Hawk Nelson has been around long enough to gain that name recognition which important for the causal music consumer. The question now becomes whether the band ignites the excitement they once did or maybe for you an excitement they never did before.

Judging by the rating that the record received, you can already tell that any or all excitement that this band once received is now very much on the outs. Pop punk is a strange genre which can get by doing the same things it has always done but the secret ingredients seems to be “creativity” and “passion”. As long as you don’t do the exact same song as someone else and you get however slightly creative with a song then you can pretty much navigate through the sea that is this tired genre. That being said it feels like Hawk Nelson is trying to move on to a different place, stylistically speaking, and suffer from not fully committing to something.

“Friend Like That” is the albums first radio single and should do well as one but it seems to lack the emotion which was just mentioned. It incorporates a catchy chorus that may may make your foot move but does little else to bring you into the song.

“Let’s Dance” is one of the worst songs on the record. The lyrics and content however cliche are acceptable but the musical style is where the song fails. The steady beat never changes and becomes monotonous very quickly making you tune out to anything else the song may offer. The drum high hats during the chorus become like a little gnat that flies around your ear and you can’t get to leave. Interestingly enough the follow up song “Ancient History” is among the albums better tracks and is because it succeeds where “Let’s Dance” fails. The song instantly hooks with the crunchy guitars and complementing vocals. The line “Nothing from nothing gets you nothing at all…” is just an example of the creativity and catchiness that the rest of the album lacks.

The songs all seem to have an important meaning to the band and don’t come off as filler. The messages of missing a grandma that has passed on, or compromising ones values are there and for that I’m glad the band can sing about things that actually mean something but at the same time I just don’t feel connected to the album and the songs.

When everything is said and done the record simply fails. The bottom line is not whether a band is popular or what people think of Hawk Nelson, the bottom line is whether album provides you enjoyment. Honestly past Hawk Nelson records have provided a decent amount of enjoyment but ‘Hawk Nelson Is My Friend’ lacks the enjoyment and creativity it should have and its doubtful that I will have a desire to pull this record out later this year and listen again.

Track Listing
1. You Have What I Need
2. Friend Like That
3. Turn It On
4. One Little Miracle
5. Let’s Dance
6. Ancient History
7. Somebody Else
8. Arms Around Me
9. Just Like Me
10. Not The Same
11. Words We Speak
12. I Still Miss You

Tags: Hawk nelson, hawk nelson is my friend, music

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 5:25 pm and is filed under Full Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.