Some people say that certain music was perfected with the release of a landmark album. For grunge, it was Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” For teenage rock, it was The Sweet’s “Desolation Boulevard.” For pop-punk, it was Blink-182’s “Enema of the State.” Since hailing from Las Vegas, NV, Theory of Flight is sort of a haphazard amalgam of all three; they shouldn’t have really bothered throwing Within Reach, a mélange of lopsided grooves and bleeding-heart sentiment into the canon. The opener sort of labors atonally for almost four minutes that’s followed by a bright and playful tune that Paramore does well since Hayley Williams’ vocals are…well, bright and playful. Vocalist Beau Hodges, sadly, is not. 

The punchier “Worthless Symphonies” sounds like pre-fabricated punk and the ballad (and single) "Spinning", is rooted in that awful tradition of a dude playing his guitar and pouring his heart out. Guys, please leave the cap firmly on next time. Lead single “Set the Night on Fire” sounds like Jack Johnson or someone of his ilk amplified and not much else. The sucker for this record is that the formula doesn’t make any sense. Tracks like “Can’t You See” starts with fiery riffs, dies down almost instantly, smolders the flame finally flickering out towards the end. The only exception being the robust rocker “Like You Do” that proves that the guitarists have some mastery over their instruments. Though “One Last Call” channels U2 in a roundabout way, Theory of Flight pick their riffs wholesale from a Wal-Mart of contemporary pop-punk, throw it in a blender and hope for the best. It’s not how records should be made in this day and age but unfortunately, usually are – bland, derivative and forgotten almost instantly. Perhaps being surrounded by the superficiality of Las Vegas got the better of them? Better luck next time, guys.

Review Score: 4 / 10