Acceptance - Phantoms - Release Date: April 26, 2005 - Columbia Records
The genre of �emo� has hit the mainstream in the last few years, led by legends like Jimmy Eat World or Modest Mouse. Despite finally creating some financial success for many bands, �emo� is still flourishing in the underground. New bands come out every day borrowing sounds from the aforementioned bands, mixing and matching styles until a definitive (albeit not always unique) sound is acquired. Acceptance, for one, is a group on the verge of breakthrough, releasing their major label debut Phantoms on April 26th. �Listeners of U2, someone who might like Jimmy Eat World, people who would like the Foo Fighters or Death Cab For Cutie� would be interested in Acceptance, describes vocalist Jason Vena. The new release certainly touches on these influences but continues to build upon the definitive Acceptance feel which had been established in past EPs on independent label The Militia Group. They even included �Permanent,� a fan favorite from past records, on this new disc.
Vena describes Acceptance as a �pop rock band who writes songs with melodies.� The sing-along factor is huge on Phantoms, as most of these songs will be stuck in a listener�s head after just a few listens. Catchy but still emotional, the Seattle quintet did not sacrifice quality for commercial success. The songs are fun to listen to and the vocals are almost soothing, in a clean and polished way. The guitar hooks are nothing special, but they fit; the keyboards, drums, and bass are the background, but hold down the songs so that the vocals can flourish. On face value, Phantoms is an above average emo rock record. But the message is what puts Acceptance over the top as a major player in the scene.
Despite being released on Columbia Records, Phantoms� lyrical content remains strong, even improving from earlier music, delving into more mature content ranging beyond the standard �emo� formula of boy likes girl, girl dumps boy, boy cries. When questioned, Vena admits to even being a �Christian band,� despite hating being pigeonholed beyond just being a band with an uplifting message. �We�re five guys in a band who are all Christian, but that doesn�t mean we�re going to preach that everyone else should be just like us. We�re a rock band first. Every band conveys a message though, from U2 and the Beatles to Rage Against The Machine and System of a Down. We want to be a band that people can respect and have fun listening to, but we want to have a hopeful message. It wouldn�t be our place to preach to people; we�re not going to tell people to be Christian. We�re guys in a band who aren�t trying to make people believe what they don�t want to,� explained Vena.
Phantoms will be released on April 26th on Columbia Records and Acceptance will be performing live at the 9:30 Club on March 29th with fellow emo rockers Copeland, Lovedrug, and As Tall As Lions. Beyond Phantoms, Acceptance�s live show is definitely one of the stronger points for the band and it is strongly recommended experiencing them.
OVERALL: 4 out of 5 stars. Pretty standard emo rock, but they do it well. However a point off becuase some songs sound very similar
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