Album: Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now
Louder Now is Taking Back Sunday’s third studio album, and their first for Warner Brothers, bringing the usual Major Record anticipation with its release in April 2006. TBS are part of a new mass appeal for young rock fans of ‘emotional music’, and Louder Now is an album that demonstrates this brand of heavy-rock-meets-pop to a new generation of music lovers. 2006 looks set to be a good year for Adam Lazzara’s band.
Makedamnsure was the first single to be released. With an enticing name and a video similar to that of Foo Fighters smash hit Best of You; it didn’t take long to catch on. Lazzara displays his great vocal skills in this song, accompanied by the backing of guitarists Mark O’Connell and Eddie Reyes, with appealing melodies and a high energy chorus. Twenty Twenty Surgery is one track that is immediately memorable. With similar characteristics to Makedamnsure, and one of numerous undemanding chorus’ throughout the album, arguably the best song on Louder Now.
A great strength of the album is its astute diversification. Taking Back Sunday have a good ability to write fast paced raw songs, such as album tracks Spin, Error Operator and Miami, as well as hard-to-beat classics like Cute Without The E and There’s No I in Team. In Louder Now, they have blended created an artistic blend with slower, more stirring tracks such as Devine Intervention and My Blue Heaven.
verdict: With unique songs throughout the album, Louder Now is very entertaining, displaying no strong comparisons to that of previous albums Tell All Your Friends and Where You Want To Be. It could best suit an Alkaline Trio or Lost Prophets relation.