(Photo courtesy of Loveway Records)The year was 2009, and in a sector of youths proclaiming "'rawr' means 'I love you' in dinosaur" and overusing the "xD" emoticon, a teenager performing under the stage name Never Shout Never appeared.
I'm not here to cast shame on those who enjoyed his old material; I was one of those people. As a tempestuous ninth grader, I was uplifted and empowered by simple classics like "On The Brightside" and "Love Is Our Weapon."
Up until yesterday, I had gone about five years without listening to Never Shout Never or even giving them much of a passing thought. I didn't even realize it had gone from being a one-man show to a full band.
The group's latest release, "Recycled Youth-Volume One," actually has me wondering what I've been missing by ignoring them.
Lead singer Cristofer Drew seems to have undergone a notable, beautiful change in vocal tonality. This isn't a matter of puberty, either; Drew's voice in this album is wonderfully deeper and more relaxed, a welcome change from the forced enunciation so prevalent in his older material.
"Recycled Youth" lives up to its name in that it literally recycles some of Drew's old material and presents it in a cleaner, revamped way.
It features songs from Drew's solo days as well as a few songs from "Time Travel," the first Never Shout Never album featuring an entire band.
Among the more memorable components of the album is "Trance-Like Getaway," a dreamy plea to an ideal lover. Songs like this combine Drew's taste for simple, cute lyrics with crisp, soft harmonies to create a light and airy love song that even older listeners can enjoy.
"Robot" is also exceptionally lovely, offering a more somber and sentimental theme to the album. Even Drew's sad songs feature moderately optimistic acoustics that balance out the sadness of lyrics such as, "I'm just a coma, a deadly sleep / my heart is breakin' but I just can't weep."
Of course, it wouldn't be a truly recycled youth without featuring updated versions of previously mentioned singles like "On The Brightside," "Love Is Our Weapon" and "Sacrilegious."
The youthful humanitarian themes of "Love Is Our Weapon" and the optimistic plea for self-esteem in "On The Brightside" are reflected much more powerfully in "Recycled Youth's" calmer tones and relaxed melodies. They reflect the fact that perceptions of the world and of oneself can grow without losing their meaning.
"Sacrilegious" is also much more powerful when simplified and toned down. The process of spiritual discovery and perception detailed in the song is amplified in "Recycled Youth" in a way that makes its lyrics and themes more thought-provoking.
The beauty of Never Shout Never's decision to re-record its old material is that it showcases a freshly-evolved sound and adaptive abilities in the clearest, most powerful way possible. It is the musical equivalent of being 22 and trying on clothes from junior high to feel how much you've grown.
Never Shout Never has grown in surprisingly great ways, and I will openly admit that I am quite excited to see what "Recycled Youth-Volume Two" will do to continue to change my perception of the band's talent.
Tell the reporter your favorite ninth-grade memories at celina.jimenez@asu.edu or on Twitter @lina_lauren.
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