Driven Far Off

The latest on the indie, alternative, and rock music scene including news, music, contest, interviews, and more. Best described as your favorite place to find new bands.

New Found Glory – Coming Home

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Coming Home

Artist: New Found Glory
Album: Coming Home
Label: Geffen Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: September 19, 2006

Overall: 9.3
Music: 9.5
Lyrics: 9.2
Production: 9.3

As part of the old Drive-Thru roster, New Found Glory were kings among their peers. Hell, even traditional punk bands enjoyed their company as opposed to other acts of the same nature. It all seems like so long ago. Times have changed and somehow, New Found Glory, despite all their previous success, still haven’t seemed to catch on to the younger generation.With their constantly maturing sound, chances of that happening are slimming, but if we can keep getting records as good as this one, I don’t care. People still tend to write them off, though. New Found Glory are ready to prove they’re beyond “just a pop-punk” band on their newest full length, “Coming Home.”

The first and most notable change is vocalist Jordan Pundik’s vocals. Long have complaints about his voice being too nasally come from critics and fans alike, but no more. Jordan’s new style has him singing in a lower octave and taking full advantage of his new found range. To help him along, the band are playing in lower keys and it’s only helping the songs more and more.

The album plays through like a nostalgia trip while still managing to sound fresh at the same time. The mid-tempo “Oxygen” opens it all, already signaling a change in the music itself, but when “Hold My Hand” starts, shades of New Found Glory’s traditional pop-punk shine through. First single “It’s Not Your Fault” helps showcase the new maturity in the band’s songwriting abilities and even tugs at the heartstrings. Title track “Coming Home” is definitely classic New Found Glory with it’s bounce-along verses and huge chorus. The rest of the disc keeps combining everything there was to love about the band before and all of the new elements that help raise them above the crowd.

“Coming Home” is an album that I can see people over thirty listening to with no problem. It has enough to offer younger and older generations and still be able to please them. Usually, New Found Glory albums are perfect summer soundtracks, but I’m really enjoying spinning this one with the fall weather that’s rolled in. For some reason, I think this album is going to be underappreciated, so I urge everyone to take a listen and then spread the word about how awesome this record is.

Track Listing
1. Oxygen
2. Hold My Hand
3. It’s Not Your Fault
4. On My Mind
5. Coming Home
6. Make Your Move
7. Taken Back By You
8. Too Good To Be
9. Love and Pain
10. Familiar Landscapes
11. When I Die
12. Connected
13. Boulders

River City High – Not Enough Saturday Nights

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River City High

Artist: River City High
Album: Not Enough Saturday Nights
Label: Takeover Records
Purchase: Download Punk
Release Date: November 14, 2006

Overall: 7.8
Music: 8.0
Lyrics: 7.0
Production: 8.7

River City High has been a band going at it for years but has never really been mainstream or hugely popular, which is funny because they have plenty of single worthy songs on the records they put out. If you have not heard of River City High then I urge you to go check out the newest release, or anything you can get a hold of.

I guess the thing with the new record “Not Enough Saturday Nights” is that it is just more material from the band not different material. That isn’t a bad thing, but the record just doesn’t really offer anything new. The songs while all slightly different, flow nicely and keep the record moving. Rarely becoming dull.

The vocals and the summer melodies are the best part of River City High by far. The scratchy vocals are very reminiscent of Rancid’s “â┚¬Ã‚¦And Out Come The Wolves” and man do I love the way the vocals sound. The melodies on most of the songs are ones that beg to be played on a summer blowing through. River City High keep the hooks coming all through out “Not Enough Saturday Night’s”. Like I said earlier if you have not heard of the band before please go check them out. The band plays some good catchy rock n roll. If you have heard of the band before and are a fan, then you should still be fan because there isn’t anything here that they probably haven’t done already.

Track Listing
1. Dogwood Queen
2. Bastard
3. Amy
4. Pass That Riff
5. Understand
6. We Want the Radio
7. Run Run Run
8. A Better Day
9. The Hard Way
10. Be There
11. This Times the Last
12. Makes No Difference

The band is streaming about 7 songs on their Purevolume Site

Purevolume

The Blood Brothers – Young Machetes

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Blood Brothers

Artist: The Blood Brothers
Album: Young Machetes
Label: V2 Records
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: October 10, 2006

Overall: 10
Music: 10
Lyrics: 10
Production: 9.5

When I was first introduced to The Blood Brothers, I detested the band with a passion never seen before. It was a bunch of noise and high pitch screaming, which strongly resembled a seven year old girl getting murdered. Years passed and whenever â┚¬Ã…”The Blood Brothersâ┚¬? was mentioned, I would just shun the name away, as if they were the smelly kid in your class that no one wanted to acknowledge existed. Their newest released â┚¬Ã…”Young Machetesâ┚¬? was gaining a lot of hype and I began getting tempted. I was clearly aware of my opinion about the band beforehand, but I still felt drawn to give them a second chance. I listen to a couple new songs of the record and the world was inverted and I was hanging by my ankles. I was instantly hooked to The Blood Brothers, like they were a piece of art that was drawn by an ape and I was the environmentalist that saw the real beauty of the masterpiece.

