A nonsensical, infectious collection of ditties about love, desperation and loser-ville, Real-Life catches
Weston at their pop-punk origins, before they began to expand (and eventually dilute) their sound. Though many of the songs are mired in a combination of sloppy vocal harmonies and simple chord progressions, a few branch out: "Mr. Lazo" is somber and catchy at the same time, while "Lovely, Fragile February" proved to be the band's first -- though by no means last -- power ballad. A majority of the tracks, however, exhibit that easy-to-memorize, easy-to-sing-along quality inherit to the genre, with "David Soul" and "Little Mile '94" being the standouts. ~ Brian Raftery