Review Summary: Saosin Crafts a fine Post Hardcore album, with varied music and likable vocals.
Saosin
Translating the Name EP
After hearing about Saosin from several of my female friends who obsess over every mainstream band to hit warped tour, I decided to take a listen, not really knowing what to expect. I chose the Translating the Name EP because it seemed to be the most well liked of their recordings. Needless to say, it took me by surprise.
As soon as I popped this CD into my computer, I was hit by “Seven Years,” which, for the first 30 seconds, wasn’t that great. But as soon as the wonderful soaring sung/screamed chorus hit, I was hooked. The chorus riff is different enough from the flowing verse riff to take you by surprise. It comes abruptly and immediately transitions back into the slow verse riff that suites vocalist Anthony Green’s singing so well. Right as the second verse starts you are truly introduced to the vocal power that is Anthony Green. His command of the upper registers is used to amazing effect on “Seven Years,” and the second verse in particular, really draws you into the song. Another standout feature of this track is the drumming, from the hi-hat fueled verses to the snare and crash chorus beat, tasteful fills are in abundance and suit the music very well.
Next up is “Translating the Name” the title track, and, to be honest, the verse featured just seems too similar to “Seven Years” in terms of vocals and instrumentation to really stand out. This track is the only one that feels a little bit like filler. It meanders along till about the 2 and a half minute mark, where the song picks up its pace and carries the upbeat feeling to the end. The ending of this song just doesn’t seem worth the wait.
Immediately following the title track is “3rd Measurement in C,” and upbeat track featuring a running drum beat that pushes through the entire song. Anthony hits a few lower notes in the verses of this song, which changes up the vocals enough to remain interesting. This is probably the heaviest track on this CD, with some of the best guitar tandem between Justin Shekoski and Beau Burchell, rhythm and lead guitarists, respectively.
Anther standout song to be found here is “lost symphonies” which hits you from the start with a calm guitar riff and vocals that quickly move between high and extremely high, which contrasts the guitar work nicely. This song also features some of Anthony greens oddest lyrics, featuring lines like “Siren siren, don't do this dance in my ear.” While being odd, the lyrics and vocal style of this song is in no way off-putting. Also of note is the nice tom fill near the end of the first chorus, transitioning from the chors to the verse very tastefully.
Last up is “They Perch On Their Stilts Pointing and Daring Me to Break Custom,” which features more of Anthony deliciously atonal singing, with a hard riff to start the song and throw you straight in the action. About halfway through the verse is an urgent riff that is one of my favorites on the album. A very well song chorus is a nice addition, with some catchy vocal melodies that, by about the third listen, will have you singing it merrily in your head for the rest of the day.
Overall
Entertaining listen, overall suffers from being a bit repetitive making it less enjoyable for the long term listener. Another issue is bass. To be honest, there really is none, only at certain moments can you even hear a little bass. Other than those points, fun backing music and original lyrics, coupled with a somewhat off-putting singer, make Saosin's Translating the Name good, but not great. 3.5/5
Pros
- Varied drumming
- Fun guitar work
- Nice vocals after you get used to them
Cons
- Takes a while to get used to vocals
- Suffers from some repetitiveness
Recommended Tracks
- Seven Years
- Lost Symphonies
