Something Corporate

It already goes without saying that Andrew McMahon can do no wrong, that much should be firmly established by my years of harping in this column on how mind-blowing Jack’s Mannequin is. Finally, I get to talk about Something Corporate though. Let me take y’all back a little bit first though. The year was 2001. I was a sophomore in high school at the time (yes, now you can place an age with the byline if you know how to count), and I was quickly discovering my love for the first generation emo and pop-punk bands. It was an exciting time to be getting into those scenes because there was so much good new music coming out at the time. Granted, what I called good back then was very subjectively good and feels very dated when juxtaposed with some of the scene’s contemporary artists, but it was infinitely better than the mainstream radio rock being played at the time. I mean, Staind, Nickelback and P.O.D. were all majorly hitting at the time too, so it’s not like this was some golden age of rock or anything. But then Something Corporate broke out. Even back then, McMahon’s heartfelt vocals had an emotional impact that far surpassed his contemporaries of the time. And of all the bands to hit in that era, nearly a decade ago, they’re one of few whose importance has yet to diminish over the ensuing years. If there was a single do-not-miss show this week, this is it. - Brien Overly