Attention: the phrase "run-of-the-mill" has now been replaced by "standing in line" because it's so goddamn crowded.

Emotional pop-punk with relatively token growls don't propel Saskatchewan, Canada's Away From Here towards being much more than a second-rate Matchbook Romance. Their sound may not try to molest the word 'derivative,' but it's being counseled as we speak. The lyrics are at times downright laughable, like in "Poison Arrows," where clean singing trades off with growls; "if this is kissing an angel / THEN I'D RATHER BURN IN HELL! / your lipgloss tastes like cherry / WHY DOES IT BURN LIKE CYANIDE?!" The guitars are nicely heavy in some places (the beginning of "Gently Crash"), but quickly retreat into a mouse hole for less-than-candid, poppy progressions as soon as the vocals come in.

AFH aren't at a complete loss. The vocalist may be a bit nasally but not at all annoying, even if he may he be ridiculously overdubbed in some spots. The drums show occasional greatness, especially when it incorporates the double-bass. Showing the most promise is "The Day the Sun Died," which takes a break from the album's theme of love and heartbreak with its vague commentary on the media / blind patriotism, and practically tips its hat to Thursday when the distorted-talking part comes in (think "Paris in Flames"); "the day the sun died is upon us / and the glow of your CNN comforts your black heart / open your eyes, open your mind / get out of this windowless room."

You're probably sick of this genre. If so, I wouldn't recommend it. If you can't get enough of it, then...well, maybe you'll like it.

MP3s
"Poison Arrows"
"Anatomy of a Broken Heart"