Search - Hawk Nelson :: Letters to the President (Dlx)

Jason J. from MOORHEAD, MN
Reviewed on 8/10/2009...

A most excellent CD encompassing what Hawk Nelson is all about. A good driving beat with a very clean sound. One of the best-sounding bands I have come across in a very long time. Highly recommended.

Rock That Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously

Flap Jackson | State Road, NC | 01/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Trevor McNeven brought these guys into the Tooth & Nail fold, which is interesting considering there's some real comparisons to Hawk, and TFK side-project FM Static. The result is an improved fusion of both bands, with original Hawk mixed in.



"California," "Someone Else Before," "Letters To The President," "36 Days," are the highlights of the album, with all but the last being great punk rock songs that rival even Releint K, while the latter song is a I-Miss-You ballad, which is sung beautifully, and has great lyrics.



"Like A Racecar" is the only song I didn't like, which sounds way too much like TFK, which could be explained by the presence of McNeven. The song seems very out of place on the album, and could have been saved for another album. But's it's nice the band is trying all forms of rock on the album.



The rest of the album is a mixture of funky punk rock, and some slower songs that don't detract from the album at all, and might even enhance it. Some of the songs are short, but they burst of pure energy that could be compared to MxPx in their style of let the dam flow. Or, let it all out, don't stop.



Overall, a great debut by some rockin' boys from Canada, this is my favorite punk rock CD, and for good reason. The band really does a great job here, and leaves nothing in the open. It's an open and shut case, if you're looking for good rock, this is the CD for you.



As for the deluxe edition. The acoustic versions are good, not exactly for the punk fan, but for the pop/rock fan, buy it. The other two tracks are fillers, Jason Dunn speaking in French? Please, I've seen some pitiful bonus material, but this takes the croissant. The other track you shouldn't buy is the introduction to "My Generation" which tells the basic information about the song. Hawk likes the Who, and they played it on a now cancelled TV show, big deal. The cover is OK, not a big fan of The Who, but hey, it's OK.



I bought this album not having the original album, so I was pleased that I waited. Now, why can't the band keep putting out more bonus material for their new album? Pet peeve maybe, but buy this edition if you don't own the album. If you do, buy the non-useless material off the Amazon MP3 Store.

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