One thing that must be understood about The Blood Brothers is that they are one of those bands that people either love them with great devotion or hate them with a strong passion. The Blood Brothers do not sound like anything ever heard before in this music industry. They have catchy beats, high pitch singing, destructive screaming, melodic keyboards, and a hundred other instruments that they incorporate in their unique sound. Each instrument has their own purpose and distinction in each song, but what stands out about this band is the vocals. You can strip the music away and only leave the vocals and still have a great song with enough catchiness to drive your foot to some heavy tapping.

â┚¬Ã…”Young Machetesâ┚¬? starts off with the lines â┚¬Ã…”Fire, Fire, Fireâ┚¬? being yelled without any musical background, then itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s quickly interrupted with a repetitive guitar riff. â┚¬Ã…”Set Fire to the Face on Fireâ┚¬? is a great song to start the record off. It incorporates everything The Blood Brothers have to offer and prepares the listener for a record filled with twists and turns.

The next song to follow on the record is by far one of the best on the record, entitled â┚¬Ã…”We Ride Skeletal Lightningâ┚¬?. This song has an eerie feel to it, yet at the same time, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s catchy and will leave you singing along. The song slows down, it speeds up, and it will leave you feeling like you are on a rollercoaster with a final drop that aims straight into the ground.

â┚¬Ã…”Laser Lifeâ┚¬? starts off with a catchy, early 90â┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s keyboard beat. There is a repetition of the line â┚¬Ã…”Oh, Team Machineâ┚¬? seen throughout the song. The chorus is extremely catchy and will stick in your head for the rest of the song. Near the end of the song, everything speeds up like you are tripping on some drug and everything is passing by is a blur and you just stand there, watching everything and taking it all in.

â┚¬Ã…”Camouflage, Camouflageâ┚¬? starts of by a series of questions and answers regarding a female named â┚¬Ã…”Aliceâ┚¬?, in which the questions are screamed and the answers are sung but in a quick manner. The beginning of the song is rather upbeat and fast paced, but once the song hits 2 minutes and 4 seconds, the song slows down and itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s the first intermission from The Blood Brothersâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ face paced masterpiece. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s slow, relaxing, and shows the listener that with The Blood Brothers, there are no limitations.

I could easily break down the rest of the songs and attempt to write a summary that will give you a feel of this record. I could easily put words together in the best form I can and manipulate your sense to think that you know how this record sounds. But I wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t. I wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t because this is one of those record that the essence of the record is indescribable. The only way for you to experience â┚¬Ã…”Young Machetesâ┚¬? is to listen to it for yourself and listen to each beat, each guitar string strung, each keyboard pressed, each vocal vibration.

The Blood Brothersâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ â┚¬Ã…”Young Machetesâ┚¬? will quickly surpass any expectation youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve had and it will even quicker, shatter whatever opinion you had of this band. The record is a masterpiece and after listening to it several times, you will find yourself noticing things that you havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t before. The lyrics of this record are another story. They are extremely different than anything youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve read before, and they will leave you thinking for hours on what the hell they mean. The band members of The Blood Brothers have repetitively stated that the lyrics are up for the listener to interrupt, so start interrupting and start inferring your own meanings because there are no limitations on the context.

Buy this record and pop it into your CD player and pray to (insert religious figure here) that it doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t destroy your neatly, expensive CD player. â┚¬Ã…”Young Machetesâ┚¬? is something new and will leave you in a state of mind that is similar to the first time you broke the law or did something illegal. You feel like someone new, you feel different. You realize what youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve done and you probably shouldnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t like it but you do. You love it and you canâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t get enough of it and you want more it in the quickest amount of time. Your addicted and the addiction is eating you away but it feels so damn good.

