Saves the Day proves to be infectious

By Eric Jaen
Collegian Staff
April 12, 2006

Since its formation in 1997, New Jersey native Saves The Day has established itself as one of the most influential bands of the last 10 years. After two releases on Equal Vision Records, the band (which could have been easily called, “Lifetime Jr.”) jumped to Vagrant Records and began to develop a more mature, distinguishing sound. In 2003, the release of In Reverie brought on some controversy, due to the drastically different creative direction. Now, after almost three years without new material, Saves The Day returns with a self-funded fifth proper release, Sound The Alarm.

Sound The Alarm opens with an instant taste of vocalist/guitarist Chris Conley’s ever-changing voice in “Head For The Hills.” This time around, Conley’s vocals seem to be a fusion of In Reverie and Through Being Cool, making for a punchier, more original sound suitable for the jams found on the disc. The track continues to show Saves The Day’s knack for picking the perfect album opener, as it grabs the listeners by the ears and gets them wound up for the next 30 minutes. With music that could be described as “In Reverie out for revenge,” this blistering tune is sure to dish out a few super kicks.

Next is the first single, “The End.” Older fans should gobble it up, as ex-Face To Face drummer Pete Parada owns the track with the popular “punk-beat” and interesting fills.

The searing lyrics, “Cut off my flailing limbs, pawn off what’s left within. Land of the living dead, time to face the end,” matched with the haunting riffs in the verse, will send chills down your spine. The deliciously horrific lyrics witnessed so far seem to be a running theme on Sound The Alarm, whether it be references to an apocalypse, or perhaps even the end of Conley himself. Who really knows?

Saves The Day has always seemed to find the perfect balance between depressing, morbid lyrics and upbeat, beautiful melodies. While some may find the lyrical content a bit over the top, such as “Hammer nails into my eyes, now I’ll never notice when you’re staring at the ground” from “Say You’ll Never Leave,” fans who are more familiar with the band’s previous work will easily be drawn in. Conley has been known to use abrasive and sometimes abstract lyrics as metaphors for deeper feelings while further expressing his anger and emotion through shock value.

Songs like “Shattered” show off the band’s formula for creating the catchy hooks that helped make Saves The Day one of the most loved and well-received bands in the emo-punk genre. Similarly, the slower and emotional track, “Eulogy,” brings back memories of Stay What You Are, and has potential to become a future single. It is safe to say that the chorus itself, “I’ll carve out my lungs and it’s all just to see you again” will lodge itself into your brain and set up camp for a few days.

Stand out tracks include “Don’t Know Why” and “Bones.” The first is a stripped down, relaxing tune perfect for those lonely nighttime drives home from a local Wawa. Again, the lyrics may be a downer to some, but the song’s beauty will entice listeners to sing, “Funny how when the darkest of nights falls down, I worry that I will never see the sun is shining again.”

On the other hand, “Bones” will crush skulls with a piledriver of rock, starting off at head-bopping midtempo speed, only to pick up and send listeners back to 1998. All of these tracks have the smooth, fun and incredibly catchy bass lines of newcomer Manuel Ragoonanan Carrero of Glassjaw fame.

The straightforward, simple songwriting is what makes this release so enjoyable. Songs like “Dying Day,” “Diseased” and “Sound The Alarm” get to the point and show that Saves The Day is still more than capable of writing better albums than the majority of popular bands today. Sound The Alarm concludes with the epic track, “Hell Is Here.” The eerie feel makes for an appropriate conclusion, vividly describing what sounds like the end of life in general as Conley sings, “Take one last look into my eyes...Climb into the hearse, to watch the ocean burn. Nothing left but dust.”

After it was announced that Saves The Day would be recording with Steve Evetts, rumors began circulating about a return to the old Can’t Slow Down/Through Being Cool-era sound. However, fans just might find themselves disagreeing and find it more appropriate to describe Sound The Alarm as a compilation of the best parts of STD’s discography combined into one solid album. Be sure to catch Saves The Day on tour this spring with Circa Survive and Moneen.

jaene1@lasalle.edu