The Young Sportsmen are a Seattle band with a great sound. This is an excellent power pop album with clean well arranged songs and Johnny Sangster’s smooth vocals. The sound is best described as The Lemonheads meets Sloan, indicated by the opener “Marions Nova” with it’s multi-guitar hooks and angular rythyms. Other influences I hear are The Jam, Brenden Benson, and XTC. “If You Want It” has got all the rock edge you need and all the energetic hooks you could want and even those awesome handclaps. Anchored by bassist Richard Davidson the song “Sunday in Dresden” allows the guitars and drums to carry the melodic goodness. Lyrics are a combination of deep broodings and current events, like in “Seasame Street Fightin Man” where the stress of urban living and gang war run through the aggressive lines, “Looks like somebody cut the strings/ all hell has broken loose/ you’re all alone now.” The other topical songs include “Hey Gasoline” about the energy dependency blues. Another song, “Summer Ace” has a constant beat and riffs layered over the vocals that state the end of a summer romance, as the chorus echos “Will I miss you when I’m gone?” My favorite here is the final song , “Long Way Down” with it’s relentless guitar riffs and Brian May like solo break between the chorus and Townshend-like dramatic flair. It actually feels like a finale and not a leftover track other bands end an album with. The album has no filler – as every track is immediate and a perfect balance between melody and manic energy. After a few listens, you’ll consider it a power pop classic.
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