No Laughing Matter

Face to Face
Laugh Now, Laugh Later
Antagonist/People Like You Records
Released May 17, 2011





Though they haven't had a release since 2002, Face to Face manages to remain on pretty much the same trajectory that was interrupted almost a decade ago.  Following a string of solid releases in the mid to late 90's, Face to Face took a serious side-step on 1999's Ignorance is Bliss, deviating from their fairly straightforward punk tunes and embracing a more melancholy, mid-tempo sound.  The result was that while they still retained the muscle of their punk records, they found a way to be salient and introspective. A difficult line to walk, the risky decision surely cost the band some of its fan base, but it marked a new era for Face to Face.

Laugh Now, Laugh Later manages to bring the best elements of Face to Face's previous efforts, but tempers them with just enough variety to give the songs some drama.  There are plenty of "Hey!" and "Ohh-Way-Ohh" backing vocals and the super clean, chimey, open-sounding guitar is so familiar.  But the band continues their trend of not neatly fitting into stereotypes by writing more complex and challenging songs. These sound like tracks written by men, not punks.  Trever Keith has really come into his own as a songwriter by not (always) falling victim to the easy rhyme, but still not straying from the everyman blues that has consistently made up his lyrics.  "I Don't Mind and You Don't Matter" is probably the highpoint of the album, though it sounds like Keith might have burned two of his song titles on that one.  Particularly grabbing is the nonchalance with which he delivers lines like "I guess I should be sorry. I'm not."  "All For Nothing" and "Bombs Away" along with the two singles, "Should Anything Go Wrong" and "It's not All About You," are all fantastic tunes that sound exactly like Face to Face, each with their little twist.   [And we called it when we said the first single "Should Anything Go Wrong" sounded like the Bronx.  (See Up the Punx! (Social Security Checks))--None other than Joby J. Ford did the engineering for the album.]  Topped off by magnificent artwork by Corey Miller, Face to Face really deliver an excellent package.

Face to Face
People Like You Records
Corey Miller