Album Review: Fireworks- Oh, Common Life

When Fireworks returned to the forefront of the pop-punk of the scene with their sophomore full-length album Gospel in 2011, the release was met with some uncertainty from its fanbase. The release seemed a significant departure from the straightforward pop-punk songwriting of the band’s debut album All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion. However, the summer anthems and wild sing-alongs of Gospel have fittingly become something of a pop-rock Holy Text over the past two years. It should come as no surprise then that I greeted Firework’s most recent full-length album Oh, Common Life- and the sonic shift that accompanies it- with an element of trepidation at first. Would they be able to recreate the magic that made Gospel one of my favorite albums of 2011?

Show Recap: Lost Tape Collective Holiday Show at First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA

On December 31, the world welcomed the new year, and the first of the second decade of the 21st century. This obviously meant a serious amount of partying to be had, and deservedly so: 2010 was a crazy year, if the 12 Days of Christmas special was any indication. However, for a few hundred kids crammed into a church basement in Philly, the New Years' festivities started a little early, as a who's-who of up and coming pop-punk acts rang, belted, shouted, and screamed in 2011 in a big, big way at the Lost Tape Collective Holiday Show.