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Versus the World

Versus the World
2005
Kung Fu

Versus the World - Versus the World (Cover Artwork)


Review by: RyanM
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Kung Fu Records (Logo)

Published on January 10th 2006

Versus the World is an amalgam of the members' former bands. The most readily accessible element may be from Ataris bassist Mike Davenport, but it also features members from 40 Cents Short and Antifreeze. I can’t say I so much care about any of these bands nor know much about the more obscure ones, but the recipe seems fairly similar in all cases. The focus is mainly on the harmonies belted out by Donald Spencer, who carries the songs fairly effectively with his vocals, infusing the songs with some memorable moments and a whole lot of catchiness. The rhythm section is competent but less than enthralling, and as expected, the guitars run along with fairly safe, but immediately catchy lines. This creates a record that is quite accessible and digestible -- perfect music to play in the background if you want something catchy and mindless -- but ultimately begins to lose much of its appeal after repeated listens .

Far too much of the this type of music -- and especially those bands leaning more heavily to the pop side of things as occurs here -- thrives on mediocrity and lack of creativity. This self-titled debut will easily embed itself in the listener’s mind, but it simply doesn’t do enough to stay relevant for any lengthy period of time. Proper opener “Is There No End?” showcases Spencer, who croons over highly repetitive drumming and guitars which come off as only slightly more aggressive than each of their respective bands. Most of the lyrics, which are forgettable, are sung, so the unnecessary screams that pop up occasionally are more cringeworthy than detrimental (the one exception may be a passage within “Forgive Me,” which shows some balls for once, relatively anyways). “Don’t Let Go” features a sugary chorus that drives most of the song, while “Ghost in the Bottle” seems a little too similar to the Ataris for comfort. Their attempt at an acoustic song, “Love Every Scar,” is a big failure, but they stay with the original formula for most of the remainder of the album.

There’s nothing surprising about these songs seeing where the members come from, but this also plays right into the music, creating a disc that is fairly enjoyable as background music for a while, but can offer little beyond that. Although this album is proficient at certain elements, I see little reason for most people to listen to it unless they especially like the Ataris or pop-punk in general. If not, you’ve heard this before, probably too many times.






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    Posted by kamatacci on 2006-03-11 13:10:43

    I liked this band alot. They were a very pleasent suprise when they open for NUFAN.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 23, 2006 at 11:34 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Band shit artwork = shit album? If that were the case a lot of otherwise good bands would be making godawful music. The two are not mutually exclusive. Everybody on here seems to be judging the book by it's cover when I recommend you all go and listen to it before you take somebody else's word.

    While not groundbreaking - what is these days? - it is easily one of the better pop punk albums around at the minute, and certainly has more conviction and style than many if their contemporaries. I find the lyrics eloquent, not forgettable; the screaming genuine, not unneccesarily placed; and the overall album catchier than an STD in Moss Side. Far from losing it's appeal it just gets better and better with every listen. If only most people would give it that chance.

    Posted by cantsitstill on 2006-01-10 20:01:24
    My Score:

    "god is that the actual cover art?

    these fucking bands and their cover art, shell out the extra couple dollars to get someone who knows what they're doing. shit's atrocious. i guess, from the mood of the review, it's fitting though."

    I always say when in doubt on cover art, just go for a solid color with the band's name in a different color in the corner. keep it simple, ya know?

    score is for the ataris, btw.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 at 3:10 PM (EST)

    Horrible band, awful cd, and mike davenport is possibly the most discusting drug addict i have ever met. The good people at Kung Foo have lost their minds for releasing this.

    Posted by pabstboy on 2006-01-10 13:25:24

    I wanted to get this, but still hesitate. Not because of the guy from the Ataris, but the one from Antifreeze. Antifreeze is/was a band that I can only compare to chunky vomit. They came form my neck of the woods in NE Wisc. and how they even got on Kung Fu blows my mind to this day. The had to open for Guttermouth once in Green Bay and hot damn was their set cut short. It's hard to catch shit getting thrown at you when you're "attempting" to play music. Hiyaa!

    Posted by givemeamuseumandillfillit on 2006-01-10 08:38:11

    Oooh the fat trucker guy!

    Posted by swank on 2006-01-10 03:31:39

    They were on a comp recently listed as "Vs. The World, Featuring Mike Davenport".

    Like "Oh Hey! the fat bass player that had nothing to do with any of the song writing in the ataris is in this band!!! SUH-WEET!!"

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 at 12:47 AM (EST)

    maybe i should have said that was the worst part of the cover rather than the best.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 at 12:46 AM (EST)

    the best part of this cover is that the whole scene seems to be taking place indoors under some kind of giant glass roof.

    Posted by colin on 2006-01-10 00:17:11

    god is that the actual cover art?

    these fucking bands and their cover art, shell out the extra couple dollars to get someone who knows what they're doing. shit's atrocious. i guess, from the mood of the review, it's fitting though.

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