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Album Details

• Artist: The Smoking Popes
• Album: Stay Down
• Label: Flameshovel
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: soundaslanguage on 2008-11-14

Smoking Popes return with Stay Down, their first new studio album in over ten years. It sounds as if they never really left us. The band's last official album was 1997's Destination Failure. All three of the band's older albums, Get Fired, Born To Quit and Destination Failure are classics and should be sought after immediately. Lead singer Josh Caterer remains the band's fixture with his unique vocal style and romantically inclined lyrics. "If You Don't Care" is classic Smoking Popes complete with lovelorn lyrics. "Stephanie" follows in the footsteps of Smoking Popes classics so if you're dating a girl named Stephanie get your mixtapes ready."It's Never Too Late (For Love)" might be schmaltzy but that is Caterer and the Popes' subtle charm. They make it sound completely sincere. "Maybe I'll Stay" is a typical Popes rocker that measures up to more than the sum of its parts. That's the beauty of the Popes. "First Time" is a new version of an old Smoking Popes classic that while a nice addition, simply can't touch the original. Stay Down is chock full of delicious ear candy that only the Smoking Popes could possibly deliver. While perhaps not as overly clever or witty as the band's older material, Stay Down certainly serves a purpose. And while it might not completely measure up to the band's amazing back catalog, we should be happy to have been graced with another Popes album. To all these kids rocking Bayside or Alkaline Trio, this is where it began. Those two bands would have never existed if not for Smoking Popes. Lesson over.

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