Philmont deliver buoyant emo-rock on
Oh Snap, a CD that is as catchy, clever, and relevant to pop culture as its title. The band's m.o. isn't difficult to discover; each riff is carefully configured to appeal to fans of
Boys Like Girls,
Relient K, and
We the Kings. Combustible yet accessible, the Charlotte-based rock outfit fires on all cylinders on fist-pumping yet God-fearing anthems like "The Difference," which explores the diverging life choices required by believers, and "Photosynthetic," which describes the damaging effects of one's MySpace page. But as much as they get the adrenaline going,
Philmont distinguish themselves from other modern rock offerings when they slow down the tempo. "Another Name" is as good as anything in the canon of 21st century emo ballads. It wouldn't have hurt to push back the release date a little longer to fill out the disc with a few more tracks, but what
Philmont do, they do very well. [A five-track edition was also released.] ~ Jared Johnson