|
Review Navigator   FeaturesContestsReviews
| Taking Back SundayWhere You Want To Be2004 Victory 
 Review by: colin See others by this writer Official Website (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on July 27th 2004 It wasn't too long ago that I was thinking that Taking Back Sunday could do no wrong. A guilty pleasure of mine, their emo-post-popcore (or whatever you want to call it) sound struck a chord with me, and after being introduced to an advanced copy of "Tell All Your Friends," I was hooked. I saw them in concert a few times, enjoyed it all, thought they were a great band with amazing potential for taking the sound of early Saves The Day and driving it through the head with a hammer, bringing more edge and bite to it. Enter the drama machine. Although the 'official' details are never released, guitarist/singer/songwriter John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper leave. I assume, at this point, the band is dead. I guess they proved me wrong... to some extent. As it turns out, the band is very much alive and have produced a valiant sophomore effort with ex-members of Breaking Pangea attempting to fill in the gaping holes left in the lyrics and music. And I am using "attempting" very, very loosely. The very first few seconds of the album scream of overproduction. While the production on "Tell All Your Friends" was noticable, it actually helped the dual vocals, equalizing them very well with the guitars and amazing drums. This time around, no such luck. The introductory track is a perfect mock up for what the rest of the album will contain: painfully bad, overly repetative lyrics trying too hard to be written by someone who did not write them ("Go on, just say it/You need me like a bad habit"), an overly obvious verse/chorus/verse/chorus/breakdown/chorus formula, poppy and radio-ready guitars which don't carry half the same melody and individuality as what they used to, and the often off key and some times just plain awful ("New American Classic") vocals of Adam Lazzara. I will repeat this now, before the "Oh, you're biased" comments ensue... I was a huge fan of this band. "Bonus Mosh Part 2" is one of the stronger tracks on the album, not falling too much into the failures of repetition and simplicity, with a unique duality of guitar work. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there. By the time the aforementioned "New American Classic" begins with an acoustic guitar, the album is already a simple formula, to which an intervention is needed. So, what better way than an acoustic, Dashboard Confessional-esque chart topper? Nice try. "New American Classic" has to be one of the worst songs I've ever heard, especially for the now booming acousticapellaemo genre. Such a bold title for such a letdown of a song. "One Eighty By Summer" is probably my second favorite track on the album. The first minute and a half is painful to listen to, the song structure is normal and the key/guitar/notes are just plain awful and the lyrics are subpar. However, the breakdown and ending of the song remind me of the days when this band had members with talent, a nice buildup and explosion at the end, good production on layered vocals. Nothing outstanding, however on this disc, it sounds pretty good. The next two songs drag through, with the introduction to "Number Five With A Bullet" making me wonder if the band could have written these songs in keys that Lazzara's voice could actually hit. Throughout the album, he seems uninterested, almost as if he knows he's singing the next big emo disaster. And now, the grand finale. "...Slowdance On The Inside." When I first listened to this, my reaction was, "Wait, I've heard this before." Most people who saw the band live before the infamous break up might remember this as a faster paced, harder hitting song (a live mp3 was leaked on Kazaa, go find it if you can.) This slowed down, almost perverse version is still the standout track on the disc. It's obvious Nolan's musical ability came into play here, as the overall orchestration of the song is on par with old TBS; catchy, poppy, with a bit of an edge and a fantastic ending. However, the lyrics seem to be ripping from Brand New, something that was probably a Nolan influence as well.
Suffice to say, I am extremely disappointed with this album, but somehow not surprised by the total lack of originality, talent, or even decency. The writing took a complete nose dive, the music is strained, but still radio ready, and even the artwork is amateurish. Skip this one, folks.
People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
