Review Summary: Youthful fire combined with newfound maturity.
Pennsylvania has been an integral part of the independent music scene in recent years. With bands like Title Fight, Tigers Jaw, Modern Baseball, and too many other good bands to list, making a name for yourself in the current independent music scene is no easy task. Harder still, is finding a way to distinguish your band from the pack. Many have failed in that respect, and faded from memory, but Daylight have managed to find their place, and prove that they have something important to bring to the table.
From the first roaring drum beat on the album opener "Sponge", it becomes clear that you are listening to a completely re-imagined Daylight. They have left behind their more punk oriented nature, and embraced a more atmospheric, Failure esque sound. On this record, they focus on immersing the listener in the pounding, reverb-tinged world of Jar, rather than sacrifice atmosphere for a collection of riffs to headbang to. Thats not to say there aren't some crushing guitar riffs on this LP, though. The guitar parts in "Life in a Jar", "Crawl", and "Younger Daughter" strike me as the most gratifying, but honestly, all of the music on this LP is great. The members of this band perform with passion and urgency unseen in lots of bands today. The fantastic vocal performances and extremely personal lyrics give you a sense of closeness to the band, and the catchy melodies and huge choruses in songs like "In On It" and "Crawl" will be stuck in your head for days, whether you like it or not. The song "Youngest Daughter" is about a loved one being addicted to drugs, and the heart-wrenching, extremely personal lyrics in this song will leave you floored.
The most obvious progression for Daylight on this record is the addition of confidence. They play loudly and proudly, and they don't loosen their grip on the listeners ears. They know who they are. They are presenting a collection of songs that mean something to them and are relevant to their lives and to the lives of their fans.
From start to finish, Jar is an extremely rewarding listen. I'm hard pressed to find many flaws. If I had to complain about something, I would say that "Hole in the Ground" drags on for a bit too long. Other than that, all of the songs hold their own, and earn their placement on the LP.
Daylight has a bright future ahead of them, and I'm excited to see what they do next.
4.5/5
