Review: New Found Glory - Hits
Label: Geffen Records
Released: March 18, 2008
A New Found Glory has always been a bit long on sappiness and short on edge, but when I bought Nothing Gold Can Stay, an album whose title is probably more a reference to S.E. Hinton than Robert Frost, it connected with me. It was an album that was geared toward kids 10 years or so younger than I was at the time, but rather than missing the 28 year-old that I was, it connected with the 18 year-old that was still within me. Sappy or not, that album will always be amazing to me for that reason. I sing along rather than cringe at its pop culture references.
New Found Glory not only dropped that charmingly awkward "A" from their name, but they also dropped everything else that appealed to me. Their self-titled album did include "Hit or Miss" and wasn't completely devoid of their special ability to make silly emo and pop-punk songs seem real, but it was waning. Beginning with Sticks & Stones, New Found Glory was just another band swimming in the overdramatic sea that had grown out of a promising genre. Whatever was special before was now entirely gone. They had succumbed to the formula.
Unfortunately, Hits culls its tracks from the days when there was nothing new about New Found Glory. Sure, "Hit or Miss" is there, but the real best of A New Found Glory is still Nothing Gold Can Stay. Hits may be aptly titled as it draws from their commercially successful period, but it is far from their best work.
Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 4/10
Aretha: 3/10
Overall: 4/10
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If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.
posted by bob_vinyl at 10:48 AM
2 Comments:
Oh God, not NFG. In my opinion they are the worst band out there. Their lame lyrics, predictable sound, and originality come together to make one terrible session for my ears. I would have probably given this a -10.
I don't know about worst, but after Nothing Gold Can Stay, I agree that they're pretty awful. It's weird, because the difference between that first album and what came after is subtle, but significant. Kind of like that "fine line between clever and stupid."
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