Taking Back Sunday's New Again

The New York rockers of Taking Back Sunday have finally released their newest effort, New Again, on June 2nd. Having since lost (and replaced) an integral member of the group, vocalist and guitarist Fred Mascherino, the bandmates are trying to prove they can still rock without him. With the addition of Matthew Fazzi, Taking Back Sunday's sound is altered from that which fans are most familiar. Absent from this release is one of the things that made prior Taking Back Sunday albums so distinctive in sound--dual lead singers. This album still has its fair share of backing vocals, but the lines do not combat each other as they used to. What follows is a track-by-track summary of the album.


New Again starts off with its title track. With a pounding bass riff, mildly syncopated drums, and lyrics that are reminiscent of the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the first impression of this album is that they've still got it. The chorus loudly states that they're sure they can recover from the loss of Mascherino ("I am, I'm ready to be new again"), the "again" referring to the fact that they recovered from the loss of John Nolan and Shaun Cooper after their first album. While there are echoed vocals in this song during the chorus, the producer or mixer of the album has it sounding more like an echo than a battling second vocalist.

The next song on the album is the single, "Sink Into Me." At first listen, I was confused and I didn't necessarily like it... but it intrigued me. The first thing you hear is drums and people shouting "HEY." Normally you find people shouting "HEY" in stupid pop songs (see: Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" [do not take this as a bashing of Avril Lavigne, I just hate that song]). Then the guitar comes in. It's a syncopated riff, which makes it interesting, and then the bass is pounding a clear chord progression under it. I like the lyrics. a lot. This is one of those songs you can scream into your mirror or as you're driving down the street. Well-chosen as the first single. About half-way through this song, I got to thinking that I wouldn't have allowed the "hey"s had I been in the band, and then they get to the bridge. During the bridge, the guitarist (probably Eddie Reyes) palmmutes the chord progression as Adam Lazzara sings softly a bridge and the backup vocalists whisper "hey" into the microphones. It's a really cool bit of dynamics, and a very cool addition to the song.

"Lonely, Lonely" is a typical Taking Back Sunday song with Lazzara handling both sections of the dual leads as he repeats the word "lonely" almost more times than necessary. The backing vocals in the chorus, as unintelligible the lyrics are (possibly "she said", are really cool. They sound like possibly 3 part harmony behind Lazzara's lead, which makes me question how they'd manage to play this song live. He throws a characteristic scream in it as well. This is definitely a song that TBS fans will enjoy.

The chorus of the following track, "Summer Man," sounds like something that would come out of an album by The Academy Is..., but not a Taking Back Sunday album. It has a happy sound with sad lyrics. Lazzara sings about how he doubts he'll see this person again now that the summer is over... and that's the whole song.

Matthew Fazzi plays a guitar fill in "Swing" that sounds like the fill that his predecessor Mascherino used in "Error: Operator" from 2006's Louder Now. The lyrics are also reminiscent of "Set Phasers to Stun" off of 2004's Where You Want to Be.

"Where My Mouth Is" also sounds like a song by The Academy Is... off of their most recent album Fast Times at Barrington High, but only during the verse. The chorus is an impressively good sounding combination of the change from a soft sound to a power ballad sound in the instrumentation and Lazzara's passionate vocals singing about how he "had it all, sittin on top of the world, but [he] threw it away, just to prove that [he] could." For the first part of the bridge, Lazzara continues to lament this time accompanied by an acoustic guitar chord progression, and then the rest of the band comes in. This song mainly succeeds thanks to Lazzara's talent to sound passionate and genuine about his lyrics.

The verse to "Cut Me Up Jenny" uses syncopation again (like the single) to similar effect. The melody works beautifully as a complement to the syncopated rhythm of the other instruments. In the pre-chorus, Lazzara screams "cut me up Jenny" as a lead in to the chorus. The chorus fits perfectly well with the rest of the song.

After a carefully concealed time signature of 7/4 in its intro, "Catholic Knees" moves into the more typical 4/4 time. This further shows innovation from the guys in Taking Back Sunday. Moving on to the prechorus ("Everything was moving so fast"), they go back into the 7/4 time. As a songwriter and musician, I can attest that writing in 7/4 is no easy task. The attempt at capturing the dual vocals style in this song isn't nearly as strong as in the past, showing that Matthew Fazzi may have been brought in more to fill the lead guitar void than the (rather larger) void once filled by Fred Mascherino and John Nolan on vocals. Lazzara, however, turns in another reliable performance.

