I get the impression The Blackout think we here at PT don’t like them. I know some of our readers and forumites are not so keen, but I thought ‘We Are The Dynamite’ was a good record and was impressed with them when I saw them live, even if they’re not the tightest live band I’ve ever seen. Hopefully this review will bust the myth that PT – and me personally – doesn’t like TBO. Because whether you like it or not ‘The Best In Town‘ is set to blow TBO up on both sides of the pond. And while this record is perhaps two years too late – and I mean that in the sense if it was released two years earlier it would have started a new wave of ’emo’ bands rather than be part of the second generation – this is pretty much a faultless release in terms of the genre of music they play.
Yes, people will rightly say The Blackout play a brand of music that broke big five years ago and I don’t even think the band could argue with that. But they do what they do so, so well I can’t think of many bands either side of the pond that do it as well as they do. I’m sick and tired of this genre of music that bands really have to excel or I’ll switch it off. I’m bored of bands who sing and scream and shout and break things down. It has to have guts and it has to have melody and The Blackout have all of those things in abundance.
This record is choc-full of hits. HITS even. ‘Top of the World’ is ‘High Tide Baby’ part 2. ‘Shutthefuckuppercut’ is massive. Jesus H Christ it sounds massive. The breakdown in ‘The Fire’ is shit-the-bed good. If you enjoyed the first album this takes everything up several notches. It’s heavier, it’s harder and it’s more melodic. At the same time. It’s not perfect (a couple of the songs are skippable), but it makes up for this by being passionate and energetic and a lot of fun. I’m excited for seeing the band go off an recreate this record in a live setting.
‘The Best In Town‘ has shown The Blackout can up their game and match it up with the big boys. With Epitaph behind them the US will be next to fall hook, line and sinker.