This is more or less a solo project for Tom Ackerman, who was the front man for Skiploader and now plays drums for Sunday’s Best. This is melodic, mid-tempo indie rock with a definite pop edge, not unlike Sunday’s Best. But there is also a noticeable 90’s alternative rock edge too. The best tracks are definately “I Concede The Point”, and “Vandalized”. Both are more punchy, and fast paced pop rock songs. There are a few more mellow moments which help to break up the album and keep things interesting. Think Sunday’s Best or Knapsack meets Superchunk or even the Foo Fighters. This is self-produced, and mixed by Mark Trombino and it sounds great. Hopefully these guys will stay at it, and keep growing as a side project. There is definite potential here.

The New Scheme 

Neighborly is the brainchild of Tom Ackerman, former lead singer and guitarist for the Portland, Oregon-based band, Skiploader, and current drummer for Sunday’s Best. Tom also played drums on, and engineered a good portion of the debut from former Knapsack frontman Blair Shehan’s project, The Jealous Sound. Skiploader disbanded after two full-lengths and one EP, after which Tom attended Loyola University in an effort to improve his recording skills. Neighborly was created when Tom met up with some old friends who had followed his lead and ventured out to California. I had never heard of Tom Ackerman before, so I had no idea what to expect when I first put Grass Is Greener into my stereo.

The sound on Grass Is Greener is not far from Skiploader’s efforts, with maybe a little more solid pop structure. This could stem from the fact that Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World, Boilermaker, Garden Variety, Drive Like Jehu), a studio wizard and friend of Ackerman’s, mixed the album. As a result, the ten songs that make up Grass is Greener are quite intelligent and catchy.

Besides the help of Trombino, good songwriting can help too. Ackerman’s lyrics hold your attention with their intelligence and sincerity. “The image was so stunning, you on the concrete running, with your pants down,” Ackerman sings as he welcomes you to the album with the catchy “I Concede The Point.” “Somewhere I’m drunk and toasting, soon to slip into fuzzy regret,” he sings on “Spark And Flash,” immediately gaining your sympathy. And he balances the downtrodden moments with more empowering lines like “Thought opportunity had knocked me off my feet? Here I stand still smiling, sparkling�” in “Cut to Chase.”

The 10 songs that make up Grass Is Greener bounce from catchy pop to slightly more straight-ahead rock, keeping you on the fence about whether or not you like it. Then, when the eighth track, and perhaps the highlight of the album, “Vandalized,” comes along, you start to lean a little more towards thinking you like it. Moments later, the album comes to a close with “Spark And Flash,” and you hit play again, realizing you just heard a damn fine album, and you have to listen to it again.

Delusions Of Adequacy

If I tell you that Neighborly is fronted by Sunday’s Best drummer (and former Skiploader frontman) Tom Ackerman, will that give you some idea of what to expect? Yes, you could probably add Neighborly to the long list of “e-word” bands, but I found their sound more tolerable than most; between their melody-intensive, slightly retro-leaning songwriting and Ackerman’s better-than-average voice, Neighborly sounds a bit like a younger, angrier Replacements. They’re not as whiny and over-wrought as most young bands these days, and their music seems more robust, with more chunky riffs and fewer bland, anemic minor-key melodies. So basically, while Grass is Greener isn’t a life-changing experience, you won’t mind hearing it more than once.

Splendid

Skiploader’s front man, Tom Ackerman, began working on Neighborly after Skiploader broke up in what you could easily describe as a messy one. Four years later? Maybe three, the record is finally seeing the light of day. The same emo-driven pop songs that typified Skiploader run ramped in Neighborly.

Ackerman’s bittersweet to outright sardonic lyrics rage over jarring indie-rock hooks, giving way to a style of music that could never break into the mainstream without a fluke hit out of left field (hence Skiploader’s lack of commercial appeal). However, the ending track, “Spark and Flash,” a song about Ackerman’s former fan club presidents who died in a car crash coming back from a Weezer show, hints at his ability to write a catchy, solid pop song that is emotional enough to make you want to cry. But, he also manages to keep it catchy enough to warrant you singing along with it, as well as punchy enough to sneak its way into a few hip DJ’s play lists, if given the chance.

Grass Is Greener proves that Ackerman is more than a drummer (he is currently drumming for Sunday’s Best), but also proves he should work on his craft a bit more before trying to tackle the FM format. Though, Neighborly, if they weren’t already dead, could have been one of the cult bands that toured and toured and consistently solid 20,000 records and had legions of fans waiting for them at every tour stop. The songs are powerful, you just need to give them a chance. I’ll give this a B.

In Music We Trust

This record from Neighborly is a straight-ahead post-punk exploration. The headman of the group, Tom Ackerman, has a superb resume with other groups including Skiploader and Sunday’s Best. The songs on this record are all pretty much standard rock not unlike the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World and even the Lemonheads. By far the best part of the record is the breakdowns, which on almost all of the songs are kick-ass. The breakdowns are laced with intricate guitars playing harmonious riffs and good rhythms. The first song on the record “I concede the point” is definitely the best on the record. If you are into groups like the Foo Fighters you should consider picking this up.

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