The Stand is undoubtedly one of the premier power pop groups in 2002, spreading their good-times sound like the second coming of
the Rembrandts. But like that band, they perform power pop, a genre that infrequently makes the occasional splash in the mainstream but mostly toils under the surface. There is nothing wrong with this, but the band's gorgeous jangly guitars and sweet hooks may still not be enough to gather
Replay the respect it deserves. One can argue that the smarmy vocals, an unfortunate trait of many power pop bands, could turn off some listeners, and perhaps they will. But good songs are hard to overlook, and with candy-sweet tracks like "Something About You" and "Everything I Say to You," this is one album that delivers them in spades. The album may be overbearingly up-tempo at times; a few slower songs would have balanced the mix nicely. And the smarmy vocals problem only affects certain tracks, but when they kick in, they can become rather obnoxious. But these are still small complaints when the overall package is examined, leaving the listener with a mildly flawed but still high quality album of poppy rock. ~ Bradley Torreano