All Of Your Love Is All That I Need (Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! - HelloGoodbye)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! - HelloGoodbye
Date:	07/02/08 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic use of keyboard throughout the album, excellent vocals.

Disadvantages: If you don't like one, chances are you won't like any.

Hellogoodbye are a Californian Power Pop band, and despite only having released one studio album they have been around now since 2001. In 2003 the band signed to Drive-Thru Records, and in the following year they recorded and released their self titled EP which then went on to sell in excess of 400 000 copies. Their début album 'Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!' was released in the August of 2006 after two years of touring heavily and is without a doubt one of my favourite albums of recent years. The music is so upbeat and fun to listen to that I feel it would be extremely difficult to listen to and dislike this album, an album which I myself have played many times since purchasing.

The album kicks off with the terrific 'All Of Your Love', one of my many favourites from the 'Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!' album. Although there are only eleven tracks present on this album, for me pretty much every one is a highlight and this is definitely the sign of something rather special. Each and every track impresses with the bands beautiful display of Power Pop in an album which is constantly pushing all the right buttons for me. After 'All Of Your Love' the band progress onto the track 'Here (In Your Arms)', a track I can't help but dance to every time I hear it. To date, this is by far the bands most successful single having shot to number 14 in the U.S. and an even more impressive number 4 in the UK. There is good reason why this track has performed so well and sold so many copies as a single; 'Here (In Your Arms)' is one the catchiest little numbers I have heard in years and truly is a joy to listen to. I would struggle to find any fault whatsoever with this one, and every time I hear it I just seem to love it even more. 'Here (In Your Arms)' is a track that I can play over and over again, one that I can sing along to time and time again without ever tiring of.

I first heard the track 'Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up On Me) ' long before Hellogoodbye ever released this album. Originally only available on-line in demo form, 'Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up On Me)' is another definite favourite of mine from this album, a track I enjoyed most when I saw the band live in concert the other year. Everything about this one pleases me, from the intelligently placed keyboards right through to the great vocal style of Hellogoodbye front man Forrest Kline - all elements of the music just seem to work and therefore make this one of my favourite tracks not only from this band, but in fact of all time.

'Here (In Your Arms)' and 'Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up On Me)' are probably my two most favourite tracks from the album, however as I said before; every single track on this album impresses me greatly and each of the eleven tracks that are present on 'Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!' are well worth listening to. 'Stuck To You' for instance makes fantastic use of its guitars, something which really stood out about the track to me when listening to it. The track is terrifically catchy and is most definitely a massively enjoyable piece of music. With Hellogoodbye the fun never seems to stop and with every passing track the band continue to impress and their appeal never wanes.

Hellogoodbye make great use of the keyboard in their sound, an instrument I often enjoy when present in music of this sort. The keyboard certainly adds atmosphere to the album and compliments the bands sound to perfection. The guitars and keyboard seem to work hand in hand on this release, something which I feel is pulled off remarkably well and makes the album the amazing musical recording that it is. Sometimes when this instrument is implemented into a bands sound, the result can be quite disastrous as the band sometimes sound like they have no idea how to play it, this is certainly not the case with Hellogoodbye and Jesse Kurvink definitely seems to be at one with the keyboard.

Ending the album with 'Two Weeks In Hawaii' I feel was a great decision by the band. This one brings things to a close magnificently, a track which really winds things down and does so in an exceptional fashion. When this track is reached it is obvious that the end has come, the mood of the album changes and even so this is still a terrific track and is no less excellent than the rest of the release. As always the band make great use of the keyboard in this one, again it combines well with the guitars as is the case throughout the whole of the album in fact. I actually feel a little upset inside when I get to this track as I know that the album is about to come to an abrupt end, this disappointment is always short lived however as with the simple flick of a switch I can easily return to the beginning of the record and listen to it all over again.

Whilst the music of Hellogoodbye will not appeal to all, those that do enjoy it should love it and listen to this album on a very regular basis. Purchasing 'Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!' is exceptional value for money if you're anything like me; I've played the album so many times since buying it that its been well worth the investment made. The vocals of Hellogoodbye are a definite strong point of their music, they are softly spoken yet strong heartfelt and extremely emotionally powerful. When you listen to the music of Hellogoodbye, you really get the impression that they believe in what they are doing and in the music that they are making. There is a great genuine quality about their sound which makes them all the more appealing to listen to. Their album is therefore all the more effective and makes for an ultimately delectable listening experience. If you're a fan of genres such as Power Pop, Pop Punk or even Indie Pop to a lesser extent; give the 'Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!' album a listen and I am sure that you will not be disappointed.

Summary: This is a fantastic album from Hellogoodbye, intensely enjoyable to listen to.