The Blood Brothers is the killer in the horror movie that you hate so much, but then you start realizing that you he isnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t so bad after all. The Blood Brothers is the ape and you are the environmentalist. They are the mentally disabled child and you are the only one that understands them and cares about them. The Blood Brothers is the band that will revolutionize music and you are the paranoid, yet intrigue listener that has been targeted by the revolution.

Track Listing:
1. Set Fire To The Face On Fire
2. We Ride Skeletal Lightning
3. Laser Life
4. Camouflage, Camouflage
5. You’re The Dream Unicorn!
6. Vital Beach
7. Spit Shine Your Black Clouds
8. 1, 2, 3, 4, Guitars
9. Lift The Veil, Kiss The Tank
10. Nausea Shreds Yr Head
11. Rat Rider
12. Johnny Ripper
13. Huge Gold AK-47
14. Street Wars/Exotic Foxholes
15. Giant Swan

Plain White T’s – Every Second Counts

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Plain White T's - Every Second Counts

Artist: The Plain White T’s
Album: Every Second Counts
Label: Fearless
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: September 12, 2006

Overall: 8.5
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 5.5
Production: 9.5

Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve been a fan of the Plain White Tâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s since their release of Stop in 2002. I was drawn to their upbeat songs and catchy melodies (Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve always thought of them as a less standard-pop-punk version of Punchline). I must say, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m wholly impressed by the Plain White Tâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s latest release, Every Second Counts. The guys display amazing depth of sound. The album opens with a standard pop-punk power chords, but quickly ventures into new territory. While I find the lyrics on Every Second Counts to be generally trite (notably so on the single â┚¬Ã…”Hate [I Really Donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t like You]â┚¬?), Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m still pleased with the great production in every other regard. This is an album that you can play through a whole time without getting bored of the same sound. Further, I can already tell by the diversity of songs and styles that this album will be in my rotation for a long time to come. Take a listen; even if you come out with just a song or two that you find enjoyable, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m convinced that there is something for everyone (or at least all DFO readers) on this disc.

On this fall’s Nintendo Fusion Tour, the T’s are on the road to blowing up with this release.

Tracklisting:
1. Our Time Now
2. Come Back To Me
3. Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)
4. You And Me
5. Friends Don’t Let Friends Dial Drunk
6. Making A Memory
7. So Damn Clever
8. Tearin’ Us Apart
9. Write You A Song
10. Gimme A Chance
11. Figure It Out
12. Let Me Take You There

Dead Poetic – Vices

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Dead Poetic Vices

Artist: Dead Poetic
Album: Vices
Label: Tooth and Nail Records
Purchase: Interpunk
Release Date: October 31st, 2006

Overall: 9.5
Music: 8.9
Lyrics: 9.9
Production: 10.0

Dead Poetic is a band that has evolved from this screaming, underground band into a band that seems to have found their style in which they [appear to be] are very comfortable. Straight up rock would be the best category to place this release into, and it may just be me but that category has seemed to be lacking this year and thus this record hits a sweet spot of musical goodness.

Musically, Vices is full of energy and aggression. The opening song â┚¬Ã…”Cannibal vs. cunningâ┚¬? starts with quick drums then right into the crunchy guitars that create a wall of sound. â┚¬Ã…”Self-destruct and dieâ┚¬? starts slower but before you know it, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s up to speed with the others. â┚¬Ã…”Paralyticâ┚¬? starts with a cool spacey feeling, and mellow vocals that then become distorted. The song has slow verses but then breaks into these big choruses. The song hits hard about 2:40 into the song and doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t let up till the end, definitely ranking high on my favorites on this record.

The word vice comes from the Latin word vitium, meaning “failing or defect”. I got that from Wikipedia, and as soon as I read that, I knew why the newest Dead Poetic record is called Vices. Lyrically, this record is all about our defects and having to deal with the things that every person struggles with. The record is a seemingly dark one, with song titles like â┚¬Ã…”Self-destruct and dieâ┚¬? and â┚¬Ã…”Crashing downâ┚¬? and the lyrics â┚¬Ã…”The fire burns like cancer, the scarring lasts foreverâ┚¬Ã‚¦Ãƒ¢Ã¢”š¬?. Although the CD may feel dark at times, I see this record as more of one that is full of hope. The songs, while dealing with deep issues, still have a positive outlook that shines through. This album takes all the things in life that no one likes to talk about and faces the issues head on, which can best be summed up with the lyrics from the song vices â┚¬Ã…”Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve got vices like any other manâ┚¬Ã‚¦Vices that will make you think less of meâ┚¬?.

