| When the World Comes Down | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 16, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:35 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Eric Valentine | |||
| The All-American Rejects chronology | ||||
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| Singles fromWhen the World Comes Down | ||||
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When the World Comes Down is the third studio album by Americanrock bandThe All-American Rejects, released on December 16, 2008, byInterscope Records.[1] Following on from touring and promoting for their previous albumMove Along (2005), the band began writing for their follow-up in late 2006 with producerEric Valentine. The album was recorded in 2008 at Barefoot Studios inLos Angeles,California.
The All-American Rejects began writing material for their third studio album in late December 2006 after wrapping up theirTournado tour, and continued through into the new year. But due to further touring and promotion for their second albumMove Along, the band did not enter the studio until nearly a year later. This was also the first time lyricists Nick Wheeler and Tyson Ritter tried new methods of writing by "escaping" to various regional areas in North America to conceive new lyrics so that the songs could sound "honest".
The All-American Rejects began recording forWhen the World Comes Down atSkywalker Ranch inSan Rafael, California[2] with assistant engineer Dann Thompson, and later at Barefoot Studios inLos Angeles, California, with producerEric Valentine. The sessions were overseen by studio manager Trevor Whatever; Matt Radosevich and Brad Cook served as assistant engineers. The band rented additional instruments from Hollywood Studio Rentals, and other equipment from Stephen Jarvis Rentals. Additional vocals were recorded at Avatar Events Group in Atlanta, Georgia by Kenny Cresswell, and at Wheeler's and Ritter's houses inFlorida.[3]
An orchestra was recorded at Warner Brothers Studios inBurbank, California on the Eastwood Scoring Stage. The recordings were mixed by Valentine at Barefoot, and the Village inSanta Monica, California.Bernie Grundman mastered the album at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, California.[3] Despite the album being initially planned for release in mid-September 2008, recording was not completed until September 18.[4]
In an interview withShe Knows Entertainment, Ritter commented "I thinkWhen the World Comes Down has been a journey. I was 23 when I started writing this record. I'm 24 now... people say when you graduate college you figure out who you are. If I had graduated college, this would be that moment – now. I think I was most questioning life when I was getting off the road withMove Along and this record was therapy for me. It's everything I needed it to be for me."[5]
The first songs to be written that made it onto the album were "I Wanna", "Back to Me", and "Breakin'". While "I Wanna" was written over six months, with Ritter making constant refinements, the following songs "Gives You Hell" and "Another Heart Calls" were all written during a road trip toVancouver, British Columbia,Canada, with "Fallin' Apart" and "Mona Lisa" getting scored inRabun County, Georgia, the latter of which was recorded live in one take. The album was later namedWhen the World Comes Down as Ritter saw the title track as "a perfect, simple work of art".
During production of the album, The All-American Rejects broadcast live to fans online to provide a direct insight into the "record-making" process. They later released the demo version of the track "Mona Lisa (When the World Come Down)" and "Sierra's Song" as free downloads, the latter of which never featured on the album and appears on the soundtrack to the American television show90210.
In April 2008, the band appeared at theBamboozle Left festival.[6] In June, the band performed on the 2008 edition ofWarped Tour.[7] On June 30, 2008, the band announced that their next album would be released in three months' time.[8] In August and September, the band embarked on a Canadian tour withSimple Plan andFaber Drive.[9] On September 18, the day that recording for the album was completed, the album's release was changed from mid-September to November 18.[4] On September 22, "Gives You Hell" was made available for streaming throughimeem.[10] It was released as the album's lead single on September 30. On October 11, it was announced that the album's release date had again been pushed back, this time to mid-December.[11] In October and November 2008, the band went on a US tour, which included an appearance onLate Night with Conan O'Brien.[12] A music video for "Gives You Hell" followed on November 6, 2008,[13] with an alternative version premiering in January 2009. "Mona Lisa" was released November 18, 2008 along with its music video as a promotional single prior to the album's release.When the World Comes Down was made available for streaming through Myspace on December 15, 2008, before being released a day later.[14] UponWhen the World Comes Down's release, ten percent of profits made from the album's sales were donated to the charityFeed the Children.
