different from Ace's self-titled in that it is a hybrid of pop punk and emo. It starts out rocking with the anthemic title track that will definitely get the kids going. Track two "2:00 Your Time" is an emo song that could end up being the…The Rebel Base 2002Reviewed by Josh HurstAce Troubleshooter's sophomore effort, The Madness of the Crowds, is something of a dream come true for a half-hearted pop/punk fan like myself. On the one hand, I've always been attracted to the pure, raw energy and passion of the genre, and Ace men offer up plenty of that with their new record. On the other hand, though, modern punk music has always seemed a bit repetitive to me. After two or…Art for the Ears 2002Reviewed by Marco PovervestHappy power rock, that's how you could describe the music on The Madness Of The Crowds. It's the first opportunity for me to get to know the music from this band so I can't compare it with previous efforts as this is not their debut. There's undoubtedly a lot of positive energy flowing through the music. It was the band Toto that discovered how great it is to sing about girlnames ending with 'a'…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Trae CadenheadAce Troubleshooter entered Christian music at a bad time to impress reviewers. With the market flooded with pop punk albums, the debut from Ace Troubleshooter didn't provide much to get its head above the water. With their sophomore follow up, however, the band seems to be playing music they are more comfortable with and that will inevitably set them apart enough to be noticed. The new sound of…Similar sounding releases
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