I delayed getting hold of a copy of this record, simply because the first Allister full length was an infuriating affair. At times it was pure genius, mixing cheeky hook-filled anthems with a dash of slapstick humour, but sadly it had the staying power of Rio Ferdinand at a drugs test. Within a month the disc was relegated to my cd rack and sadly it hasn’t really seen the light of day since. So when this new 16-tracker hit stores earlier this year, I didn’t exactly rush out and buy it. Thankfully ‘Last Stop Surburbia’ is a vast improvement for the band. There have been line-up changes, and the production is far, far superior….but it’s still unoriginal, seen-it-all-before stereotypical So-Cal pop-punk. Ultimately, this is where many releases are falling down, and Allister‘s unoriginality isn’t hidden.
Allister are the kind of band that split music lovers down the middle – you either love ’em or hate ’em and while fans are usually incredibly loyal, the haters are viciferous in their callous comments against them. It’s horses for courses really, and if you’re a fan of the Drive Thru label and/or catchy pop-punk, Allister are probably your thing. In certain glimpses on this album, they look the real deal. ‘Somewhere Down On Fullerton’ would make New Found Glory proud, while ‘Scratch’ and ‘Radio Player’ kick things off in fine fashion.
But for the most part, there is nothing on offer here which isn’t bettered elsewhere. That’s sad because the promise shown on ‘Dead Ends And Girlfriends’ is bettered, and this is a record I can pull out and play from time to time, something I haven’t done with the aforementioned debut in quite some time. But this is album number two, the dreaded sophomore effort, and things have to be taken up a notch. Kick-ass production can help for sure, but it cannot bury the fact that some bands desperately need an injection of originality. I’m not trying to say Allister are stale, or that they are rip-off merchants, but there are too many songs here which could have been taken from any So-Cal pop-punk band’s repotoire.
It’s kind of sad because when Allister are good, they’re quite simply great. Moments like ‘Overrated’ and ‘Know It All’ are solid pieces of perky pop-punk and the energetic ‘None Of My Friends Are Punks’ is also a keeper. But when a band’s best two songs are literally covers, you know you’re in trouble. Fans of pop-punk will enjoy this, and it is longer-lasting than ‘Dead Ends and Girlfriends’, but for a second album I expected better. Report card says ‘must try harder’.
www.allisterrock.com
Paul