Forever the Sickest Kids will never be known as emo pop innovators, and that's OK. Not everyone can blaze trails; only a few can and the rest are followers. The question for the followers is whether or not they follow with any sense of style or enthusiasm. For most of their career, the answer for the Kids has been no, not so much. For the first couple songs on their 2013 album J.A.C.K., though, they manage to turn it around and do something almost exciting. "Chin Up Kid" has a standard uplifting chorus and well-manicured sound, and there are some nice metallic interludes and they cheekily drop in some snappy 8-bit sounds: "Keep Calm and Don't Let Me Go" somehow manages to work hair metal, ridiculous guitar solos, and dubstep into a frothy mix that sounds like a bunch of other stuff but which is better than most of it. Apart from a few other songs that show some ambition and inspiration -- like the glam rock stomp of "Count on Me (For Nothing)" or the early Bon Jovi stadium rock choruses of "Nikki" -- the record suffers from an overwhelming amount of standard-issue emo pop tropes and an abundance of lightweight pop tunes that sound like they were cut from Austin & Aly for being too fluffy. The lyrics, too, are again a major problem, with the love songs sounding more likely to chase away prospective girlfriends than reel them in, and the songs that touch on deeper issues are fairly laughable. Check out "Ritalin (Born in America)" or "Nice to Meet You" for cringe-inducing proof that these guys should steer clear of "deep" thoughts at all costs. If the melodies or hooks were stronger, one might be able to overlook the dopey words, but they simply fall short. It's too bad the group weren't able to build on the relative goodness of the opening two tracks and carry it through to make a record that would turn their losing streak around. As it stands, the glimpses of being something more than a middle of the road emo pop band are not enough to make J.A.C.K. anything more than another mediocre emo pop album.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo