Out of all the bands to dwell in the 'emo' underground, Garden Variety held some of the most energy. Yet, this band still managed to become overlooked amidst the revival in the interest of the whole genre. They released notable splits with Jejune, Dahlia Seed, and Hellno. Knocking the Skill Level marks Garden's second and last album. Not only did they produce a monumental album, whose sound spawned an array of punk bands later to come, it also successfully pissed off the punk purists concerned with categorizing them. This album holds its place in my heart as one of the my favorite releases of that decade. Skill Level contains some of the most infectious melodies, which can only be paralleled to mix tape neighbors such as Franklin and Lync. Each song contains powerful chords that slow gracefully into oddly catchy harmonies. On second thought, let's drop the horrible high school creative essay bullshit. This album ruled. No doubt about it. The great thing about this album lies in the fact that theres no need to hit skip on your cd player because the songs manage to pull you back in with a catchy tune, just when they are about to lose you. That's not to say this is an easy listen. It takes a number of spins to appreciate all the songs. So basically, this is a record that will have you jumping and screaming in your room like the passionate and naive teenager you really are. Give it a try, you might like it!
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