park - no signal /lobster records
review by nicole wright

http://www.parkmusic.com

Ever just finish reading what you are convinced is the best book you’ve ever read ? For a minute everything is clearer, and you are convinced that things are going to be different from here on out; and for a while you feel like a changed person. Park’s “No Signal” has that ability. Park was recommended to me by someone with a good taste in music long before I ever got an opportunity to review it; so I’ve been listening to the cd for a while now and am still not bored with it. That is a good thing, because sometimes you have to listen to a cd for a while to decide whether or not you actually like it. Some get old after a few listens, and you are left questioning why you ever liked it in the first place. “No Signal” has not been the case. At a time when I am convinced that music is being watered down by countless songs about girls and relationships, for some reason Park is an exception. A lot of times a cd, a band, or a song become liked because it goes perfectly with the moment. There is just something about being 19 and driving with your best friends, listening to a great cd, and being able to sing the words, knowing that other people feel the same as you do. Isn’t that what music is suppose to do- make moments, enhance our lives. Although dubiously dubbed by some into the pop-punk/emo category, “No Signal” seems to have taken the obvious elements of how this genre of music should be, but are somehow overlooked.

Ladd Mitchell, Justin Valenti, Timmy Costello, and Miles Logan, the musicians behind the band, formed Park back in high school. With a few lineup changes along the way and a lot of local shows around Springfield, Illinois, they are finally getting somewhere with this release on Lobster Records, a blossoming label with greats suck as Mock Orange, Whipper Snapper, and Yellowcard. Park and Lobster Records seem to go perfect together. Although a solid cd (the ones where there isn’t any particular song that you have to skip) by far my favorite track on the album is the bonus acoustic track. Lead singer, Justin, at time parallels Saves the Day and “I’m sorry, I’m Leaving” material, but in a less whiney fashion, proclaiming “I am 20 feet and sinking, faster than the ship I’m in, useless to jump or swim, I could hold my breath till I passed out and make this all seem real…last night, felt like the only time that we made since, and every moment after this, chalk it up to coincidence…There’s nothing like waking up after all of the sadness has been worn off and it’s just me and you looking at all these things…how am I suppose to breath?”. Look for Park on the 2002 Warped Tour, and go out and buy the cd now because your missing out.

Rating : 4.5
Standout tracks: Trivet | At Breakneck Speed | Clue Me In | Bonus (acoustic)

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