Youth Group
"Skeleton Jar"
Epitaph

With a name like Youth Group, you would think they would be a spirit of ’88 hardcore band. Thank God I didn’t have to hear some shitty anthem about scene unity when I pressed play. Their name really sucks, but their music is just amazing.

Having found some success in their native Australia, (Sydney to be exact), Youth Group have come overseas, via Epitaph Records, to unleash their brand of atmospheric rock on America. And thanks to the success of Death Cab for Cutie, the road has been paved for their acceptance.

We all know that music goes through trends. It has been increasingly easy to date an album just by listening to it. And normally I’m quick to criticize a band that isn’t an originator of the sound du jour. But in this case, I simply don’t care that they weren’t the first to play this style of atmospheric rock. I just listen and enjoy this record. It isn’t the lyrics (I don’t really know them). It isn’t even the music. It’s the combination of the two that create a wonderful mood. The tone of the whole album just oozes melancholy sadness and depression. Similar to The Decline of British Sea Power, Skeleton Jar combines softer ballads and great rock songs without either feeling out of place.

This is a great album, but what I love about this band, is that they clearly have potential to be really great.

Reviewed by: Josh Goldfarb
Reviewed on: June 20, 2005