Yeah, I was one of the few fans that loved and appreciated that album right from the start, which made it that much more devastating when that band decided to take a step back for their sound and released that garbage "Fast Times" album. The whole thing, minus one song or two, was just cringeworthy. Anyways, sucks that fans never gave "Santi" a chance.
Funny. It was around the same time, 2011 I think, when I found used copies of both Santi and Fast Times at a used entertainment store. I fell in love with both. They're almost equals in my book, but I still fall on the side of the Fast Times (even though I think "Paper Chase" is the worst song in their discography). I think "After the Last Midtown Show" deserves to be considered one of the all-time great emo songs, and I still attribute that album with having the strongest pre-choruses from the top-to-bottom of an album that I've ever heard.
Taking Back Sunday's Where You Want to Be might be worth discussing in that conversation. Though, I am not sure it was a "flop" so much as just a follow up to a colossal debut.
Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but i thought all of the reviews chopped it up as something close but not as great. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. I still go back to it from time to time.
Where You Want To Be was a major success with Louder Now being the peak after. Only shit track on WYWTB? Bonus Mosh Pit. That. Song. Sucks.
Transit - YNE comes to mind for sure (even though I like that album). They were such a solid band releasing so much great material and definetly on the rise. A lot of people had eyes on them to do something huge and after that album it was just over. Crazy to think about how people viewed transit in 2011 and how they ended up.
It did get some negative reviews--the one-star Punknews one comes to mind--but it sold too many copies to be considered a flop.
It just sounds like a local band who loves TBS got professionally recorded to me lol. Also I'll never forget when I made my parents keep FUSE on to watch the TBS debut the new song live and fuhhhhhh it was bad. My dad was laughing and said "really Matt? Ok". Maybe that memory ruined the song for me? hah
Cartel's follow up to Chroma is mine. They were -the- band in that time and the follow up bombed hard.
I remember watching the performance a few years back on youtube and oof... it's awful. Fred even sounds like garbage and that's rare. Side note: listening to "The Decay" off WOV. So so good.
I've been on this site too long. There's a hilarious Jason Tate review of that album floating around somewhere. Best quote: "Ashley Simpson wrote 'New American Classic'". Ah, 2004....
I actually enjoyed Santi, I think the majority of the fans they had thought it was way to big of a change...
Regarding Santi: I "hated" the Academy Is in middle school and all I had listened to was Santi. Then my 7th grade girlfriend of all people convinced me to listen to Almost Here and I've loved the Academy Is ever since. But now I've gone back to appreciate Santi so much. Such a fun creative album. If we're never getting a new TAI album id love at least a 10 year show for Santi (maybe even a one off Riot Fest show - I don't see why not haha).