Album Review: Discount- Half Fiction
2. Clap And Cough (1:46)
Okay, so one thing you should know about me is that I looooove pop punk! Even crappy Warpedcore poser bands like Simple Plan and Good Charlotte are plenty fun. I'm just a sucker for catchy melodies and tasty pop hooks. But I ESPECIALLY love good pop punk. Bands with good songwriting and grit and integrity. Bands with legitimate artistic value. Bands like Jawbreaker and Samiam. Bands like J Church and The Get Up Kids. Bands like Discount.
Formed in 1995 in Vero Beach, Florida, they made their mark not just in the United States, but all around the world in the second half of the '90s. Disbanding in 2000, their tenure was very brief, but damn, were those few years wonderful! Though they never really achieved mainstream success, their stellar output combined with extensive touring (including opening for legendary bands like Leatherface and Hot Water Music) gained them a very devoted cult following. Even today, many fans will swear up and down that they were one of the very best '90s punk bands. Lump me in with that group, because I freakin' love Discount!
Ooooooh, very spooky, very scary ooooooh! Photo courtesy of Maximum RocknrollBut anyways, this particular album is superb! Really, all their albums are winners, but this one is their greatest work, a stunning showcase of youthful vigor and a fiery spirit. It works perfectly as a bridge between the fun, scrappy pop punk of their debut full length Ataxia's Alright Tonight, and the more "refined" indie style of Crash Diagnostic, their final album before splitting up.
Funny enough though, when I first listened to this album, I thought it was good, but nothing really special. I certainly didn't see it as one of the all time great pop punk albums. I enjoyed it, sure, but on first listen, I thought all the songs kinda blended together. But I decided to relisten, and I found myself loving it more and more every time I listened to it. And I realized, holy shit, this is great!
And the more I listened to it, the more I realized that every track on here is essential to the experience. Each track works together to make a unified whole. They might sound similar on the surface, but this is part of what makes Half Fiction so consistently great from start to finish. It's what pro gamers such as myself refer to as "cohesion." This isn't just a collection of songs, it's the total package.
And let me just say, these songs are straight up bangers! Led by Alison's quirky, powerful vocals and fiery instrumentals, this collection of indie-infused ("Torn Jeans" is a great example of this) pop punk belters has some of the catchiest earworm melodies you'll ever hear, even catchier than herpes. From the anthemic opening title track ("I DON'T KNOW, NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!") to the off-kilter "Pocket Bomb" (which I'm told is in 11/8 timing, not that I know anything about music theory haha), these songs will live in your head rent free for the rest of your life.
The energy of this album should also be commended. It's an explosive force of nature, ready to run wild. It's practically relentless in its exuberance. And what makes this even better is that it's a little raw without being noisy, and has some real power. This isn't slick, overproduced POP punk, this is muscular pop PUNK. And despite the high number of tracks, each one is short and snappy, resulting in a runtime just a little over 31 minutes. This ensures that it never wears out its welcome. It's an album that's endlessly replayable!
I swear to Jesus I can listen to this song a good 47 times in a row without getting bored!
Another thing I love about Half Fiction is the heart-on-sleeve lyrics. The earnestness of these songs establishes this album's status as an early emo-pop album, released the same year as classics like Four Minute Mile by The Get Up Kids and Lifetime's Jersey's Best Dancers, and long before bands like My Chemical Romance achieved mainstream success. Powerful songs about teenage anxiety and frustration abound and paint a beautiful picture. These tracks contain genuine emotional heft.
Take "Toxic Home," for instance, which spins a compelling narrative of a shitty home life, with constant fighting and alcoholism. Or "The Usual Bad," a poignant song about the many women out there that suffer with abusive, deadbeat partners. While I do enjoy plenty of mainstream '00s pop punk and emo bands, I greatly appreciate a band that deals with more serious topics than some dude whining about how his high school crush went to prom with the school quarterback or whatever. Despite being so young when they recorded this (19 I believe), they were certainly mature beyond their years.
Simply put, I love every single aspect of this album that's possible to love. Some people might say that there's no such thing as a perfect album, but fuck that. This is 100% Grade A perfect pop punk, for those who like alliteration. Not only is this one of the all time great pop punk albums, and not only is this one of the best albums of the '90s, but it's one of my very favorite albums ever made. Definitely recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in pop punk.
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