Media Review

Saves The Day

Under The Boards (CD)

Vagrant
website | mySpace | pureVolume

Overall Rating:

7.5

Music Quality: 5.0

Production: 6.0

Originality: 6.5

Regardless of where you stand in the whole spectrum of indie rock, it is hard to deny the impact of Saves the Day on the scene. A band that over the last decade has changed its identity for every album but still managed to remain relevant. Over five studio albums, an EP and a B-sides compilation, the band has not only been screwed by a major label and worked through numerous personal changes (lead vocalist/guitarist Chris Conley being the only remaining original member), but have become the flag bearing, poster band of the indie emo movement. Deny as much as you want about it, but the rules changed on the day Vagrant Records released “Stay What You Are” in 2001.

Unfortunately, the band has yet to live up to that monumental album and the streak continues with their sixth studio album, “Under the Boards” released through Vagrant. The bad news is the band might not creatively ever reach a point again where they will be able to reproduce the magic of “Stay What You Are” or even the youthful exuberance of “Through Being Cool” due to an unstable line-up and general lack of interest in that sound. But the good news is this is the closest they have come in a long time to a truly timeless album.

“Under the Boards” is the second in a trilogy of albums to be released by the band. It is Conley’s response to the destructive time in his life he bore on their last album, “Sound the Alarm” and it is not hard to find the angst throughout the albums lyrics and the title track in particular. “A demon in my mouth that spits words out/Let everybody hate me, make me kill myself.” They are pretty caustic, but that is Conley.

The real issue is the supporting cast. Musically speaking, they are a solid group of guys whose former jobs include Classic Case and Glassjaw. While those are very impressive bands, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will help produce a great Saves the Day album. But due to the veritable revolving door history of the band, the new members lack the focus to help write a very cohesive musical album. The music itself is decent and well performed, but one can easily hear the uneasiness of the instruments, the album struggles to find continuity.

However, for the first time in a while, they produce songs that sound like Saves the Day, whether they meant to do that or not. The credit really lies with Conley on this. His distinct voice is as strong as ever and his lyrics, as usual, boarder on corny, (“Every time I think about you I get fucked up/ because I feel the stars falling in my heart,” he sings in “Fucked up.”) but they do pull through in the end with songs like “Getaway” and “Turning over in my Tomb.”

The best way to describe this album is that it sounds like whether they had intended to or not, they made the closest thing to a Saves the Day album since 2001. A fan of the band already has this CD and is drooling over it. But if you are on the border about this one and enjoyed any of their previous works I would suggest you give it a shot.

reviewed by Alex Drumm