Mest - Wasting Time

Mest hail from Chicago but their hearts are in the Southern California-style punk made famous by Green Day and Goldfinger. (In fact, this release was produced by Goldfinger's John Feldmann, who also encouraged the band to record their first demo tape.) The result sounds too much like their influences. Though solid and crunchy, the songs on Wasting Time, Mest's major-label debut, mostly come across as anonymous-sounding anthems for the hyperactive skateboard set. However, there are a couple of moments when the band proves that there's muscle beneath the mush. The hilariously titled "Richard Marxism" sears, cajoles, and busts out with a hook as big as a Blink 182 single. "Drawing Board" has the same vibe, with the overdubbed harmonies of frontman Tony Lavato adding a necessary melancholic twinge to the tune. Still, this one's for die-hard power-pop fans only. --Jason Josephes Amazon.com

One of the finest Chicago has ever produced

The year 2000 was a turning point for pop-punk. After reigniting and revolutionizing the sound in the mid-'90s, the genre's most famous band, Green Day, in Y2K released "Warning," a noted departure from the tried and true sound layed down on albums like "Dookie," "Insomniac," and the album's predecessor, "Nimrod." Though not without its strengths, "Warning" featured more mellow and relaxed arrangements that leaned increasingly toward alternative.

Just when it seemed that the release of this album might signal a death note for the up until then increasingly popular pop-punk genre, along came a new crop of young bands who were just kids in 1994 when Green Day released "Dookie," an album that forever changed their lives and inspired them to create similar sounds of their own.

One such band was the pride of Blue Island, Illinois (a close south suburb of Chicago), Mest. Although the band had released one album independently prior to this, "Wasting Time" was their major label debut on Maverick and was for my money their finest moment.

From the opener "Long Days Long Nights," it is clear this band is full of youthful energy and drive. It never lets up from there. This album is just great! This song serves to set the tone with its high speed, ultra-catchy and melodic delivery.

Frontman Tony Lovato is a truly talented individual and often the star of the show with his super memorable and distinctive delivery, but every member of the band turns in a stellar performance. The production is great as well and always comes through clear as a bell.

This album predates the breakthrough of bands that would go on to become bigger sellers than Mest like Sum 41, Simple Plan, and Mest's buddies, Good Charlotte, by a good year of two. While all three bands mentioned are great and warranted the success they received, Mest are every bit as good.

On the faster moments, the band is somewhat reminiscent of vintage Blink-182 (think "Dude Ranch"). Green Day's "Nimrod" seems to be another big influence, as the acoustic guitar that opens standout track "Drawing Board" is somewhat reminiscent of Billie Joe Armstrong's in "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)." (As a sidenote, the band would later remake the song on "Wasting Time's" 2001 follow-up, "Destination Unknown," but the original version is stronger and didn't really warrant a remake.)

Similar to the Clash before them, the band sometimes experiments with reggae-ish tempos on slower tracks like "Change," and it definitely works well for them.

Two of my favorite tracks though come at the very end, with "Random Arrival," which includes the very memorable and very true line, "It doesn't matter if you're black or white." Immediately following that is "The Last Time," which features a great chorus that should have made it a radio hit in league with songs like Green Day's "Basket Case" or Blink-182's "All The Small Things."

All in all, 46 minutes and 14 tracks with not one stinker in the bunch.

As these guys have since broken up, I find myself revisiting their albums time and time again (though with "Photographs" I mainly just view the bonus DVD) to keep the feeling alive. Hopefully all their Maverick discs will stay in print for many years to come, giving a new generation of fans a chance to hear the pop-punk brilliance of Mest. One of my favorites. August 27, 2007

Fun. Just fun.

After writing an awful review for Mest's album "Photographs" I felt like going to the opposite side of the spectrum. "Wasting Time" is a great album for one simple reason: it's fun. Are the lyrics original? No. Are the melodies complex? No. So why does this album merit five stars? Honestly, it's just fun. The lyrics are simple, the melodies are almost too catchy, and it just makes you feel good. And honestly, when it comes right down to it, that's all that matters. Anyone can write lyrics about girls, anyone can play a few power chords, but not eveyone can weve it all together to make good music.

