Blowing Dust – Destination Failure

Artist: Smoking Popes
Album: Destination Failure
Release Date: August 26, 1997

I have to be honest; this is one of the albums that I did not like right off the bat. It’s not like I hated it, I just thought it wasn’t good upon first listening. However, it was one of those albums where something clicks and you think to yourself, “now I get it!” Now it’s one of my favorite albums and is always in rotation.

The Smoking Popes’ Destination Failure is an album that eased my way into a genre which is part of my name (it’s the emo in emosweater). It’s got lots of great guitars and you can really hear that they were influenced by punk, and earlier albums would confirm this. Although the album is full of love songs some may or may not be about Jesus…okay well there is a slight Christian influence, but it still sounds like a love song much like a lot of Christian songs out there.

But is it a Christian album? Not in the least. It’s an album that is heavy on the heart issues. Break ups, infatuations, shyness, lost loves, among other things are included. What makes things a little bit more interesting is that they are a family band. Matt, Josh and Eli Caterer are the founding members of the band and when you include the great drum work of Mike Felumlee, you’ve got the Smoking Popes that you hear on the album.

Why should I dust off this album?

There’s really nothing not to like about this album. Some people have told me that Josh’s vocals are a bit whiny, but for one thing, it isn’t, and it’s also what makes the album great. The lyrics and his melodies are (in my opinion) what make the Popes the Popes. You can hear the punk influences, which were pretty heavy in previous albums, but their sound evolved into and perfected into what you hear on the album.

From Star Struck One until Follow the Sound you can hear the range of the Popes. Some of the must hear songs on the album are Megan, Let’s Hear It For Love, and I Know You Love Me (which is the song that has religious undertones). The album also includes a cover of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory song Pure Imagination. And if you ever find yourself getting broken up with, you might want to listen to Pretty Pathetic…um yeah…the title pretty much says it all…