Living in the Seattle area, I hear a lot about certain bands that are a part of the Seattle music scene. I usually don't take a lot of the local hype too seriously, because a lot of the hype surrounding said bands comes straight from the fact that the band is local. The kids get to go out and see this band every two weeks, and might say "hi" to a band member, so they get so much more invested in the band than they probably should be.
I've heard it all about Acceptance. Cheers, jeers, rumors of homophobic band ejections, I didn't know what to think. No matter what you've heard about the band's worth as people, what it really comes down to is the age old question, "is the music good?" The answer to that question is a resounding "no". Dishing out one of the most forgettable releases of the past few years, Acceptance are a band riding the "emocore" wave, and will surely be nothing but a worn out sticker on your Squier Strat in a couple of years.
The entire EP goes through without a peep of impressive songwriting. The opening track, "Permanent", begins with truly predictable chord progressions, oh those tricky octave chords! It's rarely a good thing when you can hum along with a song almost perfectly on your first listen. "Permanent" sets the tone for the rest of "Black Lines", seeing as that there is not one even remotely surprising quality on this entire record. With lyrical bombs like "I miss you, and I miss you", it's almost as if Acceptance recorded this music for the adventurous rides on those little special ed buses.
I don't expect every record to be innovative or even to be really original at all. There are times where a record can be so fun or so catchy that its lack of imagination can be partially, if not completely made up for. This EP isn't fun. The melodies are contrived and weak. You won't be singing these tearjerkers in the shower, I can damn near guarantee you that.
The two lives tracks on the rear end of the record do nothing more than show that their songs are still shitty, even in the comfort of your local club.
No imagination, a terrible pop sense, and a lack of overall talent will most likely forever hold Acceptance down at their current "even shittier Blindside" status.
