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| REVIEWS |
Taking
Back Sunday
Where You Want To Be
(Victory)
To brand Taking Back Sunday’s sophomore release with a
cliché "hotly anticipated" simply does not
do justice to the band or its fans. Where You Want To Be
has materialized into one of the best-selling independent releases
ever, as fans continue to support the band with fervor and astounding
enthusiasm, while the band stuns with awesome live performances
and an admirable work ethic. It also helps that the album is
worth the brutal anticipation. While the band has endured many
a well-publicized dramatic set-back, the new record does not
dwell on the past, instead representing growth and change without
losing focus.
Taking Back Sunday's appeal has always been in the lyrics, which
relay back and forth like a very emotional ping pong match and
resonate deeply to the hearts of the devastated, confused, remorseful,
and desperate. The words are ambiguous enough that they can
be interpreted any way the listener wants, perfectly describing
toxic relationships and buried emotions. The lyrics can be read,
analyzed, and posted on a Live Journal. Lazzara's sincere delivery
puts him on the level of the listener, letting them know that
he is not very different from the kid in the crowd. When he
sings “its love…make it hurt,” listeners feel
it.
Contrast and the lack of a set formula keep Where You Want
To Be interesting and put the band’s range on display.
Lazzara wails “Just who do you think you are?” over
thundering bass lines that make “The Union” worthy
of playing at an ungodly volume in traffic. Angry creams then
suddenly give in to the soft and subdued “New American
Classic” mid-album. The acoustic ballad is a surprising
departure from all of the band’s other album tracks, slowing
down for four and a half minutes of epic melancholia. “Number
Five With A Bullet” would make a great single, while “Little
Devotional” is sure to be a fan favorite in the vein of
“There’s No ‘I’ in Team.”
The band's current lineup is musically tighter, adding classically
trained Breaking Pangaea alum Fred Mascherino on guitar and
backing vocals, and stirring Grammy winning bassist Matt Rubano
into the mix. Improvement isn't limited to the newbies: Adam
Lazzara's vocals are more melodic, Mark O'Connell's drumming
is more complex, and Eddie Reyes' riffing is more powerful.
Otherwise, Where You Want To Be cannot be compared
to 2002's Tell All Your Friends; Taking Back Sunday
is now a different band, with different strengths and different
chemistry than during the Nolan-era. Two years and two new band
members later, it would be absolutely ridiculous to put out
an album similar to their debut. Where You Want To Be
is distinctly Taking Back Sunday while optimistically gazing
into the future and not looking back.
Reviewed by
Ashley Rigazio
September 13th, 2004 |
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