this is good album, and if you think about it the lyrics actually are very good. first of all tell all your friends was actually written by nolan and lazzara who got togethor with lacey and came up with ideas for songs then went and took them and made them into their own thing. thats why you notice huge similaritys in lyrics. on tayf and your favorite weopon. then from what iv gathered lazzara thought michelle nolan (who he was dating) was being really mean and controllive and cheated on her. he told lacey who he thought he could trust. lacey went straight to nolan who told michelle who broke up with adam and wanted john to quit the band, who was split on the decision until lacey intervened and told him to quit and start something new. so him and shawn went since they had written songs that werent suited for tbs anyway and then straylight run blah blah blah. and when you look at it most of the songs on this album and some on the new one could really back this story up. just like in there's no i in team where nolan took lyrics from brand new lazzara does the same thing to catch their attention. including playing soco amaretto lime and half step higher and taking the lyrics and changing them a little bit to catch lacey and nolans attention. i would think the most obvious are bonus mosh to michelle, the union goes to the friendship between lacey and nolan and alot of others,looking at it this way the lyrics make way better sense.from the new album, whats it feel like to be a ghost basicly saying, what it feel like to not be famous anymore nolan, liar refers to them all as choir boys which is also a familiar line, make damn sure is a reply to brand news okay i belive you but my tommy gun dont (which disses lazzara hard) switching the lyric ' i am all you ever wanted (brand new) to ' you are everything i want bc you are everything im not' (tbs) also the song existentialism on prom night is most likely talking to lazzara saying 'sing what you think nooone is listing, and sing me something soft sad and delicate or loud and out of key..' which would explain while this album is softer compared to tayf and then louder now is obviosly louder. that is what iv picked up reading forums and ect. tbs is way more skilled then you givve them credit for. just listen to most of brand new straylight run and tbss music. this is good album, and if you think about it the lyrics actually are very good. first of all tell all your friends was actually written by nolan and lazzara who got togethor with lacey and came up with ideas for songs then went and took them and made them into their own thing. thats why you notice huge similaritys in lyrics. on tayf and your favorite weopon. then from what iv gathered lazzara thought michelle nolan (who he was dating) was being really mean and controllive and cheated on her. he told lacey who he thought he could trust. lacey went straight to nolan who told michelle who broke up with adam and wanted john to quit the band, who was split on the decision until lacey intervened and told him to quit and start something new. so him and shawn went since they had written songs that werent suited for tbs anyway and then straylight run blah blah blah. and when you look at it most of the songs on this album and some on the new one could really back this story up. just like in there's no i in team where nolan took lyrics from brand new lazzara does the same thing to catch their attention. including playing soco amaretto lime and half step higher and taking the lyrics and changing them a little bit to catch lacey and nolans attention. i would think the most obvious are bonus mosh to michelle, the union goes to the friendship between lacey and nolan and alot of others,looking at it this way the lyrics make way better sense.from the new album, whats it feel like to be a ghost basicly saying, what it feel like to not be famous anymore nolan, liar refers to them all as choir boys which is also a familiar line, make damn sure is a reply to brand news okay i belive you but my tommy gun dont (which disses lazzara hard) switching the lyric ' i am all you ever wanted (brand new) to ' you are everything i want bc you are everything im not' (tbs) also the song existentialism on prom night is most likely talking to lazzara saying 'sing what you think nooone is listing, and sing me something soft sad and delicate or loud and out of key..' which would explain while this album is softer compared to tayf and then louder now is obviosly louder. that is what iv picked up reading forums and ect. tbs is way more skilled then you givve them credit for. just listen to most of brand new straylight run and tbss music. this is good album, and if you think about it the lyrics actually are very good. first of all tell all your friends was actually written by nolan and lazzara who got togethor with lacey and came up with ideas for songs then went and took them and made them into their own thing. thats why you notice huge similaritys in lyrics. on tayf and your favorite weopon. then from what iv gathered lazzara thought michelle nolan (who he was dating) was being really mean and controllive and cheated on her. he told lacey who he thought he could trust. lacey went straight to nolan who told michelle who broke up with adam and wanted john to quit the band, who was split on the decision until lacey intervened and told him to quit and start something new. so him and shawn went since they had written songs that werent suited for tbs anyway and then straylight run blah blah blah. and when you look at it most of the songs on this album and some on the new one could really back this story up. just like in there's no i in team where nolan took lyrics from brand new lazzara does the same thing to catch their attention. including playing soco amaretto lime and half step higher and taking the lyrics and changing them a little bit to catch lacey and nolans