CD Review: Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now

Louder Now, the third album by Amityville, New York emo kids Taking Back Sunday, isn't really "louder now." In fact, I'm tempted to say that it might actually be more sugary than their first two albums - it's riddled with hints of pleasing a younger, more pop-driven audience. Not that Taking Back Sunday's earlier releases were shrouded with cryptic, brooding, off-center hymns, but there was a sense of originality and that genuine feel I got when I heard those older songs that just doesn't strike much of a chord when I listen to Louder Now. It's hard to define what their drive and intentions were when developing the new album; the songs vary from the TBS insignia of rageful, synchronized ballads to songs that I couldn't even discern as theirs - at some points hipsterish, even feminine jigs.

Although the album misses the mark that previous material hit with great precision, frontman Adam Lazzara's and copilot Fred Mascherino's voices continue to stun, with pure, clear vocals that are perfectly manicured to maneuver side by side. Lazzara's voice strikes higher notes in a number of the songs that tug with a delicate crawl and can turn instantly into strong power presses, both of which are hypnotic. The band is still able to unleash a flood of rage with a great beat and clear vocals, which won them so much acclaim early on. But the lyrics are juvenile, at some points even ridiculous, and the collaborative flow of the songs is muddled - does TBS want to attract younger listeners? Are they trying to experiment, and it just ends up sounding incredibly manufactured and geared to 15-year-olds everywhere? No matter their intention, the band's latest effort sadly sounds like they're straying from their roots.

The first single and the best song is "MakeDamnSure," which exhibits the aforementioned vocalists' ability to manipulate dismal lyrics into something moving, with great expression and variability. The song rises in intensity and caps with the chorus. As a classic TBS song does, it drives you to turn it up and rip it out along with Lazzara. The video for the single is also fantastic; Lazzara and company are visual extraordinaires, with such performance savvy you can feel their intensity. Their vocals melt together so absorbently and with such a fanatic anger that it's easy to fall under their spell with "MakeDamnSure," but alas, that's one of the few highlights of the disc.

Article Author: Modern Pea Pod

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