[Ex]Band of the Week: Something Corporate

[1998-2006]
Something Corporate
Sounds Like: Piano Rock / Pop-Punk
Drinking Buddies: Mae, Making April, Dashboard Confessional,
Synopsis: Punk rock with a piano. Can you go wrong, really?
Makes You Want To...: Sings; Cuddle; Kiss
Evolved Into:

• Jack's Mannequin

[Myspace]






This month is one of old and new.
Voilà! is featuring bands that have broken up.
This week, the featured artist is Something Corporate.


Something about love just gets into your soul, don't y'know, reader? There's this famous line from High Fidelity - probably one of the symbolic pieces of literature out there on the die hard music lover - and it goes something like this... "People worry about kids playing with guns, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands--literally thousands--of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss. The unhappiest people I know, romantically speaking, are the ones who like pop music the most; and I don't know whether pop music has caused this unhappiness, but I do know that they've been listening to the sad songs longer than they've been living the unhappy lives."

Admit it, at least to yourself: music, as we fundamentally know it, can be based on a few things: the three of which are preportionately more created being partying, politics, and love - whether that love is good or bad. Thousands of songs about first loves, and first kisses, and "When you're fifteen, and someone tells you they love you, you're going to believe them," etc. etc. And whether Rob up there in his London record shop, spilling his heart and mind out over a girl (who admittedly has a nice taste in music) is right or not, love is engrained in our music. We take it for granted, because it's everywhere these days. But we like our own style of love in our music.

There are so many tastes. Would you prefer something dark and depressing - maybe Taking Back Sunday or My Chemical Romance? - or how about something weird and esoteric? - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is probably right up your alley. There's angry, like "Texas" by Dr. Manhattan, or cute like Arrah and the Ferns... The possibilities stretch out in all directions. What do I favour? Well something, honest, straightforward, and heartfelt. Something poetic but not burdened down by the pen of a confusing author. Something Corporate, maybe.

Oh Something Corporate, you dreamy Californian heartthrobs. How you make me sway and swoon! These melodic creatures were one of the biggest hits of the early 2000s if you knew the right sort of college rock station or website to sneak to, streaming their dreamy, eloquently simple love songs. Songs about never leaving folks alone, or leaving folks because you have to; songs about heartbreaking breakups, or heartfelt reunions. Hell, there's even an "eff-you" songs hidden between this awesome quartet's records. But you know the moment that record begins playing, you're getting something honest, and when you're listening to music that's played honestly, you'll know you're getting exactly what you deserve to hear from any artist.

But what sets Something Corporate apart from the masses of musical love-singers out there, because as I've made it clear, not only are love songs common, but they're the standard. How does one set themselves apart from the masses? Something Corporate does so dilligently with their frankness and honesty. Their music is well rehearsed and thought through. Yet, it feels as if its composition is all but organic and natural, as if McMahon's poetry is simple torn out of the pages of his personal journal. You can't help sing along and feel the emotion within the songs because of accustomed we are to all the feelings expressed, for if you've ever been in a relationship, you can jive with the message sends forth. Something Corporate didn't write their music for their fans - they wrote their music for themselves - it's a miraculous wonder that their fans can feel so close to personal experiences, because by sheer chance, their own personal experiences are so very similar to that of the band. That humble attitude, that easy feeling of expression, is part of what makes Something Corporate a fabulous band.

The other is their obvious twist on pop-punk music. Sure, how many times have to seen the young guys pick up the devil's favourite electric, six stringed instrument and pour out their sole to the tones of the guitar? Plenty, is the simple answer. But in this day of Coldplay and Radiohead, we sometimes forget how uncommon it is to see a piano up on stage with a rock band. This was a standard for Something Corporate's unique sound, with their diligent piano pieces composed directly adhered to their pop-punk aesthetics. The mix results into a truly unique sound of piano-punk-rock, which has ONLY been attempted by one band in my personal, collective memory sense Something Corporate's time earlier this decade. The soothing melody of piano and lyric, mixed with the somewhat raucous attitude, fun-loving expression with the expected rock instruments, makes Something Corporate a very unique icon in their genre, one that can never be replicated, that they remain kings of their own castle to hold the rights to.

Good things pass on sometimes, just like our relationships. Our love and caring was needed in the Something Corporate camp, when lead singer Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia. With the good wishes, love, and care of friends and strangers alike, McMahon's cancer has eventually gone into remission. But with his sickness, came a pulling apart of Something Corporate. Since the band officially disbanded in 2006, and Andrew recovered, Andrew has gone on to form a band with a similar sound - Jack's Mannequin - where he also combines a similar, less 90s inspired, more contemporary form of that pop aesthetic with piano chords that's so pleasing on the ear. But for the the true fans of love spilling forth from the keys of a piano, they know they can always seek solace in the wonderful records of Something Corporate.

Something Corporate has a slew of records under their belt while their eight year campaign lasted, most under the Drive-Thru records: their first release, Ready... Break, as well as the classic Leaving Through the Window, and one of their masterfully created records, North, along with several live albums, EPs, and awesome videos (need I even suggest you see "If U C Jordan"?). As for Andrew McMahon, with the reclamation of his life, he pursues it full force in his new band Jack's Mannequin, who's busily touring about. But of course, Something Corporate still has their Myspace, where you can continue to stream their songs and feel the love and life within their notes and words.