attention. i would think the most obvious are bonus mosh to michelle, the union goes to the friendship between lacey and nolan and alot of others,looking at it this way the lyrics make way better sense.from the new album, whats it feel like to be a ghost basicly saying, what it feel like to not be famous anymore nolan, liar refers to them all as choir boys which is also a familiar line, make damn sure is a reply to brand news okay i belive you but my tommy gun dont (which disses lazzara hard) switching the lyric ' i am all you ever wanted (brand new) to ' you are everything i want bc you are everything im not' (tbs) also the song existentialism on prom night is most likely talking to lazzara saying 'sing what you think nooone is listing, and sing me something soft sad and delicate or loud and out of key..' which would explain while this album is softer compared to tayf and then louder now is obviosly louder. that is what iv picked up reading forums and ect. tbs is way more skilled then you givve them credit for. just listen to most of brand new straylight run and tbss music. alls im gonna say is tbs rock ass and matt who plays bass is one friggen HOTTIE! and he knows he loves me. k bye i love taking back sunday to death and i would do anything to meet them and i think their music is the best and they are my favorite band so all TBS haters you need to go get checked..in the the begining i wasnt into like the music that they play now i was into that like rap shit an now i hate it and i would never trade TBS for any other band cause they rock and they are my friggen idols =) I personally dont know too much about singing "in tune" or sounding perfect when singing, so I dont really care how their voices sounded because the lyrics are what grabs my attention. I loved this CD and I also loved " Tell all your friends" too...Taking Back Sunday is my all time favorite band and I wouldnt change anything about them. Im a girl, but I love Adams hair, so Im cutting it like his tomorrow..I cant wait. At first I didnt really like or understand their music, but the more closely I listened to it and the more I understood the lyrics the more I came to admire and respect Taking Back Sunday...So...Good luck Taking Back Sunday, I hope in the future you guys will become a rock legend!!!! ~abbie I personally dont know too much about singing "in tune" or sounding perfect when singing, so I dont really care how their voices sounded because the lyrics are what grabs my attention. I loved this CD and I also loved " Tell all your friends" too...Taking Back Sunday is my all time favorite band and I wouldnt change anything about them. Im a girl, but I love Adams hair, so Im cutting it like his tomorrow..I cant wait. At first I didnt really like or understand their music, but the more closely I listened to it and the more I understood the lyrics the more I came to admire and respect Taking Back Sunday...So...Good luck Taking Back Sunday, I hope in the future you guys will become a rock legend!!!! ~abbie love the little kids butt. anyways this cd rocked but it got broke in my stero when it got knocked over. a friend got me to listen to them and now i can't syop listening to them. another dumbass review Whiny vocals = Suck john left the band because adam cheated on his sister michelle, and then he got shaun to come, and origianlly mark to, mark recorded the drums for the demo but then decided to stay in tbs. adam is a heroine addict, and a total moron, he forgot his "roots" (hes not really from the 516). he is a total loser and a shame to our scene. all i know is that one day the original tbs lineup will come back and play at the local 7. taking black sunday back* isnt all that grood. Lyrics suck they blow there repatative and very very very boring. they have no grood guitar riffs noo hard anything. noo groo dbreak downs TBS needs musical talent and orginalness. and not look like a retard on stage. In liek all there popular songs they say "wishful Thinkers" in three of the 3 songs i was listening to. how he clamps up and bends over and looks like a idiot and that kind of music is boring sorry i dont liek boring music theres nothing to be noticed a letdown if you have "tell all your friends". if not, your expectations may not be as high and you'll probably like it ok, lets think. hmm.... new taking back sunday has complete ownage over the old album, even though i own and love both. the new bass player, matt, is about 2935075892694875 times better than shaun, and fred, is a fuckin amazing musician in general. yea, adam lazzara cant sing, but neither can geoff rickly of thursday. think about it. YOU ARE A FUCKING MORON. Whomever it is that mistankingly gave this genious album a negative review is rediculously wrong and should be fired. I think that this Cd's release was a little to hyped up. I seem to be one of the only ones that enjoys this album. Wow, TBS fans are complete idiots. That's fine; we'll need lots of people to clean our public institutions once the spics, chinks, and japs are shipped back to where they belong. Although I agree that the lyrics on this album are repetitive, the songs slower, and that "New American Classic" is just embarassing, there are still some undeniably phenomenal aspects to this album