Jersey’s best dancers come back to life

By Eric Jaen
Collegian Editor
February 14, 2007

In late 2005, after a series of well-received reunion shows, it was announced that influential melodic hardcore band, Lifetime, were officially reforming. The band originally formed in 1990, but disbanded in 1997 after the release of Jersey’s Best Dancers on Jade Tree.

The announcement brought about much excitement and anticipation until they inked a deal with Decaydance, owned by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, which resulted in a negative backlash amongst long-time fans. November 2006 saw the release of the Two Songs seven inch, which provided listeners with their first taste of new material in nearly a decade.

The release of these two songs could be interpreted as a statement that the band’s upcoming full length, simply titled Lifetime, would pick up right where they left off 10 years ago. No eyeliner, screaming or Jay-Z cameos necessary.

Lifetime starts off with the incredibly rockin’ track “Northbound Breakdown.” Immediately, fans will notice an obvious change in the voice of singer Ari Katz, who now sports somewhat cleaner and mature vocals. This may be hard to digest at first, but by album’s end, listeners will learn to love it.

Next is the first single, “Airport Monday Morning,” which features radio-friendly hooks and the undeniably catchy lines, “But she keeps crying/and they keep kissing/and I just hang about and listen.”

Songs such as “Spiders In a Garden” and “Try and Stay Awake” provide listeners with that classic “Lifetime sound,” combining the perfect balance between blazing drum beats and infectious melody. On the other hand, one may argue that harder tracks like “Song For Mel” or perhaps even the danceable “Yeems Song For Nothing” could have easily found their way into the Kid Dynamite discography.

Also included on Lifetime are re-recorded versions of the jams off of Two Songs, “Haircuts and T-Shirts” and “All Night Long.” Again, tracks such as these remind us that guitarist, Dr. Dan Yemin, is a man of his word when he promised that Lifetime would still be the same Gorilla Biscuits/Jawbreaker/7 Seconds-inspired hardcore/pop punk band writing about love, loss and music.

While being an awesome comeback for these hardcore punk legends, the album still lacks that slower ballad a la “I'm Not Calling You” off of their 1995 masterpiece, Hello Bastards. Also missing is that one in-your-face, mosh-provoking track, such as “Bringin’ It Backwards” off of Jersey’s Best Dancers.

Despite these very minor complaints, Lifetime is still a solid effort nonetheless. After a few listens, one may even begin to ponder how big this band could have gotten had there not been a breakup. However, with the influx of Lifetime-inspired bands over the past decade, such as Saves The Day, New Found Glory and Set Your Goals, there doesn’t seem to be anything Earth-shattering or stunning about this release in 2007.

Older fans will definitely enjoy it, for it does not stray far from the sound they fell in love with years ago, whereas new audiences will either love it or be disappointed and let down by the hype. Regardless of opinions on the album, as well as the record label associated with it, listeners should at least appreciate it for what it is — a new Lifetime album.

jaene1@lasalle.edu