Dewey Defeats Truman - The Road to Nowhere Maps EP
(Has Anyone Ever Told You)
I used to think my affinity for peppy, well-produced, pop-punk music was a
curse, a guilty pleasure I had to hide behind my Nuggets box sets lest I face the
clicking tongues of imaginary hipster judges. Thankfully, I’ve moved past that
silly phobia. Yes, I enjoy the newest Jimmy Eat World record. Yes, I like that
Box Car Racer song—you know, the one that sounds like the best Blink 182 song
ever. Yes, I like that sorta new Blink 182 song. I could even be coerced to
admit that the acoustic sappiness of THE Dashboard Confessional single—the one
receiving all the MTV love—gets me in the soft spot (even if it's horribly
overblown and over-poetic and even if I can’t get over that line where Carrabas whines about wishing he was making out with
his ex). I don’t want to bother with misappropriated influences (blah blah
Superchunk, blah blah Jawbox, blah blah Bad Religion, blah blah blah), or groups
not getting their proper due (blah blah opening for the Get-Up Kids), or any
other old indie/corporate saws—I like the music I’ve heard, and that’s all
that matters to me, and that’s all that ultimately matters.
Sometimes, though, there are moments where peppy, well-produced, pop-punk music,
no matter how good it sounds, just isn’t what I need to hear. You know what I’m
talking about: those moments where even the songs you really like grate against
your nerves, and you shut them off in frustration, even though the frustration
doesn’t necessarily reflect your feelings on the song. Right now, I think I’m
on that side of the line, and this perfectly serviceable (albeit bland and
listless) EP is going to be on this side of the CD player, the quiet non-playing
side, as soon as I finish typing these last few sentences. Right now, nothing
could make me happier.
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