Scheduled Explosions` is the new twenty-three track album from 2nd Grade, a power pop outfit created by Philadelphia songwriter Peter Gill.
The fairly melodic opening track `Live From Missile Command` brought thoughts of mission control before a search enlightened me that Missile Command was an eighties shoot ’em up arcade video game. The gentle `Triple Bypass in B-Flat` appears to relate to having too much time on your hands.
`Uncontrollably Cool` is a bouncy composition where the narrator is in awe of somebody they know while `Out Of The Hive` has a slightly distorted and fuzzy sense about it.
`Fashion Disease` is quite quirky with an interesting guitar solo whereas `Joan On Ice` seems angst ridden and guitar led. There`s an off-kilter Beach Boys vibe to `Crybaby Semiconductor` but as the title would suggest `Ice Cream Social Acid Test` has a psychedelic ambiance about it.
`Instant Nostalgia` is a dreamy tale of alleged criminal amnesia however `Like Otis Redding` is just odd. `Airlift` appeared to be a dreamy tale of adolescence which was followed by the introspective dreamy lovestruck `King Of Marvin Gardens`.
`Made Up My Own Mind` is a delightfully melodic listen which contrasted with `No Fly Zone` which was a bizarre tale of missiles and rockets shared over a rolling beat. I thought that `All About You` was a foot tapping love ode while `Evil Things` would suggest something fearful but it`s a joyous narration about being surrounded by bad thoughts and incidents.
`Bureau Of Autumn Sorrows` is a rhythmic number with lyrics that are fairly surreal. There was a hint towards the Troggs on `Like A Wild Thing` with it`s strange lyrical content.
`American Rhythm` is an out of whack musical tale but not as eccentric as `Jingle Jangle Nuclear Meltdown` which just repeats the strap line throughout its brief lifespan.
`Sophomores In The Wild` appears to be about dreaming your life away while `68 Comeback` offers some tenuous references to Elvis songs at the end of this tender fuzzy garage rock like submission.
The final track `I Wanna Be On Your Mind` has an almost Byrds like texture with words that express a desire to become somebody’s someone.
`Scheduled Explosions` offers up a delightful thirty-five minutes of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania power pop and with twenty-three songs included you certainly “get a lot of bang for your buck” from these melodic musical marvels from the City of Brotherly Love.
Rating 8.5/10
REVIEW : 2ND GRADE – SCHEDULED EXPLOSIONS (2024
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