In "Capital M-E," TBS apparently discusses their feelings on Fred Mascherino's departure from the band and replies to some of the things he's said since he left. This isn't the first time they've done this. On 2002's Tell All Your Friends, TBS released a song called "There's No 'I' in Team," in which John Nolan and Adam Lazzara responded to Brand New's "Seventy Times 7" in a fight about John Nolan hooking up with Jesse Lacey (the singer of Brand New)'s girlfriend. It's a bit of a juvenile thing to do, but you write what you feel, right? I guess that makes this sincere. An interesting thing to note about this song is that the backing vocals and lead vocals are both handled by Lazzara.

"Carpathia" is a straight up rock song. Starting out with an emotional Lazzara and swiftly strummed (and promptly silenced) guitar chords, track 10 has a distinct feel of strong emotions lyrically reminiscent of a science fiction movie ("I don't worry half as much as I did when I was an experiment, your resident tourniquet"). Kudos to Lazzara for another convincing emotional performance. This song is notable for Matt Rubano's bass line. In the chorus, he plays a cool melody that beautifully complements the vocal melody, and after the first chorus, he plays a solo(!).

I seem to be repeating myself a lot with this, but Adam Lazzara perfectly conveys his emotions in this song. The album closer, "Everything Must Go," is about his breakup with former fiancée Chauntelle DuPree (of Eisley). The lyrics reminisce about moving in with her, and the instrumentation has the perfect feel to match the lyrics.

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Overall, I enjoy New Again. It's not as good as Louder Now, but it's a different type of album for them. Adam Lazzara continues to prove himself a reliable and dynamic frontman, Matthew Fazzi seems to have eased into his new role (I say eased because I don't yet feel that he's become 100% comfortable with his position from a creative standpoint), and the rest of the band does a solid job providing the music behind (and sometimes in front of) the vocals.

Louder Now is available in five formats.
Standard Edition: the complete 11 track album as a compact disc or digital download.
iTunes Edition: the complete 11 track album as a digital download, the bonus track "Long Time Comin'," and the music video for the single "Sink Into Me."
Vinyl Edition: the complete 11 track album on vinyl.
Limited Edition: the complete 11 track album as a compact disc, and a DVD containing footage of the making of the album.

Special Edition: the complete 11 track album as a compact disc, 2 B-Sides ("Didn't See That Coming" and "Catholic Knees (26th St. Shakedown)"), a DVD containing footage of the making of the album and track-by-track commentary from the band, an autographed lyrics booklet, a small model car with decals, an air freshener, three dice, a key-shaped 2GB USB storage drive, a replica drivers license of one of the band members, and an exclusive New Again t-shirt.

To buy New Again (and other music by Taking Back Sunday), visit http://www.takingbacksunday.com/shop/Music.

311's Uplifter

Uplifter, the latest effort from Nebraskan reggae-funk rock band 311 will be released tomorrow, June 2nd. I had the privilege of listening to this album early, and I must say, this album is really good. The following is a track-by-track summary of the album.


It kicks off with the single, "Hey You," which was, in my opinion, incorrectly chosen as the first single. Don't get me wrong, I like the track, but it's not the obvious single. My brother put it perfectly, I think, when he said, "It doesn't match." The parts of the song don't go together. When they try to go from the heavier parts to the softer parts and back they sound like they had to try too hard to make it work, more successfully sounding like a mash-up of two completely different songs than like a radio-worthy single.

The next track, "It's Alright," took 7.5 seconds to completely draw my attention (seriously, 7.5 seconds). The verse is put together so beautifully that it makes me think of it as one of the most successful attempts at a reggae/rock fusion ever. Nick Hexum's and Tim Mahoney's guitar parts beautifully complement each other. Going into the chorus, S.A. Martinez's harmonies couldn't work better. After the second chorus, 311 continues to surprise me with their versatility as they turn the song minor for a split second, then lead into a slap bass solo by P-Nut. Just when you think that couldn't sound tighter, Hexum starts singing on top of it, followed by the layered vocals provided by Martinez.

