Sometimes good things end for good reason, and such is the case with Jason Lancaster being a member of Mayday Parade. Not only did it save his relationship with the other members, but it also led to the formation of the Floridabased Pop-Punk/Emo band Go Radio as a result of Jason Lancaster’s departure from Mayday Parade during the recording of A Lesson in Romantics, their very well received debut. Fast forward a few years and 2 EPs and we hear Jason Lancaster’s new band’s debut album. Though the debut EP Welcome to Life went almost unknown, Do Overs and Second Chances gathered a bit of fame and had solid reception.
The main question is, did Go Radio’s debut album Lucky Street live up to the standards set by Mayday Parade’s A Lesson in Romantics? Would it live up to the hype of the fans?
Lucky Street starts off with the title track, which is a faster paced song that sounds more grown up than previous efforts, (which were already good), in previous efforts of Lancaster’s such as Mayday Parade and Kid Named Chicago. His voice isn’t what you’d expect for this genre, which might mean he’s found his niche in singing. His powerful voice is also showcased very well in the tracks “Any Other Heart”, “Strength to Stay”, and “Fight Fight (Reach For The Sky)” but falters at certain points in the albums like on “Hold On” which has an awkward, almost Jason Mraz feel at the beginning.
After “Lucky Street” starts “Any Other Heart”, another faster paced track that, as I stated above, shows off Jason’s great and powerful vocals. “Singing with the King” and “Strength to Stay” follow in the same vein, with “Strength to Stay” being one of the most powerful tracks on the album.
This probably makes you reach the conclusion of the album being a bit repetitive and boring after the first few tracks, which would have been the case if not for the next few songs. Lucky Street slows down a bit with “Why I’m Home” before spiking up in speed a bit on “Kill the Beast”. I felt “Why I’m Home” was one of the most necessary songs on the album due to the mood change it caused, but “Kill the Beast” didn’t stand out too much to me. Next is the odd “Hold On” which just felt out of place. It’s not a bad song by any means, it was just awkwardly placed and the beginning was a bit too much of a contrast from the rest of the album. There were two great things about this track though; it showed that Go Radio could provide some more variety in their songs and showcases a great instrumental section a little more than halfway through the song where the guitarist really shines. “Forever My Father” is a lot like “Why I’m Home”, another great, slower paced track that was placed perfectly.
“Fight Fight (Reach for the Sky)” was excellent in every way. It picked the pace back up, showcasing great instruments and vocals throughout, and included the use of horns. The horns just added to more uplifting vibe of the song compared to the last few.
Next up is “House of Hallways”, another slow track. This one is different though, due to the mood of the song and lyrical content. It has arguably more meaning than the rest of the album and felt more gloomy and hopeless than the rest of the album. “Redemption In Verses” is a faster track, but with a slightly different vibe once again.
Lucky Street has a knack for changing things up just in time to save itself; it could have gotten repetitive to mix the faster paced songs and ballads with the same mood, but the mood and vibe of the songs changes just in time. The only complaint I have on this track is that Jason’s voice seems to falter on some parts.
“The Truth Is” is a mid-tempo track that works a lot better than “Hold On” did. The song slowly builds up until about the three minute point, where it reaches a high pointand turns into one of the better tracks on Lucky Street. The last track is another version of “Forever My Father”, this time with Erin and Daniel Lancaster. It fits perfectly after “The Truth Is” and sounds just as good the second time, if not better. It makes for a great conclusion to Lucky Street.
The musicianship throughout the album is great, especially on the part halfway through “Hold On” as I stated earlier, and the vocals compliment this. The production was great for the most part; there were small instances where I wished I could an instrument or the vocals a bit more clearly, though it wasn’t enough to do any damage to the sound.
The main selling point to me was that the vocals didn’t have the generic Pop-Punk sound to them. It’s an album that you’ll most likely want to listen to again and again.
Lyrically, the album is better than most Emo or Pop-Punk albums. Not every song is about a relationship, and they actually have some deeper meaning. Songs such as “House of Hallways”, “Kill the Beast”, and “Forever My Father” stray away from the generic lyrical themes and refresh the listener. “House of Hallways” in particular is an extremely strong point for lyrical content.
Lucky Street is a great and refreshing Pop-Punk record, though not without faults. The faults, however, are few and the sound is definitely above average, especially for a debut. It definitely can compare to Mayday Parade’s A Lesson in Romantics and lives up to most of the hype.
My rating: 5/5
