29 is awesome and 9 is awesome and those who say they don’t relate just don’t relate to anything th other than breakups
This board has a lot of die hard fans who will say yes. I definitely think the self-titled and under the boards are good. Overall though they are just a different band that is never quite as good as what they were. IMO.
They have some good songs now and then, but overall they just won't be able to match how amazing they were.
Agreed. But I will say, there is also the same amount of passion between the “Saves the Day hasn’t been good since SWYA” and the “Saves the Day has always been good” camps. Some dude yelled at me at a Saves show a couple years ago because I said I loved the trilogy haha
I always wonder what fans would think of later STD albums (Sound the Alarm on) if Chris’ vocals didn’t drastically change. I personally love his voice the most during the In Reverie era. I feel like the songwriting has always been very good with these guys, but I understand if people can’t listen bc of his vocals.
Im honestly not too sure. Sound the Alarm needs aggressive vocals and the vocals on In Reverie are much more soft and wavy (if that makes sense). It’s hard to imagine what aggressive In Reverie vocals would sound like. I think the vocals on Daybreak are more similar to In Reverie than UtB and StA.
Chris's vocals on In Reverie are great. He never sounds close to this on any other record. Still, Chris's vocals on the trilogy and self-titled are definitely cringey at points, but the bigger issue is the music for me. As much as Chris likes to say that STD has always been him writing all the songs, that's just not true. Dave, Eben, Ted, and Bryan actually brought a lot to the table on those early records. IR still had Eben and Dave. Once Eben left and Chris knee-jerked back to punk after IR, the music just hasn't been able to recapture that energy. I feel like self-titled was the closest the band has come to "moving on" from the old days, but then 9 goes back and mires itself in that nostalgia.
I see where you’re coming from, but one constant has always been the solid bass playing. One thing that has always set Saves apart from other bands in the genre is the insane bass playing. Eben, Manny, Rodrigo... I think they all hold that constant really well from each record. Also there’s no denying Arun is an incredible guitar player, but his sound is very different from Dave and Teds. I think it fits in with the evolution of the band.
The music on Sound the Alarm and Under the Boards rules. Especially the rhythm section. Can't imagine feeling otherwise. Sound the Alarm and Under the Boards are just great records in general, really.
"Kaleidoscope" is top notch Saves The Day, and that's mainly due to the rhythm section, like you said. The drums and bass' interaction on that song in particular are what makes it so perfect.
I really love the whole trilogy. Sound the Alarm is great, Under the Boards was actually the first album I listened to by them so I’ll always have a soft spot for it, and Daybreak could even make a case as my favorite Saves the Day album at times. I never got that into the self titled, but 9 is pretty good. Not my favorite by them but definitely an enjoyable album
Love the trilogy. If there's a sizable camp that doesn't like them during that time, that's dumb. Under The Boards is so good. 9 is the only album I don't care for. And I think musically it's still pretty solid. I underrate their consistency probably
The behind the scenes DVD of Under The Boards was really cool because they still had the two guys from Glassjaw as their bassist and drummer and they meshed so well with Chris at that period of time. Seeing them play and just jam out in the studio was rad.
I kind of hate Sound the Alarm honestly. Just seems like such an obvious "apology" record for something they never needed to apologize for. It's like Saves the Day all of a sudden tried to be a Fat Wreck band. In Reverie is brilliant, a bunch of people didn't get it, so they decided to over compensate on the aggression. It's kind of like the Get Up Kids and Guilt Show. On A Wire was a super interesting and mature record, a bunch of the old fans didn't like it, so they put out a really mediocre record of tracks that try to sound like Something to Write Home about. UTB and Daybreak are both better, vocally and musically.
I also majorly disagree with this. I don't even think it was an apology. I think it was pure frustration and depression. Not only did Chris feel he was hurt from how the label handled IR and how the fans/public reacted to it, but he was also going through a lot of other personal issues and battles that really dragged him into some dark places. It felt like an album of catharsis. Like being able to share all the terrible thoughts you feel about yourself and how you feel like they're echoed by everyone else. How you self-sabotage and can get buried under the weight of your negative thoughts so easily. I think it was one of their most passionate albums because you could hear his pain and distress. For someone who has severe depression and has suffered from a lot of mental health issues from a very young age, it really resonates with me and I think it's the best album in the trilogy.