Track 3 ("Mix It Up") is a heavier track than the preceding two. The lyrics get slightly monotonous, with the chorus talking about the "sum of all the parts when you add it all up" and the prechorus describing how Hexum was "never really good at math." All in all, this song seems like a less good version of their self-titled album's "All Mixed Up" (which appears as track 3 on their greatest hits album).

"Golden Sunlight," track 4, starts out with an almost asian sounding riff. Despite the overdrive on the guitars, this song is almost Zen in nature, and Hexum's voice helps that with its smooth timbre. Martinez's chorus sounds almost like a power ballad, while still being relaxing. For the bridge, 311 reverts to their typical sound of heavy laden guitar riffs over a pounding, strong rhythm section as Martinez sings a melody that brings the reggae feel to their songs. Overall, they are really successful in bridging the differing styles of each part of this song.

I didn't expect to like "India Ink," because it's track 5 of a 311 record. I have both their Greatest Hits and 2005's Don't Tread On Me, and both of the tracks on those albums that I do not care for are track 5. This song starts out with one of the coolest faux metal riffs I've heard. Hexum's voice comes in singing in reggae style, and the thing that makes it sooo awesome is the atypical low harmony provided by who I can only assume must be Martinez. The chorus then is something you'd expect to hear from a 311 hit: semi-repetitive lyrics, whoas, and harmony throughout. They go into a guitar solo after the second chorus that is reminiscent of The Beatles' "Across the Universe," if only because it is on that Indian instrument George Harrison was fond of playing. The bridge then involves Mahoney using an experimentally ambient sounding guitar effect while Hexum pounds a faux-metal riff and sings against his own rhythm, leading to a "this is the breakdown" feel.

"Daisy Cutter" starts off with just a palm muted electric guitar and Hexum's voice. Every time I hear the lead-in to the chorus of this song, I think they're going to go elsewhere musically, and I think that in that sense, they made an unfortunate decision in their songwriting. I feel like the chorus of this song is lacking comparatively. I also noticed that they refer to a "beautiful disaster," which is the name of a song of theirs off of their '97 release, Transistor. I'm not sure if they were making a reference to that song or if they ran out of oxymorons in writing their songs. The bridge is really cool though, but mainly because it includes a surprising 3 note stop-time section.

"Too Much Too Fast" starts in 3/4 time (peculiarly different for 311), and then moves into 4/4 for the rest of the song. The verse has a very cool sound to it, with a standard (enough) drum riff backing an almost stop-time guitar riff that eventually moves into a riff using the idea of triplets but only hitting the first and last beats of each one. There's a short break during which Mahoney plays a riff on top of Hexum's short strums on every beat, and Hexum sings a beautiful melody followed by a recurring riff. After the short break, they go into another verse. The prechorus utilizes that 3/4 riff from the intro, and then the first time you hear the chorus, it just has an uplifting, fun feel. This song has many instrumental mini-breaks that just sound awesome. The one flaw is that every instrumental mini-break leaves you craving for a guitar solo. Mahoney manages to slip one in during the last chorus as Hexum croons "oohs" over Martinez's solid "too much too fast" lyric.

"Never Ending Summer" starts out with a bit that makes me want to immediately change it. After the almost unintelligible spoken word by a currently unknown man, I expect it to have a certain traditional rap feel (most likely in the vocals). After a few seconds, my assumptions appear to be partly correct, as distorted growling vocals "sing" the band name over and over again. After that, though it sounds like a normal 311 song--a heavy-ish rock riff with reggae inspired vocals. The chorus has really awesome harmonies and is led into and out of perfectly. The bridge comes in with just drums and bass and makes me feel like this unknown guest is going to start rapping... and then he doesn't. Instead, Tim Mahoney comes in with a SCREAMING guitar solo that just melts your face off. Starting and ending with complete silence, the band succeeds in creating undeniable awesomeness in their creation of this guitar solo.

From the song title alone, you would expect "Two Drops in the Ocean" to be a mellow song with either a reggae feel or a pop song. In this case, it is the former. After the first verse, they go into a part during which the bass and guitar playfully duel, and makes you feel like laying in the grass lazily at a park. Unfortunately, the chord progression in the chorus is borderline mediocre. Fortunately, the chorus doesn't last long. The guitar solo, while not face-melting, reprises the idea of sounding so beautiful that it makes you want to lay in soft grass somewhere lazily listening to it.

