![\"\"](\"http:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/08\/Fridayanthem-300x300.jpg\")
If you head to My Friday Anthem\u2019s Facebook page, you\u2019ll see an image reminiscent of the old MTV logo, reconfigured to represent the band. The visual takes you right back to a time when music videos not only mattered, but they drove the musical corner of the zeitgeist harder than any other promotional tool. You didn\u2019t listen to radio to hear new music \u2014 you watched television to stay hip.<\/p>\n
Right at the epicenter of that phenomenon was Nirvana, whose video for \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d shifted pop culture more than anything else in rock music over the last 30 years. It was aggressive and dark and dirty and ambiguous. It took no prisoners all while gladly spitting in your face. In fact, that track was so affecting, when the band decided to hop on MTV\u2019s \u201cUnplugged,\u201d it\u2019s hard not to forget how impressive it was to hear a band synonymous with being unbelievably pugnacious sound so \u2026 collected. So versatile. So calmed down.<\/p>\n
This is all to say that the irony isn\u2019t lost, then, when you see My Friday Anthem\u2019s logo, and you consider their latest EP, \u201cThe Bliss Is Never Ending.\u201d Much like the early \u201890s grunge years, this collection is muddy. Brooding. Unapologetic. The guitars are distorted and turned up beyond 11 while the vocals unleash constant anger and self-loathing, harkening back to a time when such tricks were still Very Serious and not attached to kids with pink hair, sitting at the mall, waiting for the next My Chemical Romance record to hit Hot Topic.<\/p>\n
Where the irony truly lies, however, is the similarity in result both Nirvana and My Friday Anthem receive after deciding to turn down. It\u2019s easy to remember where you were when you first heard the paired down version of \u201cCome As You Are\u201d because of how striking it was \u2014 not just due to the contrast, but also because of the vulnerability. The same move works on \u201cThe Bliss Is Never Ending,\u201d most notably on the title track, perhaps the best moment here.<\/p>\n
Singer Ryan Knight is left with himself and an acoustic guitar and the result is gloriously tortured. Evolving from a whisper to a sing\/shout, he has the perfect off-key voice for this blend of alt rock. Settling it down actually serves him better because his agony can shine. He\u2019s not asking you to believe him; he\u2019s demanding you hear him. And he\u2019s leaving you no other options.<\/p>\n
The problem is that he only goes to this approach once. The closest he comes to channeling his chill again is \u201cIn The Driveway,\u201d which leans on the refrain, \u201cI can\u2019t find the words to say.\u201d Repeated over lush layers of harmonies and a sad electric guitar, the song is both haunting and infectious. Easy to sing along to, it toes the line between where My Friday Anthem should be and where they end up going.<\/p>\n
So, where do they end up going? Well, they turn down Punk Rock Road and pull up at 392 Stay In Your Lane. OK, so maybe that\u2019s a bit harsh, but songs like \u201cHappy\u201d and \u201cHalf-Love Song\u201d pale in comparison to something like the title track, if only because of how cliched the formula feels. Of course<\/em> these guys are going to have a couple barreling, up-tempo rock songs. Of course<\/em> there\u2019s going to be slight shifts in dynamics. Of course<\/em> the vocals will find the sweet spot between apathy and anger. It just seems like low-hanging fruit when you know these guys are capable of providing something so much better.<\/p>\n Such is why \u201cDreamer\u201d falls right next to \u201cDriveway\u201d in the category leaning toward success. Beginning with a steady acoustic guitar, the song opens up into a level of pop gold that\u2019s rich enough, Coldplay might blush. The thing is, Knight\u2019s voice is suited for this kind of stuff in the same way Kurt Cobain\u2019s voice worked just as well toned down as it did amped up. So, while this might be a run-of-the-mill pop tune to some, it\u2019s also the most glaring example of the potential that My Friday Anthem possesses.<\/p>\n Perhaps more importantly, though, it\u2019s also proof positive that the band\u2019s most valuable weapon is Knight and his knack for sincerity in song. Each time his voice cracks, a little more pain seeps through the speakers. Each time his rage overflows, he earns just a little more sympathy for his frustration. There\u2019s an intangible thing that Ryan Knight brings each time he steps to the mic, and in short, it\u2019s nothing less than invaluable.<\/p>\n Besides: It\u2019s also the thing that, in the case of My Friday Anthem, at least, makes a certain kind of bliss seem impossible to ever end.<\/p>\n ** 2 1\/2 STARS OUT OF 4 **<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you head to My Friday Anthem\u2019s Facebook page, you\u2019ll see an image reminiscent of the old MTV logo, reconfigured to represent the band. The visual takes you right back…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1332407,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1332406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1332406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1332407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1332406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1332406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1332406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}