The Modern Day Saint / Sonny

Blah blah blah. Whine whine whine. Why can't bands just stop their silly blubbering mouths for just one or two albums these days? It's not music. It's bland regurgitation. Ever song is about broken hearts or lost loves or missed chances. Well, lemme tell you one thing. I DON'T CARE. I've had my share of heartbreak and I didn't go out and write a shitty album. Seriously. So, ladies and gentlemen, I have one bit of advice for you. The next time you're down in the dumps and feel like, "Hey, maybe I should write music," go drink or smoke or shoot-up or snort yourself into oblivion. When you regain consciousness, any inclination you had for writing shitty, whiny "emo" music will be replaced by a sudden urge to sync-up "Dark Side of the Moon" with "The Wizard of Oz." Seriously.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I'll start with my review. The Modern Day Saint play very passionately. Now, let me remind you, that doesn't mean they play good. They play the most generic form of hardcore-tinged "emo," you know, the kind without time signature changes, interesting chord progressions, any sort of variation in song structure. It's boring, cliché, and un-original. "My Summer Home is a Hospital" sounds like a shitty rip-off of Brand New's "The Quiet Things No One Knows." And I hate that song. "This is so tragic/how we tear apart." Boo-fucking-hoo. The press sheet says a lot about how this band is a new up-and-comer. The problem is, I bet tons of people are going to think so. God, the vocals are even out of tune.

And on to Sonny. This band is broken up, I guess. They play the same style of music as The Modern Day Saint. But they do it better. They infuse different time-signatures, technical drum-fills, interesting guitar riffs and harmonies, vocals that are on-tune, among other things. The genre is generic but at least they are showing creativity and try to set themselves apart from all the other cookie-cutters. It's still bland. And I would expect more from a three guitar band.

So, what did we learn today? 1)There are way too many hardcore-tinged "emo" bands out there today that suck. 2)"Dark Side of the Moon" + "The Wizard of Oz" = Fucking Sweet. I'd give The Modern Day Saint one star. Sonny would get three. Know what that equals? A two-star release. Come and get it boys, the triteness is still steamin' hot.