as well. There are still plenty of intuitive, poetic lines and singing from the gut/heart, from Adam at least-- even if it is off key, shouldn't it be when you're screaming with real emotion? But I really don't like Fred's empty vocals, and the fire between singers that there was on the first album is definitely gone. Still.......I can't help but like this album.....a lot. whoever is writing bad shit about this album is just a jackass who has nothing better to do than to judge something they have no place to judge. i'd like to see your dumbasses get out there and try to make a decent album. in my opinion the album was great. so you all can kiss my ass and go find something else that is better to judge...assholes great album... this site is trying so hard to be Pitchfork media, it's sad granted, this band is a guilty pleasure of mine. Tell all your friends caught me singing songs in my head for almost two years now.It sucks that the original lineup is gone, but after listening to this new album its got the same appeal. Face it a band like tbs isnt going to put out a "white album" so ditch the idea of them ever really making it. But the songs are catchy and the flow is there. Just enjoy it like you did the last and zip it Dude....as far as harsh criticism is concerned..I think your review about covers it! But I happen to think you are completely over looking the fact that this isnt meant to sound exactly like their old stuff!! as this cd does have some repitition, it is a great cd. i think adam and fred complement each other better than adam and john(i will prob get hate mail for that). they took lyrics from brand new because those two bands have been fueding. to find out why go to songfacts.com and look up seventy times 7 by brand new. i love this new cd and saw them play an acoustic set in orlando. they rocked. adam and fred sound so well together. they have given me faith in music again. I still love these dudes. Cmon they rock. a good album or not, but it sold 180,000 copies on its first week...#3 on billboard, #1 UK not really a great album, its something that will get old after a while. dont spend your money on this unless your really into this kind of music. i agree with the review, its definatly repetative and hes right about the little equation. o well, i guess if you like it you like it and if you dont, please stop telling the people that do like it that they are idiots. who cares if they have different taste in music. i think 'anonymous' is 12. God, this band certainly brings out the intellectual elite. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha to my friend colin...it seems that u dont have nothing to do other that post messages on this forum....Come on dude, go do something...suck ur dick, go to church and find peace on yourself, or go lick john nolan's balls...whatever. i cant believe all i was reading. I agree that this country is free and that u can say whatever u want, but theres a big difference between liberty of opinion and IGNORANCE, cuz thats what im seeing on some people here. I dont know why some people is saying that tbs is nothin without john nolan....and i dont know if u have heard straylight run songs....VERY DEPRESSING AND SAD, i was expecting more from john cuz i really liked his style but wow his new songs are really shit, and sorry to the people that seems to be in love with him, but its true. You CANT compara Tell All Your Friends with Where You Want To Be, cuz theres no sense on that cuz are totally different albums..i would say Tell All YOur friends is a TEENAGER CLASSIC POETRY and Where You want be is something different..you listen to it and u wonder, What that lyrics means???mmm u have to make ur own conclusion. Why are you rating and commenting on an album you haven't even taken the time to listen to? That's like going to a nation that has a different form of society and ripping the place apart because you've never lived in that way... are you the president? This comment is a retort to the guy who gave it a one and said "I'm not even listening to it." You can't use the word punk anymore to define a band. It changed so much from anarchy to NFG. Yes, everyband is trying to make money, other wise they would just gather and play for themselves and have a few friends over. I hate how peoples opinions are biased because of expectations they had. If you had never heard Tell All Your Friends, and than heard this you would LOVE it. I do agree that it is much worse than tell all your friends but that is not how I would rate it. I am comparing it to other emo/pop punk albums of the time and it isn't too bad. Im using caps! do i sound cool now too??? How does signing up for a user name amount to any sort of accountablity? You know, I find it fucked up that, most of you have don't have the balls to post your name, it's all "anonymously" posted. If your gonna bitch about the band, what-ever freedom of speach, but at least don't be so retarded as to hide, just so no one can tell you to fuck off back. FUCK U ALL WHO THINK TAKING BACK SUNDAY ARE STILL NOT GOOD......take awayt john nolan leaving and act like this is taking back's 1st cd.........hmmmm......i would think fuck this band is goood......and if u wouldt your lying! "go the fuck back to wherever