Saves the Day

“Sound the Alarm” (Vagrant Records)

Sounds like: Hey Mercedes, Matchbook Romance

REVIEW: 3 / 5

In short: After a failed entry into the mainstream, Saves the Day returns to the underground only to have lost its niche in the scene it helped create.

Consider Saves the Day the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” of emo-punk. The band that nearly single handedly spawned the current emo trend and inspired a plethora of copycats with 1999’s “Through Being Cool” now resides in the metaphorical daytime television slot of the current music scene.

“Sound the Alarm” is a sonic identity crisis. The band is clearly caught in a web of aspirations, all at once attempting to evolve musically while sticking to its roots, as well as regaining lost fans while still looking for another shot at the mainstream. Half the songs, such as “Say You’ll Never Leave” and “The End” demonstrate the band’s short, fast and loud punk leanings of their earlier material. The problem is that lead singer Chris Conley seems to have experienced a reverse-puberty of sorts, and is now singing even more like a 12 year old than he did on the band’s debut, “Can’t Slow Down.”

The other half of the album is devoted to the cliche melodic emo rock of Hawthorne Heights and Matchbook Romance, two bands that probably owe their careers to Saves the Day. The sad part is that although those bands make off with millions, Saves the Day remains virtually unknown to the mainstream.

“Sound the Alarm” is mediocre at best, and although it does contain a few gems, is nothing compared to the Saves the Day that once was.

– Tyler Barrett