The Promise Ring Album: “Nothing Feels Good”

i'm tired of hearing this album described as happy, bouncy pop. it's not. this is a beautiful album with magnificent poetic lyrics. if you honestly listen to this album, you will hear a lot of very sad undertones to the music and all sorts of powerful emotions (yearning - raspberry rush, desperation - nothing feels good, memories - forget me). this is my favorite album in my collection.

I first got this CD from a friend who didn't listen to it anymore. (Now he wants it back... mwahahaha...) I heard of TPR before that, but i only heard one of their songs before. Is This Thing On? got me hooked right away. This album is good to listen to in a mellow mood, and it's so powerful that it WILL put you in a mellow mood. Perfect Lines has a good melody and the drums fit in perfectly with the guitar. Even though Red And Blue Jeans has one line of lyrics, they managed to make it almost 3 minutes and it's very soothing. But, no song on that album can beat Why Did We Ever Meet? It is... just amazing. The song is so catchy, and the guitar riffs remind me somehow of Bad Moon Rising. The CD pulls off great and ends strong with B Is For Bethlehem and Forget Me... two great songs. This CD is just mouth-gaping good. Anyone would like it. I Promise.

Anyone who has listened to the Promise Ring understands the complexity of their music. Their upbeat tunes have a hidden sadness that keeps you coming back for more. Nothing Feels Good is one of the sadest songs I have ever heard. Other sparklers include Why did we ever meet? and Make me a Chevy. Buy this and you won't regret it, ever.

Alright, there are few things that are as aurally fulfilling as this album, but you'd be hard pressed to find them. I bought this album after i read some outstanding reviews by just about every critic i could track down, save a few who just didn't understand why the promise ring changed their sound. I think that reason lays in two words: Musical Maturity. Sure, 30 Degrees From Everywhere is outstanding in its own right, but this album is my favorite of the entire year of 1997, possibly of the last five years.

Many people are irked by the moniker 'emo'. They are speaking of the faction of pop/punk which has been stereotyped by containing emotionally charged lyrics. To be certain, i love this album's lyrics. They are virulantly catchy, and this is not a problem when they are simultaneously witty, and wonderfully original. Who else sings about their own character traits being compared to interstates?

Nothing Feels Good is, however, a short album. I would wish this album was twice as long, but if and only if all of the songs were the quality of those found here. 'Forget Me', the last track, is my favorite, followed closely by 'Make me a Chevy'. If you buy this and enjoy it, also take a listen to The Get Up Kids 'Something To Write Home About'.

The very first time I heard the Promise Ring, about 5 years ago, I was really into Pop-Punk and Third Wave Ska. To put it simply: I hated them. Their music was dissonant, the singer sounded like he was out of key, it wasn't fast enough. Then someone told me it was called "emo." So therefore I hated emo, too.

But I've matured since then, and as many punk fans do when they mature, they start appreciating much more complex and thoughtful music with talented musicianship and deep lyrics, i.e.: emo.

One thing you must understand before getting this CD, though, is that Promise Ring's "emo" isn't anything like Hey Mercedes, Further Seems Forever, or (pre-bleed american) Jimmy Eat World. Davey vonBohlen has one of the weirdest voices in the world ever used for singing and takes a little getting used to, and on top of that his lyrical style is just as strange. He has some fascination with geography and colors. The musicianship is also amazing, and the beats get you jumping up and down uncontrollably, especially on the songs "A Broken Tenor" and "Pink Chimneys." The songs are so bizarre but so creative and fun. 90% of this album you can't help but imagine the four members dancing around each other while playing with huge smiles on their faces. This is a great CD for a change of pace from typical Pop rock. Definetly worth it.

Unfortuneatly for me it's in my old car CD player that I can't afford to get installed into my new car just yet, and I really wanna listen to it. Life just sucks.