This is a different, yet not foreign, Dead Poetic than we have seen before, but I think they shine like we havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t seen them do so before. And while I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t think this new style will alienate any previous dead poetic fans, I think they will be gaining more after Vices hits stores on Halloween.

Track listing
1 Cannibal Vs. Cunning
2 Lioness
3 Self-Destruct And Die
4 Narcotic
5 In Coma
6 Long Forgotten
7 Pretty Pretty
8 Sinless City
9 The Victim
10 Paralytic
11 Animals
12 Crashing Down
13 Copy Of A Copy
14 Vice

Kaddisfly – The Four Seasons EP

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Kaddisfly The Four Seasons EP

Artist: Kaddisfly
Album: The Four Seasons EP
Label: Hopeless Records
Purchase: Download Punk
Release Date: October 24th, 2006

Overall: 7.9
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 6.9
Production: 7.9

All to often we discriminate based on the bandâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s name even though that really doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t have much, if anything to do with the music itself. Seemingly stupid I know but it happens. Kaddisfly fell into that category for me, a band that Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢d heard in passing but never had enough interest based on their name to check out. Though Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m sorry I hadnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t checked them out sooner.

Kaddisfly is a band that reminded me right of the bat of a more pop, more mainstream friendly version of Brazil (fearless records). Thatâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s not to say one band is better or worse, merely comparing the similarities. Intricate guitar parts, soaring vocals and typically quick spoken (sung) lyrics make up the EP â┚¬Ã…”The Four Seasonsâ┚¬?. These songs are tremendously catchy, and pull you in very quickly. For example the song â┚¬Ã…”Campfireâ┚¬? starts with the lyrics â┚¬Ã…”welcome to your life, you better watch your stepsâ┚¬Ã‚¦Ãƒ¢Ã¢”š¬? and even after those few words itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s hooked you.

This EP is a preview of what to expect from Kaddisflyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s upcoming album in which every song will be representing a different month (12 songs), and the songs will be grouped in threes, with each group representing a different season (4 seasons). Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a really cool concept although I just donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know how well it will turn out. Each of the songs on the EP was from a different â┚¬Ã…”seasonâ┚¬?, but I couldnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t tell and thus leads me to think that the concept part of the record will be lost on people, however it doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t take away from the music.

Track listing
1. Games (Unreleased B-Side)
2. Campfire
3. Empire
4. Silk Road
5. Mercury

Between The Trees – The Story And The Song

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Between The Trees - The Story And The Song

Artist: Between The Trees
Album: The Story & The Song
Label: Bonded Records
Purchase: Amazon.com or Itunes
Release Date: October 31, 2006

Overall: 9.4
Music: 9.3
Lyrics: 9.5
Production: 9.0

First and foremost, I will take any opportunity to plug organizations that are making an impact and this is no exception. To Write Love On Her Arms is one that is waging a war against depression and cutting through the antitode of love. The story and history of it can be read on their page. How that relates to this review is that Between The Trees is one of the first of many bands who now support TWLOHA. (The list includes Thrice, Copeland, Switchfoot, Paramore, Anberlin, Underoath, Brightwood & more each day.) Hearing that BTT had written two songs on their record for TWLOHA, I wanted to hear them and checked out their myspace. Finding out they had won their way into a set at the Bamboozle Left Festival I was attending, I requested the record and caught their set.

Between The Trees has crafted one of the most mature & fulfilling albums released this year. Anyone who knows me can vouch that I am absolutely obsessed with this band after only a few weeks. With a mean age of 19, I can hardly believe that someone my age is involved in a band like this, let alone the entire band. The flavor they have tastes a bit like The Fray, Melee & Sherwood swirled together, mix in a vocalist that easily can keep up with all three of those bands, and you have something really special.

Of the 11 songs, I don’t hear a single weak track. There’s no difference in quality of song-writing or musicianship from the start to the finish. Also, there are no filler tracks. I mentioned earlier a song written for To Write Love On Her Arms, which is track three. Lyrically, I can’t even conceive how it could’ve been written with more passion or honesty. ‘The Greatest Of These’ is beautiful lyrically and shows the collective talents of the band as musicians. ‘Darlin’ captures the beauty of beginning a relationship, ‘She Is’ is a tribute that I wish I would have written to my well-deserving mother. ‘You Cry A Tear To Start A River’ is a little different from the rest of the record and reminds me a lot of The Format.
Now, no record is perfect, and as close as this one comes, everyone makes mistakes. First of these would be the use of programming and synth. On a couple of the tracks it’s just not consistent enough. While it’s not noticeable unless you focus on it, I’m struggling to find something other than praise to say for this CD. Second, would have to be that White Lines & Red Lights should have been the first track on this record. While The Forward is an amazing song, the beginning to White Lines is a perfect introduction to this CD as a whole.
I don’t even feel like I need to sell it to you. This band is adept at creating music that will satisfy many different types of listeners, and it should only be a short time before they jump to a major label. If you’re a major, and you want the next breakthrough band, look no further. Between The Trees is not just another band adding to the noise, they are equipped to take over, and by this time next year I believe they will have done it. The Story & The Song is just the beginning.