you came from asswipe. it's fuckheads like you that ruin music, punk, and everything that the ethos of do it yourself and not for profit but for social change stand for." man fuck u all, hating a band just because their popularity has gone up. quit hating on them.....they earned this shit by all their hardwork and shit. isn't the main goal of starting a fucken band to get rich? you all can go to hell fucken fags. Does talent > sound? Or does Sound > talent. " they took lyrics from brand new because those two bands have been fueding." guy below me. shut up and go back to absolutepunk.net not every band do it for the big bucks. man fuck u all, hating a band just because their popularity has gone up. quit hating on them.....they earned this shit by all their hardwork and shit. isn't the main goal of starting a fucken band to get rich? you all can go to hell fucken fags. "as this cd does have some repitition, it is a great cd. i think adam and fred complement each other better than adam and john(i will prob get hate mail for that). they took lyrics from brand new because those two bands have been fueding. to find out why go to songfacts.com and look up seventy times 7 by brand new. i love this new cd and saw them play an acoustic set in orlando. they rocked. adam and fred sound so well together. they have given me faith in music again." hey kid, everyone here knows about 70x7, quit acting like you know shit you tit fuck. as this cd does have some repitition, it is a great cd. i think adam and fred complement each other better than adam and john(i will prob get hate mail for that). they took lyrics from brand new because those two bands have been fueding. to find out why go to songfacts.com and look up seventy times 7 by brand new. i love this new cd and saw them play an acoustic set in orlando. they rocked. adam and fred sound so well together. they have given me faith in music again. Eddie Reyes does coke and picks his ass. I dont know if everyone here is listening to the same album, cause i dont see how you could give it less than perfect. "if i want auto-tuned vocals i can listen to a britney spears record." I dont know if everyone here is listening to the same album, cause i dont see how you could give it less than perfect. ed reyes started mind over matter if i wanted to hear from an asshole i'd fart after seeing this band live, there was no need to purchase the album. if i want auto-tuned vocals i can listen to a britney spears record. and at least she realizes she has an awful voice and lip sincs live. i think adam should sport a microphone head set and do the same. the sounds that man produces hurts my ears. the lyrics are just dumb too. this band is horrible. Hey If everyone would readeach others posts more careful we`d have more of an understanding here ... but only time can tell the place of WYWTB ... and ye, somehow TBS borrowed a lot of elements from past bands like Lifetime, but every band does ... and could there be a better band to steal from ;-)) ... "TBS did not borrow anything from OTMOP, they just ripped off Lifetime." sorry I'm tired. I meant "explain how i contradict myself" get a user name, explain how, then come back and talk to me. to thie kid a few post below who mentioned silent majority gets mad prop for even mentioning them, but i have to say that you're wrong about other LI bands ripping off SM, actually they all ripped off Mind Over Matter including SM. i hate pop bands with instruments too. I took a shit today and was surprised to find this album sitting in my toilet. on the might of princes is nothing like any of the other long island bands. silent majority is the epitome of the long island sound, that bands like glassjaw, the movielife, taking back sunday and brand new all took pieces from. You all are silly ^__^ what i was trying to get across is that bands like otmop perfected that sound that long island has become famous for. But what TBS and bands like brand new did was capitalize it and make it a pop style...demeriting it and giving LI music a bad name.... "this is a rip off of an older long island band's cd. "On the might of princes" had an album called, "where you are and where you want to be"...I have read interview and know personally that Taking Back Sunday were peers of OTMOP. The only problem is that OTMOP had the intense sound that taking back sunday wishes they had, they took OTMOP's sound and destroyed it with overcommercialized scream/sing structure that is way too produced to seem sincere. " Pop Bands with instruments suck What's sad is being from Long Island and being around this entire music scene it sucks how oversaturated and commercialized it has become. "thanks for the intelligent feedback. Buuut i was also trying to refer to them as a 'new' band, something different than TBS w/ Nolan; also trying to not compare this to TAYF" It is really sad that you all just jump on the "this sucks" bandwagon. If the reveiw rocked you'd all agree. and you sit there and compare them to other bands... I've never actually heard of something so stupid and immature. The album is fuckin well produced and the new members definitely add to the band. There is no way you can deny that. You're all just a bunch of punks who are pissed off that you liked