Saves the Day "Stay What You Are" Pre-CD Review
By Dan Irrational
UPDATE: After re-reading this article months after I wrote it, I realize I'm an idiot. THE WHOLE ALBUM IS FUCKING AMAZING (with the only exception being "All I'm Losing Is Me". I love the album, so wherever I wrote skeptical things, it was just out of lack of understanding of the album's greatness. There, read on if you must...
This is just my opinion of the album, which I fully intend to buy.
If you want to argue a point, agree or disagree,
see the message board link at the bottom of the page.
Saves the Day’s fourth release has been much anticipated and, in fact, still is. The album will not hit stores until July 10th but through the wonders of the Internet many people have managed to get their hands on the tracks before their official release. I am one of them (After almost 8 hours of downloading – 25 minutes per track – that is).
I have listened to the songs several times over, and I must admit that upon first listen the new album Stay What You Are is not quite up to the caliber of past albums. However, after multiple listens I must say it is an amazing album. I think Saves the Day is a weird band because each album has its own distinct sound, yet you can still recognize the band as a single entity. Can’t Slow Down was fast and dark, while Through Being Cool was poppier with a cleaner, more produced sound. Stay What You Are continues the progression. This album is clean, noticeably slower, and has a more straight up rock feel than punk or melodic hardcore.
The album opens with "At Your Funeral", a track that starts with soft finger picking and Chris’ distinctive vocals. The track is upbeat, consisting of upstrokes and a somewhat pop-rock feel. The lyrics are undoubtedly STD’s… much like the remainder of the album, lyrical content rests on death, darkness and despair. This track may take a few listens to get used to, but it is a great start to the album.
The next track, "See You", is one of the faster songs on the album, by fast I mean maybe the speed of “Shoulder to the Wheel”, not “Blindfolded”. This song is, in my opinion, just as poppy as the stuff off TBC. The chorus (“I don’t think I’ve got the stomach to stomach calling you today”), for example, is fairly juvenile, not as metaphoric as most of the band’s lyrics.
The next track "Cars and Calories" is a complete reversal of sounds. While Chris’ lyrics remain, the track is different than things I’ve heard from the band. I can’t even really describe it. One of the “throwaway tracks” on the album, it might seem better after more listens but at present doesn’t hit me like some other tracks.
Oh Shit. The next song: "Certain Tragedy". Now most of you won’t agree with me on this one, but I am a fan of poppy-punk more so than “emo” punk. I love the Ramones, The Queers, Teen Idols, and Screeching Weasel. However, this sound runs contrary to the general feel of this site, so I have yet to include them (though they all have songs about girls). This track on Stay… automatically reminded me of pop-punk and old rock and roll. The tambourines, guitar riffs, and sing-a-long chorus mimic something a Lookout records band would play. There are even backups singing “ba ba ba ba” in this song. In my opinion, it’s one of the happiest STD songs I’ve ever heard.
"Jukebox Breakdown" comes next. This song causes your head to bop as soon as it starts. This song is about the speed of “Holly Hox” (maybe a bit faster) and while the music is upbeat and poppy, the lyrics are dark. One line in particular: “Got a mouth full of blood, and I’ll carry this casket if it’s what I have to do, so bring on the dark sky, let it cover me entirely.” Hmm, as my friend Dave asked: “Geez Chris, who died?”
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I was excited about this next track (my second one downloaded). "This Is Not An Exit" is a reference to the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (a great novel, a great movie too). So I was expecting an awesome song. This is one of the softest songs on the album, with somewhat jazzy radio rock guitars and drum beats. I’ve tried to like it, but I just can’t. My sister, however, thought it was a great song.
And then, oh then… "As Your Ghost Takes Flight". In my opinion, the absolute best track on the album. I see this track standing up next to my past favorite STD songs (“Sell My Old Clothes”, “Blindfolded”, and “Banned from the Back Porch”). One of the harder tracks, this song totally rocks out. It’s got probably the darkest lyrics on the album. There’s a reference to pinning someone to a wall with rusty spikes and catching their blood in bottles. The chorus: “And I’ll drink your blood, feel it dripping down my throat, and heading for my heart.” Damn, I would argue that this song alone makes the album worth purchasing.
"Nightingale" is next. The song starts with Chris crooning melodically to a slow background. This song sounds, to me, just like something I have heard before, but I can’t put my finger on it. The chorus is a great sing-a-long, and out of the slow (meaning very slow) songs on the album, it’s by far my favorite.
Track 9, "All I'm Losing Is Me" is reminiscent of “Cars and Calories”, and it doesn’t call to me or strike me as anything special. It doesn’t sound like STD (minus the vocals), and it doesn’t sound like punk. I don’t know about this track, but it doesn’t hurt the album as a whole.
"Freakish" is just that. It’s slow, very emo sounding… less poppy than some of the other tracks. I didn’t like it until it got to the chorus, then I suddenly loved it. It has an upstroke chorus, and it’s incredibly catchy. The chorus ends with Chris’ voice going octaves higher than normal. This made me smile but also cringe, when I realized that if you took out the crunchy guitars and Chris’ distinctive voice, this song could be a Third Eye Blind song. It’s a good song, but that fact is a bit unsettling.
The album ends with "Firefly", a song I would say is the real distinctive Saves the Day song. It’s faster than most of the album, louder, and the lyrics are very evocative. It might not be classic-STD such as CSD, but it seems like it could have fit on TBC. It is one of the songs with a more distinctive breakdown than some of the others. I think that this would be one of maybe 2 songs that kids who were into Saves the Day as a hardcore band will like.
Listening to the album went like this: 1st listen – there are some good tracks but I am disappointed. 2nd listen – most of the songs are quite catchy, while I can still skip five of the songs. 3rd listen – I can’t stop listening. Minus a few “decent” tracks, this is a thing of beauty.
Many fans will not like this album. People who loved their debut, but were saddened by the softening up and slower pace of Through Being Cool will hate this album. It is slower than their others, more polished and crisper, and ultimately (here comes the words punk purists hate)… very radio friendly. I was reading somewhere that STD is on of the upcoming bands of 2001. Stay What You Are, I am predicting, will put them on the mainstream map. Don’t be surprised if they follow behind New Found Glory and become the new “punk” act on MTV. I can imagine most of these tracks filling in the countdown between Britney and the new Nsync video. I just hope they don’t use “Freakish” for their single, or else everyone will think they are Third Eye Blind: Part II.
Okay, that’s my opinion on the album. IT IS GOOD, IT TAKES A FEW LISTENS, BUT IT IS GOOD… No, it’s FANTASTIC. I can’t wait to buy it. It’s worth it just to get a look at the lyrics to the songs. If you disagree with me, hit up the forum at the link below and leave your thoughts. If you download the songs, promise yourself you will buy the album, because STD is a great band and they deserve our support. Even if you only like a few songs, buy it to show your support.
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