McFly- Wonderland

Hey, y'all! It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

Release Date: August 29, 2005

Genre: Pop Rock, Alternative

Track Listing

1. I'll Be OK
2. I've Got You
3. Ultraviolet
4. The Ballad of Paul K
5. I Wanna Hold You
6. Too Close For Comfort
7. All About You
8. She Falls Asleep Part 1
9. She Falls Asleep Part 2
10. Don't Know Why
11. Nothing
12. Memory Lane

McFly is:
Tom Fletcher- lead vocals, guitar, keyboard, piano, ukulele
Danny Jones- lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, producer
Dougie Poynter- bass guitar, vocals, guitar
Harry Judd- drums, percussion

L-R: Danny, Dougie, Tom, Harry

About McFly: 
I've talked about McFly several times in past CDs On My Shelf posts, so most of this is copy/pasted from past posts...
They were formed in 2003, and have had the same lineup for a decade. They've released 5 studio albums: Room On The 3rd Floor (2004), Wonderland (2005), Motion In The Ocean (2006), Radio:ACTIVE (2008), and Above The Noise (2010). Their other albums are soundtracks, live, and compilations. Each of their CDs has a distinct sound. Room On The 3rd Floor, their debut album, actually broke a Beatles record in 2004. McFly became the youngest band whose debut CD debuted at #1 on the UK charts. A little obscure and seemingly unimportant, but it's a small victory. This album definitely has a Beach Boys vibe. 2006's Motion In The Ocean & 2008's Radio:ACTIVE are the most similar of their albums, and are my personal favorites (Radio:ACTIVE is my personal favorite album ever). These two definitely showcase the band's rock side. Above The Noise, their 2010 release, is more of an electropop album, and the weakest, in my opinion.

My Opinion about McFly:
(Once again, mostly copied from the last one) As I said on my last post, they're my absolute favorite band. Not many Americans know about them, but I love them. I actually first saw them when they were in Just My Luck. I forgot about them and then in 2007 (my Jo Bro obsession time) I was watching an interview with the JoBros where Nick said his favorite song was Transylvania by McFly. I watched the video and thought it was weird, and again, I forgot about them. (Transylvania is now among my all-time favorite McFly songs!). It wasn't until I discovered that the Jonas Brothers got their song, Year 3000, from the band Busted that I actually started listening to McFly. The Busted guys are close friends with McFly, which is how I really discovered McFly. And when I realized that they were the band in Just My Luck, everything really clicked. Anyway, long story long, it was a weird winding road to discovering them, but I really love them, and I love all of the members. Tom is my favorite, though. Yes, Tom of the wedding speech fame. I've told everyone for years that Tom is perfect, and now people understand. McFly is also the exception to the dumb blonde rule. Tom, the only natural blonde, is the brain, and Danny, the only one who's been brunette for 99% of the time he's been in the band, is the lovably dim-witted front-man. (OK, he's not really dumb, but it IS a running joke that he's the slow one... Because he thought an egg was a vegetable. Poor boy)

About the CD:  

Compared to the rest of McFly's CDs, Wonderland has a lot more of an orchestral sound, and actually includes an orchestral piece composed by Tom. Around the time this CD was being made, the band was in the movie Just My Luck, and much of the music from this CD is also in the movie.  

IMHO: 
Of McFly's 5 CDs, this one ranks at #4 for me. It's a great CD, but three of their CDs are just better. It seems like I've been saying this quite a bit lately, but this CD has some of the best McFly songs ever. However, it also has quite a few of my least favorite McFly songs.

As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 

I'll Be OK- 8.5/10. This was one of their singles from this CD, but I wasn't incredibly impressed.
I've Got You- 8.5/10. This was one of the biggest singles from Wonderland, and it was definitely VERY prominent in Just My Luck, but I really just don't think it's one of their best songs.
Ultraviolet- 9.5/10. I really like how the verses have a really unique sound and how they contrast with the choruses. It's definitely one of their more unique songs.
The Ballad of Paul K- 8/10. This is honestly one of my least favorite McFly songs... ever. Obviously, I don't dislike it, because it's 8/10, it's just not their best.
I Wanna Hold You- 9.5/10. I really enjoy the chorus of this song. To me, it's one of the most fun songs on the CD for sure.
Too Close For Comfort- 9.5/10. This is definitely a fan favorite, and there's a reason. It shows off Tom and Danny's ranges and is a little slower for them, and really impressive.
All About You- 10/10. This song is simple adorable. Tom wrote it to be a Valentine's gift for then-girlfriend (now wife!), Giovanna. But it ended up becoming a McFly song, and one of their best songs. I especially love the use of the orchestra in this.
She Falls Asleep Part 1&2- 10/10. This is one of my all-time favorite McFly songs. Tom Fletcher composed this orchestral piece when he was only 19 or 20 and it's absolutely beautiful. It has such a deep meaning and his voice shines. I wish I could write such a great piece of music!
Don't Know Why- 9/10. I really like the verses in this song. So cool!
Nothing- 8.5/10. I really like the harmonies on this song. It's really great.
Memory Lane- 8/10. It's not exactly the most interesting song on the CD.

Favorite Songs: She Falls Asleep, All About You, I Wanna Hold You, Ultraviolet, and Too Close For Comfort

Least Favorite Songs: The Ballad of Paul K and Memory Lane, definitely!

Video! 

All About You music video

She Falls Asleep live

Rating: 9/10. The average is spot on a 9, and I definitely think that's accurate. I love it because it's McFly, and because some of my favorite McFly songs are on this CD, but overall it's not their best CD.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Have any questions? What did you think of McFly? Let me know all of this in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Hope you enjoyed! Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!