Emotional Punk
Versus the World, formed in 2002 by The Ataris bassist Mike Davenport, are a little slippery to define. They are usually described as a punk-rock band, but to my ears they also slot rather neatly into the emo category. For many bands, such as Finch, this particular label has been a plague, and for others it has been a godsend - but it's important to keep in mind that it's really the music that counts, and here Versus the World really have something going for them.
Opening instrumental 'Transmission 0617', boasting an ambient Eastern feel, provides the perfect prelude, the calm before the storm of 'Is There No End', a pounding punk song which flirts fittingly with emo. 'Ghost In The Bottle' is so addictive that I wouldn't be surprised to hear kids listening to it huddled together behind the bike sheds at school; the perfect heart-on-sleeve radio-ready single. 'Victim' is an intriguing creature, opening with a haunting, mournful soliloquy with a ballad-like quality before launching into a melodic, stirring chorus. Everything about this stand-out track screams misery and futility, notably lyrics such as "Oh victim, your cries made it to heaven, but the angels didn't care."
Versus the World's self-tilted effort suffers from the same problem as all emo-ish bands - the line between emotive poetry and sickly whining is almost as thin as some people's patience with the genre. Happily, though, Versus the World tread carefully, and without exception succeed in sounding genuine and serving up a high quality punk-record. Almost every track offers beautiful melodies and complex, deep lyrics...almost, until the final Europe-only bonus track, which incongruously opens with a fantasy conversation between a boy and his father: Boy - "Papa papa, tell me that story about the lion", Father -"Very well, sit boy and I shall regale you with stories of a time long passed, in a far away land called nowhere." Interesting...no wait - weird. That said, it's quite a good song too.
Your reaction to this album hinges almost entirely on how well disposed you are to raw, unambiguously open emotion. Take this lyric from quiet number 'Love Every Scar': "love every scar, a trophy that proves how human we are, love every scar, there's one there for you, wherever you are." Okay, so here's the test - it's like one of those 'does this paint blot look like a butterfly or an explosion to you?' things. What do you see? Brutal honesty and beauty? Then buy the album. Clichéd, meaningless and cringe-worthy nonsense? Then think twice.
Personally, I like this album and, providing you like this kind of music, I strongly recommend it. Fusing the ubiquitous feel-good poppy choruses of Jimmy Eat World and the heavier elements of bands such as From Autumn to Ashes, Versus the World create an individual and inventive sound which keeps them easily afloat in the swelling sea of punk bands.