The ominous first few chords of "Something Out of Nothing" makes you feel like this song is for sure going to be something. This is one of a very few songs on the album where Martinez sings the first verse, and his voice seems to work better for the riff than Hexum's would. The chorus is a letdown from the awesomeness of the verse, but after the first chorus and before the second verse, Mahoney has another wailing guitar solo, albeit a short one (more of a fill, really), that excites the listener for the rest of the song. Sure enough, after the second chorus, Mahoney plays with his wah pedal a bit more, tearing the listener apart with the riff that works so well for the faux-metal riff the rest of the band is playing. The outtro is surprisingly cool as it follows the chorus.

"Jackpot" reverts to the old 311, when Hexum and Martinez typically tone-rapped over heavy guitar riffs. It's one of those songs you lip-synch loudly in your room in front of your mirror. Yes, I did just suggest that you could lip-synch something loudly. Its downfall, if you can call it that, is that it must be listened to loudly. Oh and it ends on a really strange chord.

"My Heart Sings," simply put, is an amazing closing track. Mahoney revisits the guitar effect he used in the fan-beloved "Amber" and in "Champagne" (both from 2001's From Chaos), and yet manages to make it yet again sound original and distinct of the other two. After the riffs using that effect, there is acoustic guitar predominantly used in the verse, followed by mixed electric and acoustic instrumentation in the prechorus and chorus.


BONUS TRACKS
"I Like the Way" features Hexum singing followed by Martinez rapping, followed by Hexum singing, followed by Martinez singing really high. It almost makes me envy Martinez for how high he can sing. During that part, the guitars hit a chord and then slide down, which makes for a mildly interesting sound. The guitar riff/fill after the verse almost sounds synthesized. After the second verse, Hexum and Martinez take turns talking, followed by a bridge during which Hexum sings over a very impressive bass riff by P-Nut. Overall, this is a weird song, and I understand why it isn't included on the final cut of the regular edition of the album.

"Get Down" starts out as a mellow track that will lull anyone into a daydream (HINT: you may want to skip this one if you're driving). Hexum's voice croons you to sleep until the second part of the verse, during which he almost tone-raps over distorted guitars. After the chorus bit, Martinez takes a verse and then Hexum takes over for the prechorus and chorus. It ends on a guitar solo that sounds more like an outtro riff than a soloI don't quite understand why this track didn't make the cut for the regular version of the album, but I guess they had to have something to draw people to buy the deluxe edition.
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On a whole, I fully enjoyed this album. 311 continues to prove to me that this reggae-funk rock fusion can work without being ska, and they do it so naturally it makes a guy wonder how this sound could have come out of Omaha, Nebraska. Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez, the two lead singers of the band, seem to still be in their prime, as far as the quality of their voices are concerned. Tim Mahoney and Nick Hexum have gotten even better at complementing each other on their guitar parts. P-Nut and Chad Sexton (who I have not yet mentioned), continue to provide the other members with a rhythm section that, plainly, kicks ass. P-Nut has always impressed me with the facility with which he plays his instrument, and the bass lines he plays are almost always unexpected, but fit magically, and Sexton tends to consistently come up with the perfect drum riff to fit what the other musicians are playing, and to add another element to the reggae feel of their songs.



Uplifter is available in four formats, each with a digital and a physical form.
Standard Edition: the 12 track album as a compact disc or as an mp3 download.
Deluxe Edition: the complete 12 track album, the 2 bonus tracks mentioned above, a collectible vinyl sticker, and a DVD including behind the scenes footage, interviews, and live performances from 311 Day '08 (also available in digital format as the 14 mp3s and the video file, but does not include vinyl sticker).
Double-Vinyl Edition: the complete 12 track album on two 12" special etched vinyl discs in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Super-Deluxe Edition: the complete 12 track album in physical form with the two bonus tracks mentioned above and the DVD, a 12x12 Uplifter lithograph poster, the double-vinyl album, and downloadable versions of the album (with bonus tracks) & documentary film on release date.


To buy Uplifter, visit http://311.skyroo.com/se/view/music/index.html.