Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday (29/06/2011)
Taking Back Sunday’s eponymous album marks the first time since 2002’s acclaimed Tell All Your Friends that the bands most well known lineup have recorded together. After the departure of Matt Rubano and Matthew Fazzi in early 2010, it was announced that founding member John Nolan and early bassist Shaun Cooper would be rejoining the band. Fans speculated early on that a return to the Tell All Your Friends-era lineup would mark a return to the bands sound at the time, and this is true to an extent. Don’t go into this album expecting Tell All Your Friends part two, you’ll be disappointed. The addition of early members isn’t enough to reignite the creative fire that the band once had, but hey, at least this album is better than New Again, and for that we should be thankful.
The first single released for the album was El Paso, which was previously described by vocalist Adam Lazarra as ‘probably the heaviest rock song we've ever written.’ This song is heavily influenced by Daisy-era Brand New, and this is most noticeable with Lazarra’s vocals, sounding very similar to ex band member/current Brand New vocalist Jesse Lacey. When this song was released prior to the album coming out, I was happy with the Brand New worship taking place, and I thought that Adam had finally gotten sick of living in Jesse’s shadow, and had taken steps to write a mature (albeit not entirely unique) album.
Faith (When I Let You Down) marks Taking Back Sunday’s third song to appear on a Transformers soundtrack, making them the only band apart from Linkin Park to achieve this. After the heavier first track on the album, I admit that I was a little surprised at the light hearted nature of this track, and how upbeat and poppy this song was. Lazarra utilises an anthem like chorus, though after the first track, this song just seems weak and half-hearted in comparison.
Musically, the album sounds like the obvious maturation of their sound, mixed with the influence that original members have brought. The songs are noticeably slower (with very few exceptions,) and even though this is probably due to the band being older, I’m not sure if this works in their favour. There is nothing wrong with the album being slower than its predecessors, but Taking Back Sunday are known for their energetic stage shows, and if they play many songs off this album, this could have a negative effect on their live show. So many songs sound incredibly similar on the album, and for a band who once had such a unique sound, they didn’t really deliver on this album. The vocal interplay between Lazarra and Nolan used to be a highlight of the band, yet on this album Nolan takes a backseat to Adam’s vocals, which is a disappointment, considering how hyped his return was.
Second last track on the album, You Got Me, is actually one of the best, most energetic songs that the band has released in years. Faster paced, this song has the potential to go down well with a live crowd, after all the slower, more melodic songs on the album. Easily a highlight of the album.
Almost ten years on from the release of Tell All Your Friends, this is a more mature, grown up Taking Back Sunday, but fans of the bands early work may not enjoy this album as much as newer fans. With slower, more melodic songs, the band seem to not quite have recaptured the energy of earlier releases, instead choosing to recycle lyrical themes of past albums and write songs that aren’t as catchy. I wanted to like this album, I really tried to. However, Taking Back Sunday are thirty year old men writing angst riddled songs that that sound like they should be written by people half their age, and while that’s fun for a while, it gets old, fast. Fans of the bands earlier work, check it out, but don’t hold out hope that it’s the same band that you could relate to when you were 14. You may have grown up, but I’m not sure they have.
Josh Mitrou
The first single released for the album was El Paso, which was previously described by vocalist Adam Lazarra as ‘probably the heaviest rock song we've ever written.’ This song is heavily influenced by Daisy-era Brand New, and this is most noticeable with Lazarra’s vocals, sounding very similar to ex band member/current Brand New vocalist Jesse Lacey. When this song was released prior to the album coming out, I was happy with the Brand New worship taking place, and I thought that Adam had finally gotten sick of living in Jesse’s shadow, and had taken steps to write a mature (albeit not entirely unique) album.
Faith (When I Let You Down) marks Taking Back Sunday’s third song to appear on a Transformers soundtrack, making them the only band apart from Linkin Park to achieve this. After the heavier first track on the album, I admit that I was a little surprised at the light hearted nature of this track, and how upbeat and poppy this song was. Lazarra utilises an anthem like chorus, though after the first track, this song just seems weak and half-hearted in comparison.
Musically, the album sounds like the obvious maturation of their sound, mixed with the influence that original members have brought. The songs are noticeably slower (with very few exceptions,) and even though this is probably due to the band being older, I’m not sure if this works in their favour. There is nothing wrong with the album being slower than its predecessors, but Taking Back Sunday are known for their energetic stage shows, and if they play many songs off this album, this could have a negative effect on their live show. So many songs sound incredibly similar on the album, and for a band who once had such a unique sound, they didn’t really deliver on this album. The vocal interplay between Lazarra and Nolan used to be a highlight of the band, yet on this album Nolan takes a backseat to Adam’s vocals, which is a disappointment, considering how hyped his return was.
Second last track on the album, You Got Me, is actually one of the best, most energetic songs that the band has released in years. Faster paced, this song has the potential to go down well with a live crowd, after all the slower, more melodic songs on the album. Easily a highlight of the album.
Almost ten years on from the release of Tell All Your Friends, this is a more mature, grown up Taking Back Sunday, but fans of the bands early work may not enjoy this album as much as newer fans. With slower, more melodic songs, the band seem to not quite have recaptured the energy of earlier releases, instead choosing to recycle lyrical themes of past albums and write songs that aren’t as catchy. I wanted to like this album, I really tried to. However, Taking Back Sunday are thirty year old men writing angst riddled songs that that sound like they should be written by people half their age, and while that’s fun for a while, it gets old, fast. Fans of the bands earlier work, check it out, but don’t hold out hope that it’s the same band that you could relate to when you were 14. You may have grown up, but I’m not sure they have.
Josh Mitrou