Track Listing:
1. The Forward
2. White Lines & Red Lights
3. The Way She Feels
4. Words
5. The Greatest of These (A Little Love)
6. Darlin’
7. A Time for Yohe
8. She is…
9. Fairweather
10. The Fort
11. You Cry A Tear to Start Another River

Turn Off The Stars – Turn Off the Stars

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Turn Off The Stars Self Titled

Artist: Turn Off The Stars
Album: Turn Off The Stars
Label: Credential Recordings
Purchase: Tower Records
Release Date: August 15, 2006

Overall: 9.0
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 9.5
Production: 9.0

With the accessibility that even your parents could get into enjoy. Combined with the ability to add depth and passion to every track, â┚¬Ã‹Å“Turn Off the Starsâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ has what it takes to compete in the flooded alt rock genre.

The vocals are probably what stand out the most on this record. The singer has a voice which is so familiar yet has a distinction all of its own. Songs like â┚¬Ã…”If Onlyâ┚¬? and â┚¬Ã…”Pleaseâ┚¬? show off the range he is capable of and itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s impressive.

The best way to describe the music on the self titled CD would be passionate, which fits the vocal style perfectly. The music is very dynamic, usually soft and low key in the verses while strong and intense in the choruses.

While not many, there are a few tracks on the album that do drag a bit. This band and the record have a possibility of coming across a little bit bland. This is a disc that has taken me, as it will probably take a lot people several listens before they fully enjoy all this record has to offer. If youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re tired of the same music in your collection hereâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a band that deserves some of your time, go check the new record â┚¬Ã…”Turn Off The Starsâ┚¬?

Tracklisting

1. I wasnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t ready
2. Please
3. Falling Into You
4. Hours & Days
5. 30 Days
6. Getaway
7. Nowhere Skies
8. Lately
9. Usual to me
10. If Only
11. Brightside

Senses Fail – Still Searching

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Still Searching

Artist: Senses Fail
Album: Still Searching
Label: Vagrant
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: October 10, 2006

Overall: 9.0
Music: 9.5
Lyrics: 8.0
Production: 9.0

After releasing their first full length and having it suffer from being leaked online several months in advance, Senses Fail were labeled boring and unoriginal by many critics and people behind their keyboards. What a lot of these people failed to realize is that had that album came out when it was originally intended, it would’ve preceded the thousands of albums cloning them and the few other bands that were actually fronting the new wave of “screamo.” Senses Fail just got screwed in a moment which they could’ve owned, but they didn’t let that stop them. “Let It Enfold You,” despite the harsh criticisms was still a moderate success. The band are aiming for a bullseye this time around with their second LP for Vagrant, “Still Searching.”

The most obvious change for the band comes with the departure of long time guitarist Dave Miller and the new addition of Midtown’s Heath Saraceno. The guitars have always been one of the strongest parts of the band and Heath adds a whole new level of proficiency as he and Garret Zablocki have become a team worthy of the “dynamic duo” mantle.

Buddy Nielsen’s vocals have always been the subject of hate, which I can sometimes understand. For the most part, I always thought Buddy’s voice was pretty unique, and that helped to set the band apart from others. Not every vocalist has to be spot on for it to be good. Every now and then, there are a few flat notes(ex. “Shark Attack”) but overall, Buddy’s on top of his game. The most prominent difference in the frontman is his scream. He’s gone from a capophonic squeal to a lethal roar that’s sure to turn some heads.

Lyrically, Buddy dives into his experiences with nearly going insane for inspiration. Where his old suicide and murderous lyrics were just figurative for the sake of the songs, the accounts of “Still Searching” are far more introspective.

Senses Fail have definitely stepped their game up and this disc has the potential to sway former haters and turn them into fans. As for older fans, they should definitely dig “Still Searching” as it showcases the best the band has always offered and elevates them back to the top of the mountain of bands that piled up during their limbo.

