Broadway Calls - 'Broadway Calls'

Pop punk is like the mafia – every time I think I’m out, it pulls me back on. From New Found Glory my freshmen year of high school to The Leftovers my senior year of college, new pop punk bands have cropped up with ensnaring, sugar-coated hooks. Yet another gang of lads has cropped up and sucked me in: Broadway Calls. Hailing from Oregon and boasting a sound that falls somewhere between Allister’s snotty/polished dichotomy and Latterman’s heartfelt stomp, Broadway Calls’ self-titled debut is a fitting soundtrack to the end of my summer, and maybe yours too.

“Call It Off” kicks off the album. While it won’t necessarily cause any palpitations, it’ll certainly get the heart pumping. Sarcastic and snotty, “Call It Off” mixes the smoothed edges of California pop punk with Chicago’s Alkaline Trio/Lawrence Arms with zesty results.

That’s pretty much the M.O. for all of Broadway Calls. Lyrically, the album flirts with politics on songs like “Suffer the Kids,” briefly recalling women’s rights, the Iraq War, etc., but they’re just quick flashes. It would be easy to slag these guys as “Propagandhi Lite” when it comes to describing international controversies, but the tunes are so gosh dang catchy that it doesn’t matter (Kinda like Anti-Flag…). If nothing else, the song quickly describes where the band stands on a slew of issues. Really, though, the album’s heart is in road trips.

Songs like “Back to Oregon” and “Van Rides and High Tides” vividly recall nature imagery and friendships on the verge of being dissolved by distance. It’s a bit more depressing than righteous political anger, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. It’s perhaps because of the band’s Buzzcock-ian knack for delivering infectiously sad tunes that Broadway Calls includes a cover of “A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours” by The Smiths.

Now, it’s thoroughly cocky and/or stupid for anyone to try to touch The Smiths’ catalog. It’s just one of those things not to be messed with, as Morrissey fans can be dangerous enemies. Granted, it’s not like Broadway Calls tried to cover, say, “I Know It’s Over” or something, but still, these guys have some cajones. And the crazy thing is… they do a really, really good job with “A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours.” Broadway Calls preserves the momentum of the original version while adding its own punk spin. Frontman Ty Vaughn’s voice retains some of its harsh edge, but he captures the Mozzer’s vision well, I think.

Virtuously catchy, Broadway Calls is neither too poppy to turn off punks nor too punky to alienate those jerks who refuse to up the punxxx. While the band’s debut peters out a bit due to filler near the end, it is still a good record regardless. Besides, album closer “So Long My Friend” brings it all back for a huge sendoff. These guys are gonna be at Siren Records October 1st [Note: This article originally ran 2007. Don't bother]. I’m trying to make it out; howsabout you?