Ranking AJR’s Projects Worst to Best
5. LIVING ROOM-2/10
As an avid AJR fan, I thought it would be hard to pick the worst one. then, I started comparing and found that they might actually have a bad album. Sadly, that would be Living Room. Many of the songs have way too much going on and tend to sound more screechy and annoying, rather than catchy like their later stuff would be. Even their breakout song "I'm Ready" gets old after a while. without that song, it would almost be a complete bust. Luckily, they would take their signature style of fun and simple melodies with unique instruments to create more thought-provoking music soon after.
4. OK ORCHESTRA-5.3/10
I'll admit that OK Orchestra is still growing on me. I've had the least amount of time with it, obviously, and I just wanted to say that for those who think Neotheater is better. Still, while it's a close race, there are a lot of heartwarming messages from the previous two albums that are missing on this record. Essentially, only "Christmas in June" and "3 O'Clock Things" really venture off into effective personal content. AJR here is more focused on creating hit radio and Tik Tok songs which is totally okay considering they're pretty damn catchy.
3. MAYBE MAN-6.3/10
AJR’s newest offering sees them back on track exploring more adult issues than ever before. We really get to see their growth as people here and it’s quite refreshing to hear their new ideals. They spend exploring feelings of grief and getting old, as one of their dads passed away before the project giving more heart to the project as a whole. We also get another installment of their turning out series that don’t seem to miss. Lastly, touchy feely fool has to be one their catchiest songs yet and brings Maybe Man up as a result.
2. NEOTHEATER-6.8/10
Neotheater got the attention it deserved after dropping the classic that is The Click but it didn't get the love it deserved probably due to the expectations. None of the songs really made it mainstream like the other albums did for some reason and it's a damn shame. This 12-track album is incredibly consistent and doesn't overdo it with the loud music that OK Orchestra provided, as Neotheater switches things up frequently to appeal to everyone. For example, they switch from fast, upbeat songs like "100 Bad Days" to super slow songs like "Don't Throw Out my Legos" on a dime multiple times and I'm all for it given their quality. Keeping it out of the top spot isn't something in its control.
THE CLICK-10/10
I would do a lot of things to go back to the time where The Click dropped. The vibes were immaculate. Once again it's one of those few albums that I would say is perfect from top to bottom, even with the deluxe (the only of theirs). This is the type of album to put you in tears due to the nostalgia it brings. AJR here is just three dudes sharing what life is like growing up and how hard it is from elementary school to post-college times. It's some of the most relatable music you're going to hear and they do it with infectious choruses and deeply thought-about lyrics that reminisce on the good ol' days.
