The follow up to their amazing album Leaving Through The Window (my 2nd favorite album of all time). the band has matured a bit from an entire year and a half on the road and around the world with acts like New Found Glory, Further Seems Forever, Finch, 311, and the Warped Tour.
1)
As You Sleep-the main emphasis comes from andrew's charming vocals and the cool piano. really sweet song that could be on a mix for a girlfriend or just a song to relax too. It's amazing to hear andrew hit some of these high notes that weren't heard on LTTW. highlight: the piano "riff" linking the chorus to the second verse...A+
2)
Space-A little more punkish. the guitars fit really well with the piano and the bridge is cool (especially the effects on andrews voice). the lyrics seem a little less thoughtful and on examinition one finds that this song was penned by guitarist Josh P. it ain't bad but not as colorful as andrew. an obvious choice for single but definitely not the best song on the album. highlight:the bridge...A-
3)
Down-a song more about teenage life "let's get drunk, you can drive us to the harbor" but then the lyrics become more intense "wish upon a star but do you know that stars are balls of fire burning up the black space." the verse is soft but the chorus does pick it up and is catchy. i didn't really like this song upon first listening but it grew on me. higlight: chorus...B+
4)
Only Ashes-The hardest song on the album. Lyrically impressive (Josh wrote it and its definitely better than the space lyrics) "I watch the matches, turn to ashes...and fire's a beautiful sound." all the lyrics are impressive, the vocals are good and the guitars are hard hitting. highlight: not just one moment, the whole song is equally fantastic...A+
5)
Me and The Moon-Much like Janie's got a gun, a song about a daughter who kills her abusive father. Andrew hits amazing high notes in this song, very impressive and hard to do. a more piano driven song. highlight: bridge before final chorus when andrew sings really beautifully...A
6)
The Runaway-again written by Josh, it's alright but not the bands best. the lyrics are predictable and the chorus is fun but fades after a few listenings. highlight:when andrew sings "You better not run"...B-
7)
Ruthless-The second single and i have to say the best song on the album. colorful piano with powerful vocals and good lyrics. warm tones and powerful what else can you ask for. highlight: Andrew yelling "oceans to drown in, you won't make a sound in"...A+
8)
She Paints Me Blue-At first listening, it appears they stole the piano "riff" from their song Konstantine and sped it up...this is true but that doesn't make the song unoriginal. it nice and soft witha nice harmony in the chorus. highlight:the "atlanta starting raining on me" part at the end...A
9)
Break Myself-a cool verse with a nice underlying guitar but the chorus leaves something ot be desired. it's a decent song but not fantastic. higlight: piano intro....B
10)
I Won't Make You-Cool with a nice intro and good lyrics. and a nice chorus another good track to relax too. i don't know what else there is to say, it's good. highlight: chorus...A
11)
21 & Invincible-The most punk song on the album. with standard power chord guitars but witha nice warm sound and the harmonies on the chorus are quite awesome, the second guitar in the 2nd verse is cool with the high little solo things. nice bridge and a simple yet cool guitar solo. my original favorite, great song. highlight: the choruses and the solo
12) Miss America-a song about being on the road all the time with good vocals and nice piano with a crisp bass line and pleasant accompaning drums, lyrically pretty good, the choruses are nice to. highlight: the chorus...B+
the album seems to emphasize andrew's vocals and then the piano rather then most current rock albums which emphasize guitars. a good release, not as good as leaving through the window but more mature and still fantastic
Grade: A :thumb:
