In a Word, School is Nice

When first asked what I thought of Falls Church, VA band School (Matthew Teardrop, Hannah Burris-Cookie, J. Hollywood, and Brittany Ellis) at Clarendon United Methodist Church's May 26th Band Night in Arlington, VA, I responded monosyllabically: "Nice." The single-word description sounded lame at best, but it's hard to succinctly evaluate music that's so heartrending. I uttered the first thing that came to mind because "nice" is one of those vague words that encompasses so many different qualities. "Nice" expresses the band's pleasant melodies, fundamental goodness, and touching lyrics. What makes School so distinctive is what they DON'T do. School doesn't aim to complain, destroy your eardrums, or tick off your parents. Simply put, School aims to make great music---and they've succeeded.