Yellowcard: Lights And Sounds : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

In 2004, when they sold more than a million albums, Yellowcard symbolized just how undeniably mainstream punk pop had become -- and, for many, just how miserably watered-down the music was now. With Lights and Sounds, the Southern California group has moved even more into the middle -- and has made what ends up being one of the best straight-up pop-rock albums of 2006. Sometimes, all you can do is prove your critics right.

Like the Goo Goo Dolls, who were never as punk as they thunk, Yellowcard have rightfully recognized the transcendent value of a big, fist-pumping anthem coated with a light dose of romantic schmaltz. Lights and Sounds' "City of Devils" employs an orchestra for a chorus with such a sublime lilt that it could melt even the hardest heart. On "Waiting Game," the band turns what otherwise might have been a cheesy melodic hook into irresistible pop confection. The bright, wistful "Two Weeks From Twenty," meanwhile, echoes Ben Folds Five with its gentle oohs and ahs, jazzy guitar and horn solos, and singer Ryan Key's airy falsetto. And on the rootsy acoustic number "How I Go," Key duets with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks; their voices intertwine beautifully, however overwrought the lyrics.

Lights and Sounds has a little heft. The searing "Rough Landing" and the title track boast seismic alt-rock riffs and mosh-worthy refrains. Perhaps the most significant proof of Yellowcard's maturity is their restraint: Violinist Sean Mackin's chops are showcased with much greater subtlety on Lights and Sounds. It may undercut their punk-pop-with-fiddle shtick, but when you've got songs this good, you don't need a gimmick.