"Wasting Time" is a great pop/punk album with a slight hint of reggae influence (found in "Slow Motion", "Change", and "What's The Dillio?"). Every song on this album is great, but for me the standouts are "Drawing Board", "Long Days Long Nights" and "Wasting My Time" (and make sure you don't miss the hidden track!).

If you like this album, you'll probably like their second release, "Destination Unkown", a lot too. Their self-titled isn't as popular (though I love it) and "Photographs" should have never even been recorded. July 23, 2007

Photographs is a joke compared with this one

Long Days Long Nights- 10/10 An excellent opener for an album, very fast, one of my favorites.
Hotel Room- 10/10 Amazing chorus, some fast, amazing
What's the Dillio?- 8/10 Some repetitive but very catchy
Slow Motion- 10/10 First slow, then begins the fast, a great song
Drawing Board- 10/10 A classic song of mest, awesome
Change- 9/10 Great but not excellent, amazing chorus
Forget You- 9/10 A great Jeremiah song
Electric Baby- 8/10 A bit slow, funny lyrics, good
Girl for Tonight- 9/10 Fast, simple, great song
Lonely Days- 10/10 Cool lyrics, a bit short, still great
Richard Marxism- 10/10 My favorite of the album, hilarios, amazing chorus
Random Arrival- 10/10 Nothing outside of the normal, but it's a great song
The Last Time- 9/10 Simple, but fine
Wasting my Time- 9/10 A perfect ending of an album

F--ck the Greeyhound Bus- 10/10 Hilarios, fast , an excellent ghost track January 2, 2006

MEST's BEST

In my opinion this the the best album from Mest. It's got my all time favorite song (Drawing Board) and every song on the entire album is great. This album is probably actually a little softer than Destination unknown which isn't normal for a punk rock band's earlier album.If you like bands like Blink-182, Green Day, get this, I promise it won't leave your top 10 rotation in your car. January 19, 2005

an awesome cd

Whoah...this CD is incredible. This is Mest's best CD, closely followed by Destination Unknown. All of the songs are very upbeat, fast, and well-written. Tony's got an amazing voice, and, along with Nick's great drumming, Matt's bass, and Jeremiah's awesome guitar skills, this CD is a must-have if you are a fan of punk, punk-pop, emo, or alternative rock. BUY IT!!

Long Days, Long Nights (8/10) a great, fast-paced song that really starts the CD off right

Hotel Room (10/10) one of the best on the album, Tony's voice goes so perfect with the catchiness of this song. An AWESOME song

What's the Dillo (6/10) this is the only song I dont personally like, its too repeatative and annoying or something

Slow Motion (9.5/10) I love this song. Its just like the name, slow at first with great guitarness (haha not a word but whatever) and then it suddenly goes into this fast melody. A great song on this album

Drawing Board (9/10) a lot of people could relate to this song, having been dumped and continually writing songs about them but knowing theyll never like it. A highlight of the album, though a bit slower, its a really cool song

Change (7/10) Its a really cool song; the beginning is boring but it gets better. My 2nd lest favorite on the cd but still cool

Forget You (8/10) good lyrics, I would like it better if tony sang it but still a great song, another many people (like me) can relate to

Electric Baby (8/10) a funny song, well-written, very awesome

Girl For Tonight (10/10) From this song up, I would say this CD gets more awesome than ever thought imaginable. An incredible song, very upbeat and punk-poppish

Lonely Days (10/10) a great thing about mest, so many of their songs you can relate to. This is another one, about being alone and so torn and just wanting to be with someone but knowing you cant. Fast-paced, upbeat, catchy; a highlight of the album

Richard Marxism (9/10) another song song by Jeremiah. With this song, though, a more serious one, his voice goes perfectly with the beat and melody of this song. An awesome song

Random Arrival (10/10) Love this song, a definite party song. Nick's drumming is highlighted in this song and this song really gets you in a fun mood. Highlight of the album

The Last Time (11/10) fastest song on the album, one of my personal favorites. I can relate to this one a lot and a lot of people could too. An extremely catchy, upbeat, and fun song

Wasting My Time (12/20) best song on the CD, slow at first and then unpredictably (the first time you hear it anyway) goes into a fast, sincere beat that is just amzaing. Great way to finish the album. LOVE THIS SONG !!

BONUS TRACK: F*** the Greyhound Bus (9/10) hilarious!! the bonus track, very funny

September 12, 2004

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