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Forever the Sickest Kids
Underdog Alma Mater
(Universal Motown)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2008, Volume 15, #8
Written by David Gregory Schlegel
Sun August 3, 2008, 08:00 AM CDT
Anyone who hates Fall Out Boy undoubtedly will find that Forever the Sickest
Kids is equally unbearable. Listening to Underdog Alma Mater, the band’s
new album, is, at times, so excruciating that it is apt to leave a person
searching for a sedative.
For a group that was formed by accident, when lead singer Jonathan Cook paid
for an account on PureVolume to promote a song he hadn’t yet written,
Forever the Sickest Kids has had a lot of success. Its first track Hey
Brittany was written within two days of the band’s formation. It
subsequently became a huge hit. Less than a year later, Forever the Sickest Kids
was signed to Universal Motown where it promptly issued its EP Television
Off, Party On and joined the Vans Warped tour. Nevertheless, the outfit
ought to have taken a minute to review its material before it decided to make a
full-length album.
After listening to Underdog Alma Mater, it’s impossible not to wish
that there was a program such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that was
designed to help musicians to find their own sense of style. It’s not a case
that Forever the Sickest Kids lacks talent; it just needs...well...help. So many
of its songs could be really good, but the band ruins them with the
inappropriate use of synthesizers, vocal effects, cheesy chorus breaks, and
whiny lyrics. The Way She Moves, for example, seems to be a solid tune,
at least until Forever the Sickest Kids interrupts its momentum with
turntable-scratching noises. This is akin to a hip-hop outfit randomly tossing a
guitar riff into the midst of one of its songs and expecting its genre-bashing
fusion to sound innovative. Hey Brittany would be much better, if only
the collective hadn’t tampered with its vocals.
Believe Me I’m Lying, on which Forever the Sickest Kids sounds like the
Postal Service on crack, might have become Underdog Alma Mater’s best
track. Unfortunately, when Cook starts singing "do, do, do," the cut falls
apart. She’s a Lady is musically flawless but lyrically challenged; such
a good melody ought not to be undermined by self-pitying complaints about a
girlfriend.
For all of its problems, only two songs on Underdog Alma Mater should
be rethought entirely or just removed: My Worst Nightmare, and Uh Huh.
The former track, in particular, sounds like the theme from Chariots of Fire
as performed by an emo-rock outfit. These are two styles of music that should
never be mixed.
Despite its many flawed songs, there are still some strong performances on
Underdog Alma Mater. Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone) is likely Forever the
Sickest Kids’ most solid composition. The tune is catchy and structurally well
designed, and, for once, it doesn’t feature a band member complaining about his
girlfriend or his ex. Elsewhere, Phone Call boasts an irresistible
sing-along chorus, and with its softer, more reflective tone, Coffee Break
provides a nice change of pace to Underdog Alma Mater. Considering that
the album largely is filled with high-energy, pop-punk tunes, these tracks help
to break up the intensity.
Because Underdog Alma Mater is the band’s first real album, Forever
the Sickest Kids can be forgiven for its missteps. The outing’s weaknesses are
not the result of bad material, per se. Instead, Underdog Alma Mater is
undermined by an accumulation of small flaws — such as the rampant use of
synthesizers and Cook’s obsession with his girlfriend — that ultimately make a
huge difference. Heartfelt songs are great, but the proper conveyance of emotion
is everything. Instead of just yelling about what happened, why not describe how
a situation made him feel, so that the listener can be more in touch with the
lyrics? Why doesn’t Forever the Sickest Kids ever integrate its goofy sense of
humor into its work? In looking at pictures of the band, one is left to think
that perhaps Underdog Alma Mater will contain some levity. It doesn’t. In
the end, too many questions like these are left unanswered. If, however, Forever
the Sickest Kids’ only goal in life is to get as many 16-year-old girls
screaming as possible, then it has achieved its objective. 
Of Further Interest...
Bedouin Soundclash - Street Gospels
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Relient K - The Bird and The Bee Sides
Underdog Alma Mater is available
from Amazon. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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