You know, I've read all kinds of reviews of this album, but I thought the best review was by a guy who really didnt like the band, but gave a completely neutral review...a true honest interpretation of this album. I am a huge Hawthorne Heights fan. I loved SIBAW and fell in love with all their songs and literally counted down the days til I could buy the new one..

But, I was very disappointed when I actually listened to it. I will admit to everyone right now, that if you are looking for guitar-efficinado (sp?) then this is not the cd or band to purchase...but I love the drums and bass, very much so. It seems that HH is becoming the band that draws all the teenage-girls to the emo/screamo scene or whatever, all over MTV.

Now, once again, I am not saying that HH has "sold-out" or anything else as lame..Im just saying that the reason that SIBAW was sooo good was because they tore it up and Casey ( the screamer ) did his thing. Now he is a rarity, he's mic is always turned down and JT, a mediocre singer at best is the backbone of HH. I love this sorta music...but this album didnt do it for me.

Before you read another brainless, run-of-the-mill emo fan review of this cd, just know that if you're a fan of HH, de pick it up...but no one should buy this with the expectations of musical genious and the next greatest album ever...but enjoy it for what it is : a decent follow-up to their debut...nothing more and nothing less.

I must be the only one who is completely confused as to how Hawthorne Heights have received so much buzz. As soon as I'm seeing them on MTV, in huge commercials, and playing late night shows, I'm finding I know little to nothing about their actual music. I put on their debut, "The Silence In Black And White," and was suprised to discover that the songs on that record were getting so much hype, so much attention; it was unclear to me what the "special" thing was with Hawthorne Heights. To me, they always seemed to be relatively run of the mill melodic pop touched with hardcore.

"If Only You Were Lonely" obviously had a nice budget; there is a dual CD cover for Gods sake, and the band has already done a DVD with one album under their belt. I put this album on and immediately was sucked into the catchiness of it all. Super-charged production on the guitars and vocals is brutally and terribly obvious, and it's not a super bad thing. It seems the singer's abilities to really project require a boost in vocal production, and that's fine. None of this bothered me a bit, for some reason, and I enjoyed the relatively harmless, predictable, and redundant vocal melodies and guitars for a bit. That's likely the best word to describe this record: harmless. The "growling/screaming" is present, (duhhhhh) and is even buried and as boring as the 3-4 chord interchange that backs it up.

So, should you buy this record? You probably are going to already, if you're the mass. But if you were on the fence with it, I'd say sure, why not. We could all use a dose of over-production and shameless, false vocal renderings to get us through the day. Regardless of how plastic and generic this band is, this album has relatively agreeable, pleasant melodies and vocal ramblings, and never steps outside of the box, keeping things clean, harmless, and entirely safe. After all, what else you expect from the cute boys of trendy hard-ass pop punk?

First of all I just want to address all the people that have been saying not to write a review for a band if you don't like them. That's stupid. The purpose of writing a review is to give your opinion, whether it's positive or negative, of an album. People deserve a balanced set of viewpoints. I'd like to review Hawthorne Heights compared to other emo bands, especially since I've listened to literally hundreds of emo bands, but I'll just review them in regards to all music. They are terrible. Remember how Green Day got really popular, and then Blink 182 came along, and then eventually Good Charlotte and finally bands like Simple Plan? Each band came out imitating the ones before them and they got progressively worse. Green Day's still selling albums and what've you heard from Simple Plan lately? Nothing. My point is, this is the heights (excuse the pun) for Hawthorne Heights. By the time they release another album, they will be long forgotten. They are imitators who bring nothing new to music. The hooks are mediocre, the lyrics are unintelligent cliches, and let's be honest, most people agree the lead vocals are pretty thin and whiny. Especially live. If you have a ton of money to waste on music, then go ahead and pick this up. If you're on a budget, you'd be much better off with someone else.

This album simply sounds rushed and uninspired. I loved "The Silence in Black and White," but Hawthorne's newest effort sounds like a collection of songs that didn't make the cut on their former album.

To elaborate a little bit, the chord structure for one is almost identical in every song. Simple chord structure's aren't a bad thing, but what Hawthorne fails to do is give every song it's own uniquness. They have three guitar players in this band? Come on guys one of you has to have some ideas floating around.

The lyrics, in a word, horrible. In two words, utterly horrible.

"I just wanted you to know

I think about you every night

When I fall asleep

You are in my dreams

And just like in a movie

The one you want to see

With a happy ending"

An excerpt from "We Are So Last Year." Yes I understand they are marketed towards teenagers, but let's give our youth a little more credit. I think they would appreciate something with more depth, I know I would. That kind of song writing shows absolutely no effort to me. It comes across as strained and fake.

Lastly, the clever marketing ploy of releasing different liner books, that when put together tell a story, was even uninspired. Wow a picture story where a guy is moving away from his girlfriend. If you want to see it, look it up on the internet. There's absolutely no reason to own two of these expensive drink coasters to get a picture story.

To summarize, I wouldn't run across hot coals to turn it off if it were playing, but neither would I pass up the chance to throw it out of a friends car on the freeway while they weren't paying attention.

Hawthorne Height's Silence in Black and White was so much better than this CD. Some of these song names are just so Emo it's unbelievable. Dead in the Water? Where Can I Stab Myself in the Ears? Come on. What the hell is that. Anyways, this is still a decent CD... here's my review.

This Is Who We Are: 9.5/10. This really is an excellent song. I just like the opening riff and the way it's sung. Great way to start the CD.

We Are So Last Year: 8/10. Not that great at all. I really only like this song because of the guitar work.

Language Lessons: 9/10. Another good song. I like the vocals a lot.

Pens and Needles: 9/10. Another great song... I like the guitar riffs once again. Nice beat, decent lyrics, I like it.

Saying Sorry: 9/10. Obviously the first single for this album. It's a good one but it's getting old. The lyrics also are pretty lame and repetitious.

Dead in the Water: 8.5/10. Straight up Emo from the song name to the lyrics, but I like the vocals in this song.

I am on your Side: 7/10. Really the same beat and whatnot throughout the entire song. A weak spot on the CD.

Breathing in Sequence: 7.5/10. So-so track. Nothing special about it at all.

Light Sleeper: 7/10. I really once again just don't like this one.

Cross Me Off Your List: 7/10. Doesn't really speed up, until the chorus, and is just a slow boring song.

Where Can I Stab Myself In The Ears: 7/10. Stupid song name. Boring song.

Decembers: 6.5/10 Horrible way to end the CD. Slow, boring song that will put most people to sleep.

Overall, the beginning of the CD is pretty good, but it goes all downhill from there, making this CD one that you shouldn't buy, but maybe rip a copy of.