From that moment way back then when their name was announced as winner of the MTV2 award at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, Yellowcard has come a long way. With the huge success of their last album, Ocean Avenue, sold-out concerts all over the world, and a punk-rock revolution, Yellowcard was ready for a more real, introspective album. That was the idea behind their latest album, Lights and Sounds, released Jan. 24. The whirlwind of fame is one of the many things that inspired the album. âLights and Soundsâ is the second track of the album, and itâs a single that explores being a celebrity and all the distractions it offers. Lights and Sounds is definitely an album unlike any other that Yellowcard has done before. Among its themes are fear, war, adulthood, Hollywood, and the album explores these ideas in a more thoughtful, raw, and challenging way than before. âOn this album, we took the opportunity to show people that hey, we like to make real music,â lead singer William Ryan Key said. To get ready to write the album and make a fresh start, Key and keyboardist and bassist Pete Mosely moved to New York City. They wanted to take risks on this album by not worrying about being safe, but saying whatâs real. According to Key, the album is a lot more about whatâs going on in his head, something he was previously afraid to write about. As a result, the record deals with a lot of themes and issues and represents a period of battles and changes. With their new album, Yellowcard has succeeded in proving what they set out to do to the world. The album begins with âThree Flights Up,â a string piece with a gentle, hopeful vibe. The next track, âLights and Soundsâ is a lot more explosive with its strong, energetic drums and guitar pulling the listener in, and the classic Yellowcard sound and vocals. âSure Thing Fallingâ is about fear and change, talking about how all sure things fall, with a steady, but strong melody. âTwo Weeks From Twentyâ is a beautiful composition with a sad vibe, commenting on the war in Iraq by focusing on a U.S. soldier killed there two weeks from his twentieth birthday. A big theme that the album explores is Hollywood with a girl named Holly Wood. The last track of the album, âHolly Wood Diedâ retells her trials and tribulations: âThe night life, The high life/ She just wants a good life, so someone remembers her too/ But somewhere she heard there was some place to go when/ You die when you live like we do,/ Die when you live like we do.â The album ends with a gentle string melody, much like that of the first song. The new album, according to Key, is about being hopeful and hopeless at the same time. Most songs on previous albums ended with resolutions to the problems, but on this one, there arenât really any solutions – this is a new level of maturity for Yellowcard. Lights and Sounds gives a view into the tragedies and joys of life. Mosely sums it up well, saying that a lot of what Yellowcard tries to convey is that thereâs always the other side and life is just about getting there, that youâve got to believe thatâs where you want to be, and no one else can get there for you. Itâs no doubt that Yellowcard has come a long way. Lights and Sounds shows a new, more mature side of Yellowcard, but it still includes that adored California-rock Yellowcard sound.
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Yellowcard’s boppin’ jams show maturity, awesomeness
Maria Bereznev
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February 10, 2006
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