Classic Album: Every Day Life - American Standard

In an article I wrote last year I mentioned that rapcore was my gateway into heavy music, and I think that was probably the case for a lot of Christian music fans who listened to hardcore.

American Standard was EDL's second album and it had a different dimension then Disgruntled. It was less angry, more fun. But at the same time, the songs are more aggressive and heavier (at times).

American Standard rips right in with the title track and the Pushing, both coming at you with a punk aggression. Salt Circles with a smooth groove guitar riff. Birth Right is a fun track that gets your head bobbing. The hook is super catchy and infectious. Just a fun track.

And that's where the comedic side of EDL comes out. 5 tracks in, EDL has a "hidden" track. A fake motocross ad/song comes blaring onto your stereo taking you by surprise. It's so funny and so oddly placed that one can't help but question what the band was thinking.

Transcend is my favorite EDL song. A nice mix of heavy and melodic. Residence is Every Day Life's softer side. A nice ballad near the end of the album.

I know rapcore is a turnoff for a lot of people and most people talking about rapcore as something they used to listen to when they were younger and didn't know better. But American Standard isn't a record to ignore. The songs are strong. The rhymes aren't cheesy and the guitar riffs are strong. Tedd Cookerly had one of the best screams in music. This isn't a record to overlook.