Every Avenue

Ah!

Ah! might be Every Avenue's third release, but the group's Fearless Records debut sounds like a lot of bands' early material: raw recordings of sophomoric arrangements that still yield some genuine diamond-in-the-rough moments ("Picking Up The Pieces"), setting the stage for future greatness. After all, you can pretty much hear by-the-book numbers like "Nothing" and "One More Song" being hammered out by a bevy of neon-clad kids in smoky bars on any given weekend. The band's pop-punk influences are on full-display on Ah!, and the resulting tracks are more closely aligned with New Found Glory than the 90s alt-rock sound EA currently employ. The two best songs ("Where Were You?" and "Think Of You Later (Empty Room)") eventually appeared on the band's next album, Shh. Just Go With It, and even though re-recording the songs markedly improved the production, the versions on Ah! still showcase the most important fact: These two tracks flat-out rule.

Fearless www.fearlessrecords.com

Where Were You