Midget Tossing

Yellowcard are a very popular band right now, thanks to the success of Ocean Avenue. But, before the popularity, before Ocean Avenue, and before Ryan Key, Yellowcard had Ben Dobson and speed. Midget Tossing is Yellowcard's first album, released in 1997 on DIY Records. The band line-up is vastly different from now; featuring a different singer, bassist, and guitarist. The band played melodic hardcore, sort of like old Saves The Day. Unlike Ryan, Ben's vocals are very rough, and the drumming was much faster and harder. If you're familiar with only post-2000 Yellowcard, you're in for something completely different with this album.

The album opens with "2 Quarts", and you can tell from the first drum hits and guitar strokes that this Yellowcard is nothing like you've heard before. Ben's vocals have such urgency in his singing, like he means each word he says. The back up vocals during the chorus are a nice touch to the song. The band keeps the energy going as they move into the next song, the even shorter and even faster "Possessions". During this song, Ben's vocals remind me of Jeff Ott with the way he enunciates certain words. In the last half of the song, there's an odd piano solo, before the band moves right back into the music. "Sue" takes the place as the third track, and the instrumentation of this song strikes me as very Lifetime influenced. It's a very catchy song, with gang vocals throughout the whole song. Track four, "American't", is an amazing track. It opens with a groovy bass line and a ska like guitar tone, before the rest of the music erupts. The whole band has so much energy during these first few songs, it's amazing what having a new lead singer did for their sound. "Up Hill Both Ways" has a very haunting and slow intro, changing the pace the album previously. Ben Dobson does back up vocals on this song, making the singing sound more like current Yellowcard; cleaner, poppier, more like actual singing. However, after the first chorus, it sounds more like the rest of the album, which isn't a bad thing. The background vocals throughout the whole song really help it out.

The first song on the last half of the album, "Me First", is the first time you can distinctly hear the violin. Right off the bat, the inclusion of the violin in the intro sets this song apart from the rest of the album, and generally apart from many other punk bands. They have a completely new instrument that punk bands don't have and it's nice to see the inclusion. "For The Longest Time" is a shorter track, with a hardcore punk chorus, but a pop verse, with "oohs" featured for background vocals. The snare rolls on "Get Off The Couch" really show how talented of a drummer LP is. The next song is an instrument, appropriately titled "Interlewd"; it really showcases what someone who knows how to play the violin can do, and it mixes very nicely with the acoustic guitar throughout. After the mellow and low-key instrumental, the band brings the energy level back with "Someday". It's good, but the gang vocals get very old and repetitive by this point. The last song, "Goodbye", is a six minute monster of an outro; changing tempos, different vocal styles, with bridges that show off the talent each musician involved has, and is split up into two distinct parts, after around a minute of silence.

Yellowcard have made some drastic changes to their sound; with this album sounding different from anything after the year 2000. If you're a fan of melodic hardcore, this album is a great one to go with. The band has a lot of energy when they play and you can tell that Ben means what he sings. However, the gang vocals and repetitiveness of the style of music gets real old. For a band that has a violin, with someone that can actually play it too, they don't show it off too well. All-in-all, an album worth checking out.

8/10

Sadly, this album is out of print as well. If you can find it on eBay, get it. Trust me. Otherwise, peruse the interwebs.