Remember When...

A Skylit Drive - "Adelphia"

Release Date: June 9, 2009

If I seemed a bit bitter with my review of Wires...and the Concept of Breathing, it's because I listened to Adelphia right after it, and so I already knew they wouldn't be fixing everything I had hoped. I like this record, and I'm not going to call Adelphia "WATCOB 2.0", but in the next few paragraphs there's a good chance I'm going to criticize it for similar reasons.

Let me start with what A Skylit Drive did better with this album: There's a much, much bigger difference from song to song. Most tracks seem to have their own substance, and this album feels like a good ten or eleven songs. Compare that to WATCOB, which felt like perhaps four really long songs. They do a lot more instrumentally here, and everything sounds cleaner and more crisp, which only helps separate it from other tracks.

Lyrics are a bit more notable on Adelphia, word choice seems more interesting and the story in each song seems to be presented much better. I'll also admit that Jag does give a little more thought into his words at some points in the album. During "Children of Adelphia", I hear the sincerity in the lines "First to the sea/Then to the sky/It's beautiful, I know you'll like it." and that's great. The problem is, it appears to be just coincidental: "The final piece that I need is that spark in your eye/Where did it go?," is a great lyric, but Jag sings it as if he's reading it off of a sign or something. I'm not ready to fully appreciate A Skylit Drive because they don't seem sincere about their message.

The biggest stand-out on Adelphia is probably "The Children of Adelphia". It has the whole package: great, heavy screams, a light-hearted chorus with a sing-a-long section, some nice synth bits, and some pretty good lyrics to boot. "Thank God It's Cloudy Cause I'm Allergic to Sunlight" and "Eva the Carrier" are pretty weird songs, but listening to the entire length of both tracks is a satisfactory experience. I absolutely love the synth that appears about half-way through the former. There's still a filler song, "Words End in Whispers Not Bangs" and most of the songs I didn't list aren't amazing, but worth a couple of listens.

Adelphia isn't a masterpiece, but it does show some progression in A Skylit Drive's sound, and I'm interested to see what the band comes out with next year. This album doesn't remind me of any other post-hardcore record and for that I praise it. Fans of the genre are probably safe in going out and buying this one, but if you're on the edge you can give parts of the album a listen. Maybe if the guys enroll Jag into a few storytelling classes, we'll see a stellar third full-length release next year.

Remember When...

A Skylit Drive - "Wires...and the Concept of Breathing"

Release Date: May 21, 2008

I first became interested in post-hardcore band A Skylit Drive with their release of this album, Wires...and the Concept of Breathing. I had heard good things about their previous EP, but when I looked at reviews online I found terrible review scores and disappointed listeners. People criticized the band's new vocalist and a seemingly over-produced sound. Naturally, I ignored it...Until a year later, when I stumbled upon the album yet again and decided to give it a listen.

WATCOB begins with the track "In the Beginning There was Void". While A Skylit Drive is by absolutely no means the pioneers of the filler track, bands who feel the need to bump up the number of tracks on their album really get to me. Being the first track, it really started me off in a negative mindset.

In an attempt to wash off this mediocrity, however, A Skylit Drive jump right back in with the track "Knights of the Round". The song features everything A Skylit Drive has to offer - deep, powerful screaming, a catchy chorus with clean vocals, interesting lyrics, and great song structure. After twenty listens I still have to sing along to, "I don't think you know, I don't think you know." "Knights of the Round" is, in my opinion, the best and most unique track on WATCOB, and the band would benefit more by sticking to its style.

Unfortunately, WATCOB shows its true colors starting with the third track. No other song really feels special or different, and if I wasn't extremely focused while listening I don't think I'd be able to tell you where one song ends and another one begins. There are a few good lyrics and a handful of catchy lines in other tracks, but the middle section of the album really drags, only to slightly pick itsself back up at "Ex Machina" onward.

While I appreciate singers with great vocals, I'm somewhat annoyed when they don't use their talent to its full potential. Jag, the band's lead vocalist, has a good clean voice, but he doesn't put emotion into his words. He just has the one same pitch throughout the majority of the record, and while I like it, it definitley gets old fast. Luckily, there's a decent amount of screaming mixed in so it's not just vocals, but the album would probably be worth more listens if it didn't feel like Jag was reading the lyrics off of a piece of paper.

I feel WATCOB is a good attempt from A Skylit Drive, but I think they can do so much more. The album is very enjoyable on the first and second listens, but the more you listen the more you realize how plain the album is. I wouldn't recommend paying full price for this album, but the band's probably worth at least one listen to the song "Knights of the Round."

Remember When...

Dance Gavin Dance - "Happiness"

Release Date: June 9, 2009

I didn't enjoy Dance Gavin Dance's self-titled album.  Downtown Battle Mountain was an outstanding album, and I think a lot of credit can go to vocalist Jonny Craig.  He's a great singer.  The step from DBM to the self-titled didn't feel right, though.  New vocalist Kurt Travis just couldn't bring the experience Craig did, and production on the album just felt rushed.  I was unenthusiastic about Happiness, to say the least.

If the self-titled album was a step back for Dance Gavin Dance, Happiness is five steps forward.  Kurt Travis seems to finally feel at home with the band, and while he doesn't sound one bit like Jonny Craig, his unique and catchy voice matches the band's new sound almost perfectly.  The new technical and funky feel present on Happiness actually seems better suited for Travis; Jonny's voice would almost seem out of place.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference on the new album is the song composition.  Instrumentally, nothing seemed to be overlooked this time around and the band isn't just making noise anymore.  Technical guitars and other sounds blend together to give the album a sort of funk that was much needed.  The more heavy parts give drummer Matt Mingus some time to shine, and are usually accompanied by screamer Will Swan.  When the focus is on Travis' clean vocals, the band gets a little more melodic and trippy, and the result is fantastic.

Dance Gavin Dance has never been a band that is strong lyrically, though, and that's very noticeable on Happiness.  There's nothing thought-provoking or interesting, and sometimes the lyrics flat out ruin the song.  Think "Don't Tell Dave", where the chorus consists of simply, "So glad you made it, did  you bring your friends x3, it's a party baby, hope it never ends x3."

If Dance Gavin Dance could release an album with excellent lyrics I think I'd have a new all-time favorite record.  It seems to be the only thing holding them back - both vocally and instrumentally they're outstanding.  While it's interesting to think of what the band would sound like today had Jonny Craig, Jon Mess, and others not quit, I believe Happiness shows that it doesn't matter.  The band has obviously found their sound with what I believe to be the best Dance Gavin Dance album to date.