Review: Saves the Day – Under The Boards

Drew Beringer Oct 29, 2007

Are albums this good supposed to be this depressing?

Saves The Day’s sixth album, Under The Boards (which is the second album of the band’s planned trilogy), dives into brain trust’s Chris Conley’s mind, which we find is a very dark place. While the first installment of the trilogy, 2006’s Sound The Alarm, was all fire and brimstone, Boards focuses on picking up the pieces.

With the help of Marc Hudson and Eric Stenman, the band produced this thirteen-track trek through despair, and the title track, which opens the album, immediately lets you know what kind of journey you are in for. Paced by a simple guitar riff that crawls underneath your skin, Conley’s vocals are on point, as he painfully begins to pour out his innermost feelings. The track then segues right away into “Radio,” an upbeat song with an undeniable catchy chorus. “Can’t Stay The Same” slightly reminds me of “Anywhere With You,” with how the verses lead into the chorus, while “Get Fucked Up,” a mid-paced track about attempting to get over someone, is beautifully depressing.

AbsolutePunk Oct 27, 2007

It seems that Gabe Saporta has experienced an epiphany of sorts. To the chagrin of some (and the delight of others), he has emphatically declared that Cobra Starship wasn’t a one-album breather from Midtown by following up with a new album approximately fifty-four weeks after the debut. Viva La Cobra! proves that Saporta has refined his dance-rock chops with a little Latin flair, straying quite far at times from the handclap-styled rock of the band’s debut, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets.

Drew Beringer Oct 23, 2007

And the record begins with a song spoken by Satan.

Okay, so that’s not as catchy as the line that began 2004’s superb …Is A Real Boy, but Max Bemis ups the ante with the 27 song, double disc major label debut In Defense of the Genre, an album that blends chaos, attitude, insecurity, and about two hundred guest vocalists into an epic portrayal of and journey through Bemis’ thoughts. In what may be the most anticipated album of 2007, Bemis did not copy what made …Is A Real Boy so good. Instead, he channeled even more quirkiness and brutal honesty into his writing that exudes a sense of confidence not heard on previous Say Anything records.

Blake Solomon Oct 16, 2007

As a race, we like consistency. There’s a long-winded, wordy premise called “Balance Theory” that describes this. Basically, the theory says most humans would rather have everything stay the same than constantly change. Per usual, there are exceptions to the rule; we call them thrill seekers or daredevils. But these people are few and far between, and despite what you tell yourself as you put your gauges in every morning, you are not one of these people. Music fans, especially, like consistency. Crime In Stereo, in perhaps the most “punk” move of the year, have essentially created an album full of “F**k You’s” aimed at those looking for the same ol’ same ol’. Some people are going to be mad, some are going to rejoice, and others will (incorrectly) hail Is Dead as a revolution. In all likelihood, though, Is Dead will be a testament to those with open minds.

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Review: Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II

AbsolutePunk Oct 15, 2007

Fire and water are two elements necessary for life; one provides sustenance to support all living creatures while the other provides the energy responsible for the very reactions that make life possible. Yet, despite their shared importance, both substances remain polar opposites and mortal enemies. When combined, water quenches fire and fire causes water to evaporate if given the right circumstances. The fact that these two substances remain completely different yet both extremely important in their own right make them a perfect descriptive inspiration for the first half Thrice’s highly ambitious, four EP undertaking The Alchemy Index.

AbsolutePunk Oct 12, 2007

It’s a tough world out there for pop bands. In order to make the best of their lot, and appeal to the masses, they usually have to be billed as “guilty pleasures” or are forced to parade around under some genre hybridization for the sole sake of avoiding the dirty p-word. Yet somehow, through it all, Jimmy Eat World has managed to navigate through all of this fog and mudslinging to the point where they have transcended traditional criticisms. Perhaps it is because they are one of the few multi-platinum groups to still do club tours, or maybe just because they have so consistently upheld their own high standard for the past decade and a half. Either way, the band has attained a position of prominence in modern music and it is from this perch that they release their sixth studio album, Chase This Light.

AbsolutePunk Oct 4, 2007

Calling all Dashboard diehards – we know who we are. Together we throw our voices to the sweaty mist that rises above our mass of bodies. Like one huge open wound orgy, this Dashboard lovefest knows every lyric down to the last syllable. There is a short and tattooed man on stage with an acoustic guitar, and he stands a smidgen past five foot. His holy choir feeds off the heart he wears on his sleeve. The room sings as one, and our chords are hoarse by the third song.

Blake Solomon Oct 4, 2007

Career Suicide my ass. A Wilhelm Scream will still be sitting atop a throne of insanely fast riffs, in-your-face lyrics and basslines that actually matter. If you recently found yourself listening to Ruiner and thinking, “There’s no way they can do better than this,” well, shows how much you know. Slap yourself for lack of faith. I’ll wait… But seriously (I do serious?), Career Suicide finds A Wilhelm Scream trying their capable hands at some longer, but still pretty punk tracks. Calm down, everything works just fine. In fact, the album flows so well that I challenge you to only play it in bits and pieces. I challenge you to listen to opener, “I Wipe My Ass With Showbiz,” and not get excited all over again about one of the most solid bands making music today.

Blake Solomon Oct 1, 2007

You don’t want to read about my history with Emery just like I don’t want to read about how they changed your life way back when (soon after, you bought a sick t-shirt, I’m sure). Let’s just stick to the present, then. The merit and quality of I’m Only A Man has been hotly debated around these parts. With each new song posted more people dug a line in the sand and seemed to say, “I’m biased enough to not care,” or “Can’t wait for that new Spoken disc to drop!” We’re all familiar with Emery’s formula by now – I use that word because of how predictable the songwriting can be – the melodies dominate beginnings of songs while some unintelligible shrieking finishes out the tracks with moderately discordant riffs. Expect no different here. All we are left with is the illusion of intensity, repetitions of semi-heaviness. Why people (myself included) can look over such glaring flaws is hard to explain (I mean, catchiness can only take a person so far). On second thought, maybe we should be reminiscing.

Review: Saves the Day – Under The Boards

Review: Cobra Starship – Viva La Cobra!

Review: Say Anything – In Defense Of The Genre

Review: Crime in Stereo – Is Dead

Review: Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II

Review: Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light

Review: Dashboard Confessional – The Shade of Poison Trees

Review: A Wilhelm Scream – Career Suicide

Review: Emery – I’m Only A Man