Dismissed,
Taking The Good With The Bad
Reviewed by f*v

Let’s state the obvious. “Emotional punk” is now what “pop punk” was in the mid to late 90s and various other “alternative” forms were before that – a few legitimately great bands from various underground scenes find a loyal core of fans; derivative bands follow, of which some are of good quality, but much more “accessible”; then, almost simultaneously, the glut hits and we’re flooded with thousands of bands all working to be part of the scene, ripping off their favorite bands; while at the same time all the mall stores are dispensing the uniforms for these bands and their legions of fans. Today, for example, every city has more than a handful of bands that all proudly wear the “emotional punk” label, strutting and pleading onstage for future fratboys wearing Hurley shirts and A&F ballcaps that were already threadbare on the shelf and girls two drinks away from a Girls Gone Wild video. Only fitting that this crowd espouses that which is already worn out without having gotten past “new.”

Indie Vision’s Dismissed pretty much falls in line. Taking The Good With The Bad offers nothing that couldn’t be mistaken for similar bands on Victory Records, Equal Vision, Tooth & Nail, Deep Elm, and so on. Sure, there’s some screaming and they claim to “incorporate hardcore,” elements of which are to be found, sure, but again, unremarkable to anyone who’s listened to their influences and contemporaries.

www.dismissedmusic.com
www.indievisionmusic.com