ARTWORK / LAYOUT / PACKAGING:
At first glance, the album cover artwork is very similar to NON’s debut release, “Waiting for Tomorrow”, that also features an enhanced image of the band performing live from an obscure angle, with the band’s name and album title in the same font. The only difference is that “From Buckeye To Beardsley” went with an array of blue colors instead of purple. The cover catches your eye, and I get that the band was trying to create a similar cover. And why not? “Waiting for Tomorrow” was the bands most successful album to date, selling 12,000 copies before going out of print earlier this year. The band chose to release the album in a digipack format, which is better for the environment than a jewel case and keeps them from losing half of a point. The layout was done very well, with all of the information that I like to see, and I was very happy that the band included the lyrics along with personal thank you lists.
(10 Points out of 10 Points)

RECORDING / MIXING / PRODUCTION:
“From Buckeye To Beardsley” features twenty tracks, and they were recorded at various studios at diferent times throughout the bands career. The majority of the songs were recorded at Arcane Digital Recording in Chandler, Arizona by Ryan Butler. Butler did an amazing job recording and mixing the songs, although I did notice a few small things like the backup vocals being slightly too loud in the mix on the song, “My Girlfriend Bit My Dick Off”, and a few areas during “The Last Song” where the lead vocals ned to be nudged up just a hair in my opinion. Five of the tracks were recorded live at The Clubhouse in Tempe, Arizona by Matt Lawrence. It is always difficult to get a strong mix when recording live, but Lawrence nailed al of the live tracks, and you are able to hear all of the instruments very well, and the vocals aren’t overpowering, but still loud enough in the front of the mix to draw focus. The song “Broken” was recorded at AAA Audio in Phoenix by recording engineer J-Sin Daily and NON’s bassist, Chase Stain. The song is a decent recording, although Butler’s mixes were far more superior. The song, “Waiting for Tomorrow” was recorded by Ryan Butler and Chase Stain at Arcane Digital Recording, as well as The Weasel Hut in Phoenix (which I assume is a home studio). The sound quality is still good, although slightly muddy sounding in a few spots. Chase Stain also mastered the album at The Weasel Hut, and although the volume levels between a few songs are slightly off, it’s something I can forgive because it is nearly impossible to have all of the songs sound perfectly in unison when they were all recorded at various studios and at different times. Stain managed to get things close, and the overall album has a superior sound quality.
(9.2 Points out of 10 Points)

STYLE:
I usually award points for the bands style and sound based on how original they sound. A band that is basically trying to sound just like Greenday is not going to do well, but when a band has something unique that stands out, they are going to end up getting the maximum points. Numbers On Napkins is a punk rock band, and they don’t pretend to be anything but that. Although while I listened to this album, I realized that the band actually is much more than just a punk band. NON has songs that are pop punk, skate punk, hardcore punk, bubble gum punk, Irish punk, as well as genres that seem to fit in the punk rock scene like anti-folk, emo, post hardcore, alternative, and indie rock. NON sounds like several different bands, and they change up the lead vocals between band members to help make every song sound like it’s a different band. It’s actually very unique, and I had to grant the band full points for successfully executing such a diverse sound with every song on the album.
(10 Points out of 10 Points)

SONGWRITING:
NON follows the same formula that most bands follow, and has proven to produce hit after hit, time and time again for the majority of the songs on the album. The familiar Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus arrangement works with all songs, no matter what genre. Whether it’s punk rock, metal, country, hip hop, or rock n’ roll, the structure always works. With that being said, NON is smart enough to change it up at times too, but they do keep things fairly basic. They don’t play anything too complex, which isn’t a bad thing, and the most complex song the band included on the album is probably “Damaged Goods”, which features a few guitar fills and drum rolls. It all comes together in the end, with a wide variety of musical styles in an assortment of genres, and NON did an excellent job with the songwriting for this album.
(9.7 Points out of 10 Points)

LYRICS:
NON has a reputation for being wild, fun and goofy, and their live shows are always full of booze and are like a crazy party. The band has some hilarious songs, but when you stop to actually read the lyrics to their comedic tunes, you suddenly realize that the lines are actually quite witty and clever. The band has a wide variety of subject matter on “From Buckeye To Beardsley”, and I get the distinct impression that the lyrics are coming from a realistic perspective. I think the band writes about their personal experiences.......in most cases. I doubt “My Girlfriend Bit My Dick Off” is from real experiences, or at least hope......and considering the very dark lyrically written “A Modern Day Andrei Chikatilo” is about molesting and murdering children, I sincerely hope that those lyrics aren’t personal to the band as well! To me, the lyrics really stood out with the love songs the most, but all of the lyrics are honestly just spectacularly mind blowing.
(10 Points out of 10 Points)

DRUMS / PERCUSSION:
NON’s drummer, Tad Gurthman, is probably the most talented musician in the band. His drumming has a style that is so distinct, and every track is extremely tight. It’s plain to see that the bands rhythm section is well in sync, a thing that just comes with playing together with the same person for a decade and a half.(10 Points out of 10 Points)

BASS: In addition to the tight and solid drums, the bands bassist, Chase Stain, is also solid, and also has a unique style. The bass lines aren’t complex, there isn’t a bunch of slapping, and nothing about the bass lines are super amazing, although they just fit so well with each song.
(9.9 Points out of 10 Points)

GUITARS: The guitars are very different throughout the album, ranging in the tone changes, to the whole style of playing. This is probably because some songs feature Moe Money, some Matt Martini, some Chase Stain, and some a combination of the three. It helps to keep things fresh sounding, and also helps with the diverse sound that the band has been able to accomplish.
(10 Points out of 10 Points)

VOCALS: Numbers On Napkins chooses to mix things up on the album by having Chase Stain and Moe Money both take turns as lead vocalist for different tracks. Stain sings the vast majority of the songs, but he somehow has the ability to change his voice in a way that makes him sound different on many tracks. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s still different, and that’s a good thing. Both frontmen are strong singers, although I did cringe two or three times when I heard Stain go slightly off key during a couple songs.
(9 Points out of 10 Points)

OTHER INSTRUMENTS:
The only other instruments on the album are piano, keyboards, and synthesizer. Drummer Tad Gurthman plays the keys on the song, “Mario Gurth Dub”, a short but sweet kind of intermission in the middle of the album that is a take of the Super Mario Brothers theme. Chase Stain plays piano, keys, and synthesizer on the other two tracks, “Broken” and “The Last Song”. He manages to enhance both songs with the use of keys, and they would have both fallen short without them. Especially “The Last Song”, where he incorporates a synth effect that mimics the Imperial Droid Drones sound from “The Empire Strikes Back” with a phasing keyboard effect that helps draw your attention away from the fact that the song is actually just the same two chords in a repetitive state.
(10 Points out of 10 Points)

OVERALL: ”From Buckeye To Beardsley” is a remarkable album, with a wide range of musical styles and an ever changing sound. The songs on the album feature inspiring lyrics that are honest and help paint vivid pictures that make you laugh out loud during one track, and tear up with a lump in your throat on the next. The album has a variety of subject matters, and it gives the listener a taste of NON’s live performances, as well as their studio work. The album really shows that NON has so much potential behind them, and that they are really more than just a band that loves to party.

TOTAL RATING: 9.8