a band that actually broke through and will inevitably become popular. Stop being suck a bunch of highschool children and stop hating. The album is awesome and you all know it. oops i hit the post button and forgot to see what i was talking about, damn it i hate it when that happens. everyone is giving john nolen way way way too much credit, you are all acting like the band was him and it by far wasn't. the only thing he can do better than fred was scream and he barely even did that on tayf. as long as they are happy with what they made what the fuck does it matter. its not like they really give a shit about any of our opinions to begin with. and thriceequalsgod yeah um, you have been contradicting yourself pretty much the entire time. so yeah just stop talking. "thriceequalsgod you keep contradicting yourself. you are a fucking douche bag. you are all "i hate them" "well they aren't too bad" "i guess they are good just different" dude just shut the hell up. where you want to be is right up there with tell all your friends. it sucks that i can only give it a 10." these dudes were never good. It was just Victory's way of filling in the space THursaday left. I love people who say that if this cd wasn't released by Taking Back Sunday, everybody would give it great reviews. It's a bad cd. Plain as that. fna buddy, it is a great album. the only song i didn't like is i am fred astaire. i don't know why, i just can't get into that song. "pros " singing and the background singing: they intermix way too much and u have no idea who to listen to which equals a total lack of coherence " pros the singing and the background singing: they intermix way too much and u have no idea who to listen to which equals a total lack of coherence I agree with the fact that this cd is not as good as Tell All Your Friends, but to say it sucks is just wrong. I'm a huge fan of Taking Back Sunday, I saw them when they played with Blink-182 and sadly, Cypress Hill. They put on an awesome energetic show. Their second cd, Where You Want To Be, is a lot different then what I expected, but that's a good thing. It would be boring if they were the same. So I like the cd. But hey, that's my opinion listen to the cd yourself and form your own. well i was being sarcastic, because im pretty sure that he was actually serious. I actually laughed out loud at it, too, because it had to be one of the most cliche responses imaginable THRICEEQUALSGOD: Can this band's drummer not keep time or something? Live he plays like three times the speed of the rest of the band. Pros I'd actually like to weigh the pros and cons of this album. Copy and paste the following into your comment, adding another number to either list, but if the argument is not a valid one, it will be disregarded. i have been looking forward to this album since the date was set for it to come out. to all you close minded fucks, come outside your box and think expand. which is exactly what tbs did on this album. you all want no change at all in the music industry you are all lost in hell. i was not at all disappointed by this album. so they tried something different, if you don't like the band because they aren't your taste its one thing, but to start disliking them because they went a different angle on this album is just fucking retarded. and as far as repetition goes they are just as repetitious on the tell all your friends. and there are a lot of emo punk bands that have an acoustic song that is far far worse than "new american classic" i really think it is a good song, there are a lot of meaning amd emotion in the lyrics and the acoustic solo is a great "doodle" on the acoustic strings. this is a great album. okay, okay.. last one "The same fuckers who are on here trashing this, ARE THE SAME FUCKERS WHO SUCKED TBS dicks' when they were on top. You deserve to revel in your shame for wasting your time on this shit. Now Lifetime that is a band." you know what, to all those who believe so, tbs are sellouts. they sold out all shows last week, sold out all shows this week, and will probably sell out all shows next week. so calling them "sell outs" is more true than you think. and also how original would it be to be exactly the same as the last. with new members in the band it would be an insult and a slap in the face to jon and shaun to do the same as the first album. its not like they left on completely bad terms. where you want to be is an excellent album, no it isn't tell all your friends, but really did you expect it to be exactly the same. this album is great. I liked tbs last album. but it is like the singer lost all range in his voice. this just isn't good music. period! the review says it all. "Taking Back Sunday? Talk about a faggot name for a band. Bunch of idiots trying to be all arty when really they're just lame fucks who love jacking off each other during band practice while listening to an emo CD on their cd player." Idiots have had their say ... but perhaps you should all read the words of this old Gameface song: i think this review hits the nail on the head. definately overproduced and repetitive. palm muted verses and gang vocals which repeat themselves endlessly. but "bonus mosh II" is probably the worst song on the cd. [quote]Kid Dynamite sucks. Your music sucks. Other poster has a point, the object of emo/screamo is not to have a good voice, Adam isn't a pop singer... he doesn't have to sound like Tom Delonge. His voice is amazingly terrible. That would be the point, it's raw and it sounds amazing with the music. So fuck off.