Textbook Is 'All Messed Up' And We're Glad They Are

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 25, 2014 7:00PM

By this point we know that any time Textbook decides to crank out a new album we're in for more of the same from the band. Lucky us.

For instance, singer Dave Lysien will still be miserable yet still find a way to deliver his pain in a manner that results in foot stomping and smiles from the listener. His guitars will crank along a solid Midwestern power pop trajectory alongside Dan Knapik's own six stringed squall while Rick Uncapher's bass and Mark Doyle's rumbling drum tie it all together.

On All Messed Up, Textbook delivers yet another packed collection of anthems that uplift despite the melancholic core at the center of Lysien's delivery. These are dudes with more than afew years under their collective belt, so they're able to balance heartache with wisdom, and then neatly pull the rug out from under that wisdom since, in the end, it doesn't matter whether you 16 or 46 when it comes to mourning relationships and bad decisions.

Amidst all this Textbook knows that no one wants to just mope around so they pack their songs with hooks and sing-along choruses. This band of pros has spent their time paying their dues in other bands—including Not Rebecca, Dan Vapid & The Cheats, Woolworthy, Loud Lucy and Verbow—and they lean on their years of experience to make sure that nothing on All Messed Up feels half-baked or superfluous.

The band celebrates the release of the new album with a show at Cobra Lounge tomorrow night. Like their albums, Textbook's live show is always a reliably good time so stay away from the amateur hour that is usually Blackout Wednesday and party with a bunch of pros.

Textbook, Death and Memphis, and Venom Lords play tomorrow, Nov. 26, at Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland Ave., 8 p.m., $7 advance / $10 at the door, 21+