James Dewees.....Since I was 14, this dude has been so mysterious to me. The Get Up Kids are my favorite indie/emo/whatever band, period. I heard Something to Write Home About in 9th grade and I thought it was the absolute best record of the genre, next to Clarity, by Jimmy Eat World, but when someone handed me a copy of "Promotional Copy" by a band called "Reggie and the Full Effect" and told me, "This band has members of The Get Up Kids and Coalesce", the band's name AND personnel seriously intrigued me. They easily became my favorite pop-punk-ish band thereon. James' ironic sense of humor, wittiness, sharp and to the point songwriting, usage and blending of pop-punk, alternative rock, hardcore and all-around chaos made it a no-brainer to become a lifelong fan of the band.
Last Stop: Crappy Town comes out in 2008...After waiting months for it, reading cryptic MySpace posts by James, being unsure of its release as he was in between touring with NFG and My Chemical Romance, on keyboards, myself and many fans alike were beginning to think it wasn't ever going to be released. When it finally did, I learned that it was a concept album with metaphoric song titles that coincided with his regular trips to rehab on or around the time of the album's recording sessions. I'd never, to this point, ever heard a Reggie album that was even semi-serious from start to finish. My opinion on the music is the same way I rationalize my favorite Poison the Well albums: Opposite of December will always be the catchiest, recognizable and undeniably timeless album by the band, but, my favorite album of theirs musically and maturity-wise, is Versions. So, with Reggie, their most timeless and recognizable record to me is Promotional Copy, but Last Stop is my favorite record by the band, thusly, for its matured songwriting, seamless genre-blending and bending and overall seriousness and urgency. James sounds like a tortured soul caught between Heaven and Hell, throughout, almost like a goofy Downward Spiral era Trent Reznor. His clean vocals are perfectly in key and his hooks are as infectious and catchy as ever, while also having fully developed his hardcore/metalcore style vocals to a T, this time, without the outside help of Coalesce's Sean Ingram (who had previously accompanied James with his trademark Coalesce screams on previous Reggie albums). The music varies from his signature synth-drenched pop punk style, to alternative rock arrangements, to subtly chilling piano-laden interludes, to blatant chaotic metalcore overtures. The melancholy backdrop of the recording and lyrical subject makes this the eeriest and realest Reggie album to date. If you're expecting Greatest Hits or Promotional Copy for a 4th time, you may be disappointed, but if you're expecting the most brutally honest and heartfelt record by James Dewees aka "Reggie", get this one.
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