[/quote] You fuckers really piss me off. watched 'em on Kimmel the other night, because I have an on/off affinity for them, I never really like em, but I never really hate em. I saw them once with Nolan, and I thought they weren't all that bad, plus I was amused that he and I played eerily similar cheapo, made in Indonesia DeArmond guitars... Taking Back Sunday? Talk about a faggot name for a band. Bunch of idiots trying to be all arty when really they're just lame fucks who love jacking off each other during band practice while listening to an emo CD on their cd player. No, it's not Tell All Your Friends. Taking Back Sunday? Talk about a faggot name for a band. Bunch of idiots trying to be all arty when really they're just lame fucks who love jacking off each other during band practice while listening to an emo CD on their cd player. Garbage, it is i wish there was a Zero so i could rate it that. If this was a cd from a band no one has ever heard of, it would be getting great reviews. It just doesn't sound at all like old TBS. Look at saves the day, SWYA was totally differnt from everything before it and everyone thought it sucked at first, but now everyone loves it. The same will happen with this. Oh yeah track 9 is a rip off of the song aurthur wrote... You suck tbs go steal more music from other bands This cd sucks soooo bad! no wonder its under pop punk on a lot of sites... Ever since jon left they been sucking cock... Tbs=sellouts.. And i met adam before hes a real dick. Adam i hate you... Go write some more bad songs... I don't want to hear this. As many people believed "Where You Want to Be" was a dissapointment compared to "Tell All Your Friends" But who didn't see that coming? However that does not make it a bad record. The lyrics aren't as clever and the music is at a much slower pace, but "Where You Want to Be" is still pretty good. Songs that continue with TBS style would have to be tracks 2-5. Everything else is a B- at best. "Bonus Mosh pt.II" really gives Maschererino a chance to show his skills. Not many other songs on the record give him the chance other than to be backup vocals to Lazzara. There are no "Timberwolves @ NJ" or "Great Romances.." but oh well. Either way "Where You Want to Be" is not to be dismissed. yes guys it isnt better than tell all yourfreinds but its a decent album.......i mean we all knew the day would come when TBS would go mainstream...it happens to all the good bands....besides they are by no means an execptional band.........they just had exeptional lyrics with nolan "When TBS lost Nolan Ryan, they lost the best fastball thrower the game has seen." Whatever happened to Ryan Phillippe, anyway? When TBS lost Nolan Ryan, they lost the best fastball thrower the game has seen. Haters and Lovers, alike - I know you're all listening to this CD. "Nolan, Nolan,Nolan you talk like he did everything in this band. You said the same thing that Nolan said about the musical structure of tbs in an interview he did in AP i think. That a good album same if your Nolan is not there." Nolan, Nolan,Nolan you talk like he did everything in this band. You said the same thing that Nolan said about the musical structure of tbs in an interview he did in AP i think. That a good album same if your Nolan is not there. "They should have let Sal Villanuenva produce it and at least not try to make it so glossy." The firs time I listened to this I was greatly let down. Then I played it again and kind of forgot who it was, and it was actually ok. The problem is the first album was way better than this, but had this been their first effort, or a band other than Taking Back Sunday then I think it would be received a little better, well actually no, but maybe if this was released in late 2001. I think the problem is that TBS will always be compared to Brand New and Thursday. Brand New put out a second record that was innovative for them, and a risk. Thursday signed to a major label, and still put out a stunning record. TBS stayed on Victory, lost their backbone (John Nolan) and then put out Tell All Your Friends II I think. That being said, I still enjoy this album, just not as much as I enjoyed TAYF. They should have let Sal Villanuenva produce it and at least not try to make it so glossy. I think if it had a grittier and faster sound than it would be better. I think Ted Nolan could turn this band around. Shitty, shitty, shit band Alright, I have something to say. And I really don't care if you think i'm wrong or right. Some people have their own opinions like Colin here. I think that everyone has the right to say what they want to say. Colin says that this is a bad album, an in his head he thinks he's right. Well, in my opinion I think that this album is very good. Well, i'm not going to bitch about people not liking the album or not. haha yes! a score that fits the band its better to try and change and fail than to write the same boring, cliche garbage. Bad review. I think you are in love with