It came today.  It came in a relatively plain brown package. I opened it and inside was the CD.  Though I had seen the picture many times and even thought, “My God!  Can they ever think of using another picture once in a while?’  somehow I feel like I’m looking at it for the first time.  It’s like a random snapshot of four lads happy to be touring the BBC.  They don’t even look like a band.  They look like kids that live just down the road.  Just the scrawled words “Viola Beach” betray this image.  There is no record company address.  No message starting “Unauthorized reproduction . . . .”  Just the song titles adorn the back.  It’s almost like there should be a little note saying, “Here’s the music you asked for.  Hope you like it!”  The pamphlet’s back cover has another snapshot taken on the same day.   Inside there are five pages, each with a snapshot and some writing.   Each picture seems to have a remembrance written by each individual’s family and/or loved ones.  The final page had the very brief writing and production credits.  If it weren’t for the remembrances, you would think this was a New Order or Joy Division CD.  But, ohhh, how different are the contents inside.  Despite the black and white outside, colours seem to burst from the inside.

You put the CD in the player and it reads 9 tracks in 33.59 mins.  A very short album in testimony of five very short careers.  Then after you press play, sliding out of the speakers the cold water of joy and enthusiasm splashes your face.  This studio version of “Swings and Waterslides” is not as adrenalin-filled as the live versions but that enthusiasm and optimism brakes through.  Then emerging from the darkness of the silence comes “Like a Fool.”  These two songs almost seem like an introduction and the album then proceeds.  “Go Outside” gallops leading some happy parade to some vague liberation.  “Cherry Vimto”  (the song my daughter liked) has a playfulness to it and once again this joyfulness and optimism.  The stubborn idea that there’s better ahead.  Don’t know what is, don’t care, let’s go!

Then the song with the almost Ska beat to it.  If there was a driving song to be played in the car at night, this is it.  The gig’s over, let’s find a party or an all-night diner, somewhere, anywhere!  Don’t let the night end.  Too much fun, why stop?  In the 14 seconds of footage of the last gig this was the song they were playing.  That 14 seconds was special not so much because it was the gig they played the night they died; it was the enthusiasm.  You could knock down walls with that enthusiasm!  That 14 seconds is the point of the song where everything peaks.  It’s what the song builds up to.  There couldn’t be a better final glimpse.  (Note how Kris almost trips over the cord! lol).

“Really Wanna Call” is, my opinion, the weakest of the tracks.   Not saying it’s bad.  It’s just doesn’t have the same magic the others do.   I’m sure it was probably fun performed live, though.  I think if the wrote more so songs they would outshine this one and it would be relegated to the outtakes section.

“Call You Up” is a magnificent change of pace.  It gives an indication of the depth these guys could have accomplished.   This Ian Grimble did a wonderful job on the production and mixing.  “Wonderful” is kind a weak word to describe it but it’s all I can come up with at this time.

“Get To Dancing” breaks the mood beautifully.  It’s kind of like the highlight.  If you’ve seen the joy and energy of this song on the BBC, the smiles are not rehearsed.  Yeah, they’re having fun!  If you haven’t, you can hear the joy through the speakers!

“Boys That Sing” is kind of like an epilogue or encore, if you will.  The album’s over but here’s one more.  Kind of an unintended manifesto.  There’s something better beyond, I don’t know what and I don’t care!  I know it’s better so let’s laugh, have fun and carry on.  Yeah, things might be crap now but we can make it better.  I have full confidence in US.  YOU and ME.  So you better learn to sing while you may.  I mean how many go’s do you have at this.  You’ll never know how special this is until you get off your ass and use this energy.  Let’s get to dancin’ and learn to sing.  You can cry while you dance, you shout while you sing but don’t just sit there not doin’ anything.  Let’s get to dancin’.  It’s not much but it’s just enough.  It sucks there’s not more but it’s what we have and this little is alot.  Cheers lads wherever you are!