OH Snap! Another EP!
Posted April 20, 2009
By Nathan,
With three previous EP’s under their belt, touring with bands like Capital Lights, MxPx, and Gasoline Heart, working with producer Rob Hawkins (Fireflight, Jackson Waters, and Esterlyn), the pop punk act Philmont is poised to release their most daring project: another EP! Philmont’s years of work has now come to fruition after re-releasing the Oh Snap EP, which was originally available digitally (minus the acoustic version of “The Ascension”).
It’s easy to categorize Philmont as just another pop punk group arriving late to a scene which doesn’t lack upbeat cliché-ridden rock bands. Those who are willing to take a chance on the Oh Snap EP, or are just looking for the next slightly-big-thing in pop-punk, will be pleasantly presented with a solid selection on songs. The flawless starting track, “I Can’t Stand To Fall”, uses typical fast-paced punk tunes to attract those who are looking for something to dance to. Philmont’s brief adoption of Relient K vocal style in the bridge may inspire criticism, but at least the young group is taking notes from the best. “I Can’t Stand To Fall” metaphorical play on ‘Tear down this wall’ with ‘Tear down these walls/I'd climb but I can't stand to fall without You’ is just one of the symbolic lyrics used by Philmont which is common among other clever punk rock artists. The best of these is “My Hippocratic Oath” which takes an emergency medical situation and turns it into a portrayal of salvation: ‘(Patient:) "There's a pain in my chest and I'm told by the best/They can't save me/What make You think You can?/"(Doctor:)"The drugs they prescribe and procedures they try/Will not save you/But I swear to you I can."’ “My Hippocratic Oath” is very guitar driven and takes on the most intense rock role on the EP.
What stands out about “The Difference” is that it doesn’t. Despite its strong message to stick out in this world (‘It's gotta be significant/If You're really inside changing my life/You would shine, You would be evident/’), the punk rock beat is rougher than “I Can’t Stand To Fall” and the song, overall, sounds too generic. The early vocals on “The Ascension” are reminiscent of David Josiah Curtis (Run Kid Run), and the piano-fueled acoustic version is surprisingly artistic. The other progressive light-pop ballad gets most of its aid from lead singer Scotty McTaube and its lyrics--which speaks from God’s prospective on forgiveness (‘You have all been livin'/A life I have forgiven’). The catchy song "Photosynthetic" isn’t the most cutting-edge track on the album, but it sports an attractive pop punk tune.
Ever since the band’s birth in 2005, little has come from the Philmont studio. Although the acoustic version of the “Ascension” is a nice addition to the Oh Snap EP, the project isn’t one that will inspire more fans to jump on the Philmont bandwagon. However, even though no ground breaking was done, and there is little real indication of future progression in that area, I think we can at least expect a positive full-length album whenever Philmont releases one.
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