Good Views, Bad News

Fat Wreck Chords must be on hold for now. Pop-punk records probably should not exceed much more than half an hour, so Broadway Calls already break a cardinal rule by stocking their self-titled debut with 40 minutes of the stuff. Still, the Portland, Oregon, reps are adept songwriters, highlighted best by "Call It Off," the bastard love child of the Loved Ones and Saves The Day. While nothing else off the album quite matches up (though the call-and-response number "Escape From Capitol Hill" comes close), the band do their best to offer hooky, upbeat sing-alongs and usually manage palatable results. They tend to stick to a tried-and-true formula, but there are definitely bizarre detours-take their random cover of the Smiths’ "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours," where they manage to channel a fair bit of the Moz’s melancholic brood, plus a couple decent acoustic sit-downs ("Save Our Ship," "Meet Me At Washington Park"). 

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