Tooth & Nail must have signed every independent Christian punk band in America, all at once. In the past six months, they've released debut albums by Hangnail, Off the Record, The Undecided, The Deadlines, Element 101, and probably some others that I'm forgetting. Some of these bands have been fairly typical (and boring!) pop-punk, while some of the others, most notably The Deadlines, have had an odd sort of appeal. The latest of these punk offerings is Shorthanded, who, while certainly not lackluster in their attempts, have released an album with the traditional strengths and weaknesses of pop/punk.
Astute listeners may recognize lead singer/guitarist Andy Wiseman from the now-defunct Tooth & Nail band Crux. Don't be deceived, though--Shorthanded is considerably more modern than that particular old-school punk band, and could easily be compared to MxPx or Slick Shoes. Unfortunately, Wiseman and company don't quite match the appeal of those two bands, though, and Forever Yours begins to get very boring about five or six songs into it.
On the plus side, Wiseman is a much better lyricist than his contemporaries, and this makes his band all the more appealing. Standout tracks lyrically are "Curls and Curves," which hearkens back to Five Iron Frenzy's "One Girl Army" in its dealings with feminine self-image; "Imitation," which tackles the issue of pornography ("Does it satisfy, just to fill the shadow of your deepest need?"); and the title track, which is a somewhat ambiguous love song to either a female or God.
Shorthanded's got plenty of time to mature and grow, and I personally look forward to hearing their next effort.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2001Reviewed by ChrisOkay, this is an easy one. If you like what the Descendents or All have done in the past 5 years, you'll like this record, because it's the same thing (almost annoyingly identical). I'm sure part of this is due to it having been recorded and produced by members of those bands, but nonetheless it's pretty much just a copycat effort. If you don't mind knowing that a band is just doing an incredibly…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Travis PersaudShorthanded is one of the many new melodic punk bands that Tooth and Nail recently picked up. They do have a few other albums out on Boot to Head Records, but this is their first release on Tooth and Nail. After hearing some of their older stuff, I was really excited to hear this new album. I was thinking that if they just expanded on the sound they have already created on past projects, this…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco Povervest37 minutes, 15 songs, here we go: Shorthanded is an energetic trio playing pop-punk. Another one! This Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton and Jason Livermore produced CD shows a band that knows how to play their instruments and how to use them in creating quality songs. Sometimes their music reminds me a bit of Ghoti Hook with a hint of Element 101. And this is not girls-absorbed lyrical stuff…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Josh SpencerWell, well, a surprise. This is much better punk than you would expect from the juvenile cover. These guys are solid musicians, with emotive walking bass lines galore, guitar solos, and varied tempos and rhythms. The songs are about as memorable and distinct as punk can be. Shorthanded have a very melodic, friendly tone, good for listening to while holding hands with your girlfriend. The vocalist…Similar sounding releases
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