The Offramps miss the turnoff for sophomore slump

If you can survive your sophomore release it's reasonable to wager that you've got a strong band with a good sense of creating good songs. Enter Michigans' The Offramps. We'd written about The Offramps last year as a featured "Indie Noise" artist so we leapt at the opportunity to review their newest offering, "Split the Difference."  The  band's second release avoids the dreaded sophomore slump, dishing out tunes that remind us of The Replacements and at times even powerpop, alt-rockers Superdrag.

Straight from the album's opening track "Actual Events (Based On)" the band sets the tone for what is a solid rock album with pop leanings and fittingly heads right into "Everything on a Longshot." The Offramps have successfully melded the time-tested songwriting and arrangements with well-written lyrics, great harmonies, and catchy hooks. After the first two tracks of this release, we guarantee you'll be tapping your foot in time with this folky, poppy, punkish, rocking sophomore release.

The Offramps are refreshingly original. They offer a sound that is uniquely their own. There's the sound of a blue-collar, born-in-the-USA band mixed in with something of the Detroit rock sound and that oft-compared to sound of the Replacements.  This is the music you listen to in a smoky bar with a glass of Jack Daniels or a pint of some locally brewed beer. It's heartfelt and well-played. It's The Offramps.

"Split the Difference" offers more than a handful of stand-out tracks including a great cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Race Among the Ruins." Most notably, The Offramps shine on "Party of One," "Short of Suicide," "Where Do We Take it From Here," and "Take You Away."

If The Offramps continue to put out offerings like 2006's "Hate it When You're Right" and the newest "Split the Difference," we wouldn't be surprised if these guys are around for years to come.