Pennsylvania pop-punk heroes
Weston made their name writing silly upbeat love songs about high school and being a loser, and this compilation of 7" singles and comp tracks is of course more of the same. While not nearly as appealing as the group's first two full-lengths, tracks like "Elephant" and "Hard to Say Goodbye" make the record largely a winner. Along with covers of
Bon Jovi and
the Buggles,
Weston create their own music that is simple but enjoyable. Some of the tracks included here are from the band's earliest days, and the sloppy presentation shows it, but the carefree attitude usually results in some pretty decent pop output.
Weston never delve too far into straight punk rock on this release, nor did they ever, but the majority of the songs included are catchy as ever and serve as a pretty fitting companion to the music this band created in the mid-'90s. The songs on A Real-Life Story of Teenage Rebellion may have been a little catchier, but the music included on this record nonetheless captures the band in their prime before slicked over songwriting and a more somber attitude started to unravel them. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo