The Everyday Heroes

Item: Different, Like Everyone Else
Author: Alex Klages

Different, Like Everyone Else

(2002)

Reviewed by Alex Klages

Discogs Bandcamp

Label independentThe Phantom Tollbooth2002

garage rock pop punk

The Everyday Heroes, from Columbus, Ohio, play what amounts to good old rock and roll with a healthy bit of the turn-of-the-century punk attitude injected. It's for that reason that it's not inappropriate to say that this is an album which lives up to its title. It is different, in some respects. The Heroes have their own method of mixing early 80's rock with pop-punk. And they don't do a bad job of it either.

However, for the most part, they are like everyone else. The album is solid, but not a standout in any way. The whole pop-punk genre seems to be saturated, and it is hard to get past that part of the band's sound. Sure, there are hints of the Cars and Cheap Trick in the tunes, and a not-so-veiled nod to pogo music (the song "Pogo"), but on the whole, it's basically a retro album revved up to sound like 2002.

That having been said, the band does demonstrate good musicianship-- the guitar lines and drumming, especially, are quite good in spots, and are never lame. There is a good pop sensibility to the songwriting and lyrics, which are basically of the "boy meets girl, loses girl and cries about it in a three minute song" variety (as in songs like "Broken Hearted Valentine" and "A Girl Called Love"). That's one formula which never seems to lose its currency.

On the whole, this EP is nothing to be disappointed with, but on the other hand, it isn't exactly one that will have the masses running out to buy it. With it, the Heroes have a beginning platform on which to build future albums, and, if this EP is any indication, there is a lot of potential indeed.

2.5 tocks