Track Listing
1. The Rapture
2. Bonecrusher
3. Sick or Sane(Fifty For a Twenty)
4. Can’t Be Saved
5. Calling All Cars
6. Shark Attack
7. Still Searching
8. To All the Crowded Rooms
9. Lost and Found
10. Every Day Is a Struggle
11. All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
12. Negative Space
13. The Priest and the Matador

Saosin – Saosin

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Saosin

Artist:Saosin
Album: Saosin
Label: Capitol
Purchase: Smartpunk
Release Date: September 26, 2006

Overall: 8.5
Music: 9.5
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 9.5

Saosin.

Many speak of it, most have heard it, but only a handful live it. For those who’ve been there from the start, the name alone invokes nearly half a decade of music subculture. From the quiet infiltration of Translating the Name, to the departure of Anthony Green and the ultimate ushering-in of Cove Reber, to the Capitol signing and leaked internet demos, until now, the self-titled full length on a major label.

Some of us (me) have been waiting three painstaking years for this release, so to have it finally come to fruition is both a dream and a terror. A dream because having a fully collected album of produced songs would be a huge step up from the numerous demos, instrumentals, and live bootlegs accrued over the years. At the same time, it’s been a nail-biting experience because after all of the endless hype and anticipation what if, quite frankly, the album sucked?

Thankfully, Saosin went into the studio and emerged months (years?) later with an album they could gracefully fit their name on. Saosin (the album) is slick in production value, band branding, and showmanship. There’s no mistaking the “Saosin sound” that’s marked by Beau and Justin’s battling guitar tones, Alex’s destructive downbeats, Chris’s understated bass parts, and Cove’s vocal clarity. It’s one thing to play music and perform it well, but it’s completely another to take a feeling and encase it in sound. If you’ve ever seen them live, you know there’s absolutely nothing “small” about anything Saosin do. That statement stands true with their Capitol debut.

Listening to Translating the Name now gives the full length much more meaning. The dynamic between the two releases is obvious enough that the band’s mental shift in goals can be felt in the physical presence of the music. In an interview Chris did last year he said, “We just really want to put out a fuckin great record. We’re not concerned with genre shattering or making something that’s never been heard as much as we are concerned about being the best at what we do and keeping it that way.” And that quite simply, has always defined the relationship between Saosin and their fans. With every new song, we know what to expect because they’ve got a writing process that’s downright formulaic. The band have not so much birthed a genre, but perfected a style.

Between each song the differences are subtle, but the barebones are the same: technical, albeit repetitive pick/shred sequences, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus song structures, abrasive energetic drumming, layered/harmonized vocals, dualistic guitar parts, and innocuous bass lines. This homophonic approach to songwriting both helps and hurts the band because while the fans are spoon-fed what they want, they never get a sense what they could be missing out on. For instance, I adore “Collapse,” “Follow And Feel,” and “Sleepers,” but the songs are largely interchangeable. And while I’d prefer this over something hit-and-miss, I don’t get a taste for the songs that could knock me off my feet either. The one exception to this is “I Never Wanted To.” Here, huge atmospheric riffs take off and never find boundaries, pushing Saosin in a completely new element that’s markedly more mellow and less technical, but surprisingly refreshing.

Still, for all its intricate riffs and instant hooks, something about Saosin does seem lacking. Lyrically, the departure of Green has weighed heavily on the band’s clever wordplay and that absence is most dearly felt when listening to song like “It’s So Simple” and “It’s Far Better To Learn” and feeling like nothing has actually been said. For me, I hear the words, but never actually bridge a connection with them beyond my desire to sing along.

At the end of the day, I’ll always parade Saosin’s craft and effort. Even after the three years of waiting, I still feel like this is a solid release for a band that had to prove so much on this album (loss of Anthony, signing to a major label, three years before new songs). But perhaps this is what I’d call “too little, too late” for Saosin. If this debut had come along 18 months earlier before the scene had taken a nosedive for the rocks, I’d probably be a lot less critical. However, in this day and age of face-paced electronic music exchange and DIY band ethic, being good at what you do just doesn’t hold a fire to what it use to. Being safe is not acceptable, and if Saosin plan to become more than a generational band they’ve got to stop playing comfortable.

Track Listing:
1. It’s Far Better To Learn
2. Sleepers
3. It’s So Simple
4. Voices
5. Finding Home
6. Follow And Feel
7. Come Close
8. I Never Wanted To
9. Collapse
10. You’re Not Alone
11. Bury Your Head
12. Some Sense Of Security

Standout Tracks:
“I Never Wanted To,” “You’re Not Alone,” “Voices”