If I didn't know better, I would have guessed it was a new FOO FIGHTERS album that is so pleasantly spreading in my ear canals. Even though their records from the last 10 years have passed me by, I only know their hits or the albums from the 90s and 2000s. The same thing happened to me with the first two albums of ALL ABOARD !. I didn't catch any of it.
And now, six years after "Aficionado" and almost 10 years after "Twelve Little Compliments," here is ALL ABOARD !'s third album "The Rules Of Distraction." The band from Mönchengladbach had actually decided to take a break, but during the lockdown, they had (almost) nothing else to do but generate 10 beautiful rock songs (+ an intro & outro straight from the fairground, fittingly accompanied by the album cover).
And speaking of the cover, well.....
No, it doesn't appeal to me.... Not at all.... (but decide for yourselves!)
The lyrics are also somewhat carelessly slapped into the booklet with zero layout, but that's actually the only negative thing about "The Rules Of Distraction."
Now let's get to the music, which I like much better than the decoration of the album. Although ALL ABOARD ! see themselves in the style of AGAINST ME ! and DESCENDENTS, I find the 25 minutes of the album too alternative-rocky for this. I only agree with their third comparison, GASLIGHT ANTHEM, as their catchy riffs fit quite well into the ten 1¾ – 3¼ minute gems. The only exception is "57 Walnut Street" (where supposedly Moe Szyslak from SIMPSONS lives), which reminds me more of GREEN DAY.
FOO FIGHTERS fans and anyone who enjoys alternative rock will definitely love the third album by ALL ABOARD !.
