Taking Back Sunday "Where You Want to Be" CD
[Victory]
So, the big "sophomore full-length" from the emo wonderboys who blew the fuck up out of nowhere and have sold shitloads of records since that time. I liked their debut, I wasn't blown away, I don't really know why it sold hundreds of thousands of copies, but I liked it. This one's at about the same level for me. Good, but not great. I like it, it's an enjoyable listen, it has some catchy songs, etc. But the only real improvement is that the recording is better. The last one sounded fine but they've just polished it up here and made it a little cleaner and smoother. The bass tone is really central, the vocals don't lean too far to the front, the percussion sounds great, and the guitars ring through with lots of detail. Good stuff. Writing-wise, though, there's not one song on here that can hold a candle to "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From the Team)" from the first record. This material just isn't as catchy. It's a little more diverse, I guess. Still basic emo with lots of guitar layering and melody with shifts between louder and softer elements, a blend of singing and screaming (mostly singing), a little more subdued rock than the last time around perhaps... I don't know. It's good. It grows on you. The first listen is a little bland, but the songs get more memorable with a few spins. Things open strong with "Set Phasers to Stun" and "Bonus Mosh Pt. II" which are pretty standard fare and could've been on their last disc, "The Union" is somewhat of a weak song with an amazing chorus that's one of the finest on the record and saves the track, etc. "New American Classic" is an acoustic ballad of sorts complete with some strings, etc. - really not bad, not too powerful or anything to me, but a good song, something a little different. "A Decade Under the Influence" is definitely on the bland side though, as is "I am Fred Astaire", both of which have more of a mid-tempo rock undercurrent, but the chorus in "Little Devotional" is fucking great, and "One-Eighty by Summer" is a damn fine track, so the strongest numbers are definitely spread throughout the record to carry its weight (thankfully). I'm not into the layout, though. It's consistent, it looks pretty professional, and the satin finish digipack looks nice, but the actual imagery is just bland and boring. A naked baby standing on a desolate desert road and a color scheme that looks worn and weathered like something from a 70's rock band LP? Ehhh, it's not that visually engaging, you know? It works better on the booklet, which would've made a stronger cover, actually. The lyrics, while typically "emo" in general content, are at least approached in a more creative and involved manner just as far as word choice and whatnot, so it's not too straightforward or anything like that, and I don't find it to be whiny material either. The disc does, however, have one of the most senseless and wasteful CD-Rom portions I've ever seen, with a mere five minutes or less of random footage in the studio/behind the scenes or whatever and almost no substantial content whatsoever. Totally pointless. What else needs to be said? If you liked the last one you should like this one, but you might not dig it as much. I'm not all that enthusiastic about this band so I'm not bent out of shape about it. I'm a bit of a "fan" I suppose, but these guys are honestly not original and I don't really know that they deserve all the hype as a result. I still contend that Spitalfield is the best emo-ish band on Victory and is having a crime committed against them with all of these other guys on the label blowing up around them. Go figure. Whatever, despite weak moments this is a solid 40-minute listen. I like it. (7/10)
Running time - 40:52, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Set Phasers to Stun, Bonus Mosh Pt. II, One-Eighty by Summer, Little Devotional]
Victory Records - http://www.victoryrecords.com

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