Here's a list of things I knew about 1997 before reviewing this album:

- Their debut album came out last year
- It was on Victory Records
- It was basically a pop-punk
- They toured with Aiden to promote it

Based on those facts, I started listening to their sophomore release, On The Run, expecting a certain kind of musical experience; a few catchy hooks, a few witty lyrics, and an hour later, forgetting the whole thing.

I did not get that experience.

Instead, I got a disc full of well-written alternative/indie rock tinged with the lingering influence of a certain Victory Records alumni: Straylight Run. Maybe there's an unwritten rule that if your early material for Tony Brummel sounds like Taking Back Sunday, you have to travel down the same road as the Nolan siblings in subsequent albums. Either way, 1997 took me completely by surprise with their new material, and its staying power has exceeded my expectations.

"One Mind Track, Four Track Heart" kicks the album off with a pummeling drum roll and galloping bassline that hints at the pop-punk nuances of 1997's old material, but instead clears the air with a beautifully delicate chorus, newcomer Alinda Marroni's lilt soaring above the other instruments with wistful grace. The trade-off between male and female singers is a major strength of the band, and they utilize it well throughout On The Run. "Dancing With The Devil" is a caustic little number with rapid-fire guitar and an infectious, determined chorus, while "Sunset Beyond Black Clouds" dips into folk-rock territory with the addition of a harmonica to the band's strings and piano. It's an extremely mature track and stirs up very fond memories of Straylight Run's early material for me.

It seems some people find the similarities a little too close for comfort, though. The Album Project opened up their review of On The Run by opining that "the band is trying to be something that they are not. Instead of naturally progressing the pop punk style they played so well they jumped ahead to a Straylight Run knock off." Before I dissect this opinion, I should lay my cards out on the table: I love Straylight Run. Their self-titled 2004 album is one of my favorite records of all time. But everything they've written since then has let me down. I understand where the Nolan siblings have taken their music as artists, and I respect their choice, but in disowning the pop sensibility of their first album, they disowned much of what I loved about them in the first place, and I just couldn't get into that.

1997, however, are currently in the same stage of music that Straylight was in before they jumped ship to Universal, and that's the stage of Straylight I loved the most. They've graduated from the pop-punk stage and are trying their hand at the indie crowd, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just because another group did it before them doesn't automatically mean they're knock offs or have nothing relevant to add to that sound. Maybe it's because I haven't listened to A Better View of the Rising Moon, but I could not be happier with 1997's current incarnation. If you want pop-punk, go listen to their old album; don't tell them to regress just because they did something well before. We've been through that argument with Thrice, and it doesn't hold water.

I got side-tracked, didn't I? Oh well. Let me run through the rest of the album quickly. "4 A.M. Conversation" is a major highlight of the disc, its bouncy two-guitar attack bleeding into a steady back-and-forth between the singers as they chronicle the breakdown of a fictitious relationship. The emotion and candor of the lyrics belies a powerful chorus and hook that will burrow into your head and stay there for days. "January 19th" has some shaky vocal work, but is melodically excellent, with another naggingly catchy chorus to boot. "I Will Always Find You" is a dramatic piece with a lot of forward momentum and a very sweet [in all senses] chorus. Marroni really gets to show off her vocal work in this track, especially during the bridge. "Winds Of Change" has a funky distorted bassline and jangly piano that segues into a rousing chorus typical of 1997's new style, which is to say it's very, very satisfying.

"Zechariah's Song" brings back some of the earlier folk influence, sparse piano and enthusiastic guitar underpinning earnest, powerful vocal work. The dramatic, measured instrumentation of "A Dream Of Form In Days Of Thought" gives way to the upbeat "Tennessee Song Part 2" -- the folk influence are stronger than ever on this track, bordering on Panic! levels of "artistic influence," but it's a beautiful piece nonetheless. And finally, we close out the album with a mandatory stripped-down acoustic number; the eponymous "On The Run" is a nakedly honest folk ballad, showcasing some of the strongest male vocals on the album. It's a brief affair, but ends on just the right note.

By the end of On The Run, you realize that 1997 are definitely not just aping Straylight Run. By meshing pop-punk, indie rock, piano rock, and folk rock together, they've come up with a sound that's both honest and refreshing. And unlike Panic!, the evolution feels fluid and natural. So don't judge this band solely by their past. They're not bound to it. Why should you be?

Reviewed by Dan Lifschitz