Top Five Albums of 2009 – #5

*This is part of a series of posts, please refer to the parent post for context*

#5 – Patent Pending: Attack of the Awesome

I happened on this album from a student recommendation – we were chatting about music and I mentioned that I like what I call "pop-punk" to which he said, have you heard of these guys? I hadn’t, but I’m SO glad I know about them now! This little album runs under 30 minutes, but it’s a great 30 minutes. Patent Pending reminds me of some of the earlier pop-punk bands that had something to say, cut out a sound and ran with it (think early Fall Out Boy before they entirely sold out to mediocre writing designed for the lowest common denominator of radio play). It’s fun, catchy music that has something personal to say about life in your early 20s without being glossy and overproduced. I really enjoy how they tell emo stories in a way that transforms generic anger and angst into something upbeat and sarcastic (Dear Stacy I Hate You is probably the best example of this).

Favorite Lyrics:

1. "You always let me down with such grace and precision."
2. "She's giving up her motivation for a black backpack full of her frustration."
3. "So what's another word for I hate you? What's the right pronunciation for complete abomination?"

Favorite Tracks: 

1. The Way You Make Me Shake
2. Hey Six
3. Anti-Everything