:: All Time Low - MTV Unplugged (with DVD)

All Time Low

2009 went down as one of the biggest and most successful years in All Time Low’s career to date, with the pop punk act’s fourth full-length effort ‘Nothing Personal’ proving to be their highest charting and selling album, and with most of their touring throughout the year done as headliners. Given the Baltimore act’s growing success, it wasn’t all that surprising to see the four piece act make the move up the corporate ladder with the announcement of a move to major label Interscope Records in late 2009. Obviously keen to capitalise on the group’s continual rise in fame, Hopeless Records have released a dual CD/DVD package of the band’s acoustic performance shot in New York last year exclusively for MTV. There’s something to be said for acoustic performances. More often than not, a song can take on a whole new meaning when presented in acoustic form, with the potential of shining a completely different light on the performer at the same time. And in the case of All Time Low, ‘MTV Unplugged’ does just that, thrusting the spotlighting on the band as performers and the songs themselves stripped back to their bare essentials.

Throughout the six song performance, All Time Low completely captivate their audience, with songs such as ‘Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)’, ‘Remembering Sunday’ (Which features a surprise guest vocal appearance from Kate Voegele), ‘Weightless’ and ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’ the stand outs. But while the band look and sound great, and the audience are helping out at every opportunity, and the whole thing seems to give the impression that something truly special is taking place, I can’t help but feel that their overall performance is missing a bit of spark and imagination in terms of set list, and more than short on genuine surprise. What were offered are two tracks from the band’s last three releases, all of which are undoubtedly fan favourites. What would have really made this show more interesting is the inclusion of something a little more obscure from the band’s back catalogue, something performed purely on the spot and out of the blue, or maybe even a cover. Instead, this release caters strictly to fans, and fans alone. In terms of extras, the DVD does include five minutes of ‘Out Takes’ (Which isn’t all that impressive) and a five minute interview with the band (Which isn’t all that enlightening). ‘MTV Unplugged’ is a solid release, and will no doubt be snapped up in droves by diehard fans. But for those unfamiliar with the band’s musical output, there’s more value in investing in All Time Low’s studio efforts as a true introduction.