Sound the Alarm

by

Saves the Day

Edit

I'm going to start this off by saying that a lot of people have said they don't like this because it's not "classic Saves the Day." Here's my thing with that: artists let themselves progress and grow as they work, but still leave little touches that remind everyone that it's them, and that's exactly what Saves the Day did. They have the driving energy on this album, though the music is darker, but they've always had a little bit of a dark touch to them, always using complex and darker chords, even if it's only really brief and subtle in some songs. That is the only "classic" Saves the Day sound I can think of. Aside from that, if when people say "classic" they mean "the way Stay What You Are or Through Being Cool sounded like," then they should only listen to one of those albums and stop complaining about their new stuff (though I see absolutely nothing to complain about).

All of that aside, I think Sound the Alarm is an awesome album. In Reverie was a great turning point for STD musically, and thank god for that, because it lead to this CD. I'm a huge fan of this band, and am pretty preferrential to Stay What You Are, personally, but none of their music has ever let me down, and this is definitely one of their best albums. STD has grown quite a bit since they've started out, you can tell just by listening to all of their CDs, and though they all are great, their are differences in every single one; they don't all sound alike, and that's what's so great about this band. If you're a true fan of Saves the Day's music, then this is definitely a great album to buy, it's one of their best.

P.S. The End, Bones, and Delusional are three of the sweetest tracks. Enjoy!

It disappoints me when I read reviews from people claiming to be huge fans of bands , but who have only listened to one or two albums, or start off with the band's newest album and then criticize the band's previous works. With that said, I've been a Save the Day fan for 6 years, getting hooked on Through Being Cool. As long-time listeners know, Saves the Day has constantly evolved album to album, borrowing elements of certain genres, but still retaining their punk roots.

The funny thing is, with each new release that Saves the Day put out, I found that I immediately hated it upon listening to it for the first time, simply because they kept exploring new sounds. For example, Stay What You Are seemingly was an ironic title for their third album because I had grown used to defining Saves the Day by their punk sound. I couldn't stand the softer "emo" sound they employed, or how Chris Conley's voice had changed. However, over time I grew to appreciate their new, more refined sound and the musical complexity of the songs.

The same held true for In Reverie. Most Saves the Day fans hated this album and I was no exception. After refusing to listen to the cd for almost 6 months, I gave it a try again. Conley's voice had changed yet again and the band seemed to be striving toward a more "indie" sound, which I was not accustomed to. However, after repeated listening to the cd, I realized how amazing it truly was. All of the songs realize the album title, creating a daydream-like state of abstract thought and sounds. The lyrics are as ingenious as they are in Stay What You Are, showing how masterful Conley is as a songwriter. The music is somewhat ecclectic, but is complex and gives the band a truly mature sound. I applauded the band at the time for refusing to deny their musical creativity and create another cookie-cutter album, to sound like their earlier, more acclaimed works, like so many other bands do just to satisfy their bank accounts.

With that in mind, I was really looking forward to Sound the Alarm, wondering where the band would take its sound next. What I found was a little disappointing. Conley's voice has changed yet again, only this time it is more nasaly than ever. I'll admit that his voice is an acquired taste on any of his albums, but he almost sounds like a chipmunk on Sound the Alarm. Overlooking that, I feel that while the songs again contribute to the apocalyptic theme "Sound the Alarm" in the same way they contributed to the dreamy theme in "In Reverie," the music itself took a step backward. Dark, brooding and even violent at times, the music seemingly doesn't fit with the lyrics at times. It seems like they have reverted back to the simplistic punk chords and riffs that dominated Can't Slow Down and Through Being Cool. Maybe they were trying to recapture a harder sound, I don't know. But I really think that they were better served continuing in the direction that In Reverie was leading them. I still appreciate the lyrics and there are a few songs that demonstrate Saves The Day's musical talent, but overall I felt the album is mediocre compared to their other recent efforts.