The Lawrence Arms – Cocktails & Dreams

It’s not really a secret that I love The Lawrence Arms, it is really quite evident. Their last CD, The Greatest Story Ever Told, ended up being in the top half of my year end list and their intelligent lyrics are constantly thrown into my MSN name.So when the band announced that they were releasing a B-side collection album, I was ecstatic; and when I heard that 100 Resolutions was on, I was even more excited and knew immediately that I needed this album as soon as possible. And after listening to the nineteen tracks over and over again, I’m happy to report that Cocktail & Dreams was everything I expected it to be.

Now, since this is a B-Side album, there is a chance you’ve heard at least a few of these songs before as most of them are available on previous releases, either in the way of splits or compilations. Four songs come from their split with The Chinkees on Present Day Memories while another five were from their split with Shady View Terrace. There’s also a few songs from compilations like the recent Thick Oilcomp or the popular Rock Against Bush Vol. 2 and Fat Wreck Chords‘ Uncontrollable Fatulence. But still, even though it is possible to find a good portion of the tracks, there’s still enough unreleased songs, or extremely rare songs, to keep the rabid Lawrence Arms fan happy.

Of course, any follower of The Lawrence Arms knows what they are going to find on here, because they rarely deviate from their formula. It is 90% fast, heavy hitting, quick punk rock songs with a few slightly slower songs, like Nebraska and Overheated, interspersed throughout. The lyrics are exactly what you come to expect from the Chicago trio: intelligent, quirky, seemingly random lyrics that make you think and tells a story; all the while Brendan and Chris alternate vocal duties, switching from the harsh, smoke worn rasp of Brendan to the slightly more polished harmonies of Chris.

Cocktails & Dreams is everything I had hoped it to be, and it is the perfect album for any melodic pop-punk fan or Lawrence Arms fan. After hearing this B-sides collection, I am now even more excited to see what the band will do on their next full length.