In April and May 2009, the band went on the I Wanna Rock tour in the US withAce Enders and A Million Different People.Shiny Toy Guns,Vedera andthe Upwelling each appeared on select dates.[15] "The Wind Blows" was released as the album's second single on April 21 and was swiftly followed by the release of its music video on April 27, an alternative version was published the following October. A music video was released for "I Wanna" on June 2, 2009.[16] Six days later, "I Wanna" was released as its third and final single.[17] Throughout the month, the band performed a few shows in Europe withSparks the Rescue.[18] A second music video was released for "I Wanna" on October 14, 2009.[19] For the rest of the month, the band went on a European tour withAmerican Steel.[20] "Real World" was later released as a second promotional single on July 8, 2009.[21] In November and December, the band co-headlined a US tour withTaking Back Sunday,[22] with support fromAnberlin.[23] In June and July 2010, the band performed onWarped Tour.[24]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 64/100[25] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [26] |
| Alternative Press | [27] |
| Consequence of Sound | F[28] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[29] |
| Los Angeles Times | [30] |
| musicOMH | [31] |
| PopMatters | [32] |
| Rolling Stone | [33] |
| Spin | (6/10)[34] |
| USA Today | [35] |
When the World Comes Down divided music critics. The album has a score of 64 out of 100 fromMetacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[25]The Boston Herald gave it a B− and stated, "there are tracks that showcase their amalgam of bubblegum-pop and hair metal, as well as their penchant for corn-fed power ballads. But the rest is a departure."[36]Melodic gave it a score of four stars out of five and said, "You could fool anyone with this being a Greatest Hits collection because the new songs are that good!"[37]The Boston Globe gave it a favorable review and said that the album "will only cement the band's top-of-the-heap status."[38] RedRecords gave it a score of 90% and said it "isn’t an amazing album based on how far and deep the band goes into perfecting their genre, it is an amazing album because it sounds great and diverse. There are no boring tracks (though there are some filler tracks, even they’re listenable) and there isn’t a dictating genre to keep everything in line. The lyrics are okay, nothing poor but nothing great, and the production is incredible."[39]Rock Sound gave it a score of seven out of ten and called it "A-class power-pop of the standard so many other bands reach for but can never attain."[40]
The New York Times gave it a positive review and called it "completely clear and even traditional pop music, but those over 16 will likely have no use for it."[25]Billboard gave it an average review and said that the album "doesn't evince much growth, proffering more of the same hooky pop/rock centered around adolescent love and heartache."[25] However,Blender gave it two-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "Anything involving a string section is disastrous, but a couple of choruses are suitable for both raucous fist-pumping and rampant pouting."[25]
Upon the week of its release,When the World Comes Down sold 112,000 copies and charted at #15 on the U.S.Billboard 200 and the top ten on theTop Alternative,Top Digital andTop Rock Albums charts respectively[41] and by January 7, 2009, sold 76,923 more copies.[42] As of June 2009, the album has sold 422,000 copies.[43] It was certified platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America, denoting 1,000,000 shipments.[44] "Gives You Hell" was met with critical and commercial success, reaching #4 on theBillboard Hot 100 and topping theAdult Top 40 andMainstream Top 40 charts in the United States. "I Wanna" charted at #15 on theAustralian Singles chart and reaching the top 30 on theBillboardMainstream Top 40 andAdult Top 40 charts in the U.S.
All songs written by the All-American Rejects.[3]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wanna" | 3:29 |
| 2. | "Fallin' Apart" | 3:27 |
| 3. | "Damn Girl" | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Gives You Hell" | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Mona Lisa (When the World Comes Down)" | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Breakin'" | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Another Heart Calls" (featuringThe Pierces) | 4:08 |
| 8. | "Real World" | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Back to Me" | 4:29 |
| 10. | "Believe" | 3:28 |
| 11. | "The Wind Blows" | 4:22 |
| 12. | "Sunshine" (hidden track) | 3:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Alone Again" ("The Wind Blows" demo) | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "I Wanna" (demo) | 3:18 |
| 14. | "Damn Girl" (demo) | 3:37 |
| 15. | "Fallin' Apart" (demo) | 3:34 |
| 16. | "Mona Lisa" (demo) | 2:44 |
| 17. | "Real World" (demo) | 3:55 |
| 18. | "On the Floor" (demo) | 2:53 |
| 19. | "Here I Sit" (demo - iTunes pre-order) | 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 20. | "The Wind Blows" (Steve Aoki "Hurricane" remix) | 4:21 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Here I Sit" (demo) | 3:59 |
| 19. | "The Wind Blows" (Steve Aoki "Hurricane" remix) | 4:22 |
| 20. | "Another Heart Calls" (featuring Hiroko ofMihimaru GT) | 4:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gives You Hell" (live atAcoustic Yahoo!) | |
| 2. | "Mona Lisa" (live atRhapsody Original) | |
| 3. | "I Wanna" (live atRhapsody Original) | |
| 4. | "It Ends Tonight" (acoustic) | |
| 5. | "Move Along" (live fromTournado) |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wanna" (demo) | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Damn Girl" (demo) | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Fallin' Apart" (demo) | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Mona Lisa" (demo) | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Real World" (demo) | 3:55 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Swing, Swing" (live) | 6:59 |
| 7. | "I'm Waiting" (live) | 5:38 |
| 8. | "Move Along" (live) | 4:49 |
Personnel per booklet.[3]
The All-American Rejects
Additional musicians
| Production
Design
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] | Gold | 7,500‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[61] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[44] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | December 16, 2008 | CD,digital download,LP | DGC,Interscope |
| United States | |||
| Australia | January 10, 2009 | CD, digital download | DGC, Interscope |
| New Zealand | |||
| Austria | February 5, 2009 | ||
| Germany | |||
| United Kingdom | February 9, 2009 | Polydor | |
| Europe | February 22, 2009 | DGC, Interscope | |
| Japan | April 1, 2009 | ||
| France | May 19, 2009 |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)