 | Tracklist:
1. Sticks & Bricks
2. All I Want
3. It's Complicated
4. This Is The House That Doubt Built
5. 2nd Sucks
6. Better Off This Way
7. All Signs Point To Lauderdale
8. You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic
9. Out Of Time
10. If I Leave
Release Date: 2010 | |
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On 32 Lists
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| Summary: Homesick Pt. 2 is (a little) better than Homesick Pt. 1 |
Now, I feel for one of my best friends -- A Day To Remember is one of his favorite bands, and though he is not an active member on this particular website, he often tells me how much it bothers him that the community here trashes this band in various news posts/reviews. I tell him to just expect it; after all, we are all sputnikmusic here, right guys? We’re mean, elitist bastards. We like the stuff no one else likes, and if they do like it, then we hate it. A Day To Remember have come down with some sort of virus-ratio throughout their career together, having much in common with the attitude that underflows through the workings of sputnikmusic. You see, ever since starting in 2003, A Day To Remember have become maligned by a growing number of specific music listeners.
The more other people like them, the more people like us hate them.
Though, this hating goes a little deeper than a matter of popularity -- it’s their music, too. Just take a look at A Day To Remember’s discography and the career path the band has taken. A clear trail can be followed from making a likable blend of melodic metalcore into, what they make presently, commercial pop punk in the New Found Glory vein -- with some screams. In this sense, the more the band becomes something your little brother would like, the more people like us hate them.
Yeah, that seems about right.
Remember last year’s Homesick? Did you hate it, or did you love it? Well, opinions on that album were split right in the middle between the listeners that loved the catchy choruses and lite-in-the-background screams and those that, well, didn’t (like John Hanson). I sat somewhere in the middle (I know, rare), sporting my lovely 2.5 rating like a badge of honor, standing up to my friend and his fandom for A Day To Remember, while understanding why the band was getting more and more popular with a growing number of people: they’re catchy (relatively), and they are kind of like a gateway band to harder things for the kiddies. And they are angsty, too.
This year’s What Separates Me From You is kind of like A Day To Remember finding what separates their current fans from their critics, you see -- “Me” being their fans, “You” their critics (as I see it). Now, the “Me” will love this album. You could call it a (slightly more) consistent Homesick, the band building on the formula they were going for with that album, inevitably about to train wreck into the mainstream. The “You”, on the other hand, will hate this album: it will sound generic, sugary-sticky, and angsty, meh. That’s basically all you need to know; there’s your review for What Separates Me From You in a nutshell.
Just kidding.
The first highlight from Homesick Pt. 2 comes with catchy first single “All I Want”. Here’s a song that’s already charted on the modern rock charts, and it’s little wonder with its intensely melodic chorus and “I want a place for my own” lyrics that the teenies seem to love these days. As long as A Day To Remember keep to this format -- I know, it’s sad, but the band is actually better off sounding commercial than sticking to A Day To Remember's roots at this point on What Separates Me From You – things do go pretty well for them. “2nd Sucks” and opener “Sticks & Bricks” is what A Day To Remember shouldn’t do anymore, however; it’s this breakdown-growled garbage where singer Jeremy McKinnon tries to be death metal and shit, and guitarists Neil Westfall and Kevin Skaff get lazy and sound constipated. No. Just no.
Fortunately, this doesn’t happen that often on What Separates Me From You, though. A Day To Remember are moving farther and farther into commercial territory, and from the sound of it, they are getting better at writing songs and choruses that fit that career path: there are many radio singles on here, folks. Take your pick, really -- “Out of Time” seems primed and ready for a rotation around March of next year, “All I Want” for the next couple of months or so, and probably “This Is The House That Doubt Built” after that for the summer months. A Day To Remember’s guitars play hard, but the vocals of McKinnon, at this point, are getting closer and closer to bringing the band into radio stardom (spot 10 or 11, maybe). How does this fair for sputnikmusic, though? 1 out of 5, probably. My friend? 5 out of 5. And me? Well, I’ll throw down a 3 out of 5. Not too bad, guys. It's a little better than last time, good work.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 2.5
Not expecting much out of this, but this is a guilty pleasure, so I'm still stoked.
Digging: Challenges - We Ruined The Neighborhood | | |
better than expected, now out in the UK
Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
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I really don't care for this band, but they're so catchy I always find myself listening to them sadly
| | | Album Rating: 1.5 | Sound Off
Their past few albums had some really great songs, but this was just so boring.
Digging: Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards The Daylight Digging: Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards The Daylight | | | Album Rating: 2
homesick was so poor, i won't be listening to this
Digging: The Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station Digging: The Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station | | |
I don't know why, but I wanna give this a listen
Great review also
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Thanks, there are some great tunes here and there -- All I Want and This Is The House That Doubt Built
others, not so much
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For Those Who Have Heart is clearly their best album....
This one is missing the shouts (which their singer is really good at imho)
and has the same song structure over and over again.
2nd sucks is my personal favourite track (I´m a sucker at breakdowns :P=
but this song doesn´t fit the album.
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some songs are samey, agreed, and yes the scream-heavy tracks don't seem to fit that well with what they're trying to go for with this album.
I really think the band should do an all or nothing approach next time. Fans may be pissed, but it would sound more consistent
| | | Album Rating: 2
this band is a joke and shouldn't have a "next time"
Digging: Billy Woods - History Will Absolve Me Digging: Billy Woods - History Will Absolve Me | | |
I don't find this album catchy I find it actually annoying on many songs, besides a few songs this album is shit
Digging: Rush - Hemispheres
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"DUH NUH DUH NUH DUH DUH...LET'S GO!!!!"
Digging: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
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^ not gonna lie that intro is epic and quite lol
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Good review, Jared; glad to see such an in-your-face style. I liked how you set it up and I'll at least give this album a try now. Pos'd.
Digging: Between the Buried and Me - Colors
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Thanks Matt. You may like a couple of tracks on here.
Hope you get to check out my dig
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
By far the best release from the band so far
Digging: Rites of Thy Degringolade - Totalitys Commad | | | Album Rating: 3
It's sounding good so far.
Digging: Propagandhi - Supporting Caste Digging: Propagandhi - Supporting Caste | | | Album Rating: 1.5 | Sound Off
By far the best release from the band so far
Brandon, I am genuinely surprised
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i kind of agree with him, i think
for those who have heart is close
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
They finally discovered their "perfect" sound - they should have always accentuated the pop-punk in their sound and only sprinkle in the heavier moments very, very rarely.
edit: plus, every other album always had a few songs that were embarrassingly bad and this album doesn't.
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