Taking Back Sunday is one of the more interesting stories of the last few years in up and coming rock. This band seemed poised to be the next huge thing after Thursday. They were part of a burgeoning scene that was coming out of the NY/NJ/Long Island area. Then all of a sudden, I was seeing Coheed and Cambria in Cleveland and this band Straylight Run was opening up. Not being quite the hipster I have always wanted to be, I asked some people in the crowd if the guy onstage was, in fact, John Nolan from Taking Back Sunday because he looked like him and sounded like him. Sure enough John had started a new band with his sister and some other musicians. Assuming that Straylight Run was a side project, I went home, looked around on the internet and found out that Nolan had left Taking Back Sunday and that his leaving might or might not have had something to do with his sister having dated Taking Back Sunday lead singer Adam Lazzara and some possible indiscretions. I really don't know anything other than that, but for a better look, I would suggest reading some of Nolan's most recent lyrics with Straylight.

The real point is that I was curious as to what Taking Back Sunday was going to be able to do without one of the major creative forces behind their debut album, Tell All Your Friends. Lazzara is the front man, but Nolan was the rock that you could always count on. When Lazzara was too busy hopping around or sharing the microphone with the first five rows of each and every audience to sing, you knew Nolan would be pounding on his guitar and screaming every backup line whether it was to Lazzara or the audience that had taken over lead singing duties for their favorite band. It was with these things in mind that I decided to check out "Where You Want to Be."

Set Phasers to the Sun comes in like a punk rock Police. The vocals are reminiscent of Sting for about half a second until the band kicks into the groove. It is now that I hear the same vocal trading style, back and forth, just like the debut album with John Nolan. It sounds just like the old album in that respect, but it feels dirty to me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and the band has every right to keep its style, but there is just something kind of dirty about the fact that this guy has filled Nolan's role so perfectly. Even to the point that his diction and vocal acrobatics seem to pattern themselves after something that was once unique as far as I could tell. I am sure I will get over it, but for now it is just making me feel weird.