A Lesson In Romantics is, in many ways, the album I wish Fall Out Boy had made when they released Infinity on High.
The band who made a name for themselves by simply following the Warped Tour, meeting fans, selling CDs, and sitting around in their bus -- not even getting into the shows, have really done it with their debut album.
Their first EP, which they self-released, selling thousands of copies of it via the ingenious Warped Tour stalking method, shows a band with potential. But A Lesson in Romantics is a fully-realized album of pop-punk perfection. Singer Derek Sanders has a slight Patrick Stump feel, and the lyrics work in a similar way to the Fall Out Boy aesthetic, hence my comparison. The difference, though, is these vocals are natural -- they flow. They sound like they come from the heart, not an attempt to be "a great singer" or to add "R&B flavor" to the songs. There's an honesty in Derek's voice that is immediately apparent from the first line of "Jamie All Over" straight through to the last line of the awesomely-titled "You be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet On the Ground, I'll Be the Wings That Keep Your Heart in the Clouds."
The band was listed as one of Alternative Press' "100 Bands You Need to Know in 2007," a list that has so far, been pretty accurate, considering the success of bands like Circa Survive, Cute is What We Aim For, and others.
When this CD came across my desk, I was interested, but I didn't go in expecting to fall in love with it, which I did on first listen. Not many albums pull you in like that, but this band has that special something. They have "it," and I'm certain this is a band you'll be hearing a lot from as the rest of 2007 unfolds.