John Nolan While I agree with most upset fans, this was a bit of a let down. I read in Alternitive Press, that this would be an outstanding album, and they rated it a 5 out of 5 stars. When I did the first run through of the album I was upset. But I've listend to it a couple of more times, and slowlt one by one songs stand out, and in due time TBS might redeem themselves. I just want to say to fans who are upset, it's been a day!! Relax a little, you never know what will happen with this cd, a kick ass video may result from a song you hate. Just give them a chance. And to those who are posting about how much the band sucks, and how you hate them bla bla bla. This is a review for the album, so to say you haven't even heard it yet, and then bashing them, is pure ignorance. while it's cool that this site allows people to submit reviews, the one downside to it is that the reviews are written by all different types of people, so its hard to compare reviews since there's no constant foundation this album's really not that bad. some people forget how overrated their first one was. i don't think this one is much of a step down. "but i am glad they didn't try to "grow" and "experiment" as everyone else is trying to do to no AVAIL" I feel privileged to know that I hated this band from the first time I heard them (back with their first ripoff album). Thank god for me. Excellent album. As good as TYAF? No... but how many albums in this genre are? I too miss John, and prefer him to Fred, but Fred does a damn good job and people should just accept the album and stop jumping on the bashing bandwagon. "This is a phenomenal record and an outstanding sophomore effort for a band that less than a year ago was about to implode. Most bands fall hard with their sophomore record, not release what is guaranteed to be a huge commerical hit and Victory Record's first Gold album. It criticizes the band for writing half assed songs and the singer for appearing unenthusiastic What's to be said that hasn't been said yet, excpet..... Taking Back Sunday.....hey at least their not Hawthorne Heights! This is a phenomenal record and an outstanding sophomore effort for a band that less than a year ago was about to implode. Most bands fall hard with their sophomore record, not release what is guaranteed to be a huge commerical hit and Victory Record's first Gold album. "I happen to think TBS is a fucking awful band and was made for teenie boppers" i like how everyone disrespects others' opinions...i love TBS but I respect anyone's disdain for them just as much as anyone's affinity for them...take a day off people. I honestly don't see why Colin should die for thinking this CD is bad... I happen to think TBS is a fucking awful band and was made for teenie boppers. At least Colin used to like them, so I'll do Colin a favor and tell you all to direct your hate to me. Cause if you like TBS chances are I couldn't give two shits for what you think. "It appears that a lot of people have way too much of themselves invested in this band. Let's all calm down a bit shall we?" I love the comments in this thread. wow. i dont like this band at all... "I concur, Slowdance on the Inside is too Brand New for Taking Back Sunday" It appears that a lot of people have way too much of themselves invested in this band. Let's all calm down a bit shall we? I really like Tell All Your Friends, at the time it came out I felt it was catchy, somewhat original, and fun to listen and sing along to. And they put on a good live show. Lazarra however seems to be somewhat of a prick. I really, really, really like this album. John nolan did not write any of the music on tayf. Ed wrote and still writes all the music so to say john leaving ruined the music is bullshit. You know that people on this site are losing IQ points when you can't tell if half the comments in a review are trying to be sarcasticly stupid (i really hope your all joking), or maybe they are just REALLY that stupid. the first emo/screamo one hit wonder (but not the last) Tell All Your Friends was okay. Definately NOT as good as everyone thoughts. You people get too caught up in the whole Nolan-TBS series You could see this crash coming from a mile away. i think everyone who is a tbs fan knew that nolan was very influential in the writing process and now it shows. Anybody who could ever consider Set Phasers To Stun a good song is completely devoid of all ability to think about music without bias. Sorry, guys, I'm a huge TBS fan, but even I can see that most of this is pure emotion-less garbage. But that opening track butchers all. if you didn't like the old album were you expecting to now become a fan? Agree with this review completely good album...not as good as the first ...but i am glad they didn't try to "grow" and "experiment" as everyone else is trying to do to no AVAIL 7/10- Not the best CD, but not as big of a letdown as say....War All The Time I actually think this is damn near as good as the first one. Its not That overproduced and theres only 1 or 2 sub par songs on it. I think the lyrics are just as good too, they are a little more abstract and mature but I don't notice any 'gaping holes' and the song's structure's and musicianship doesn't seem any worse either. like the dudes in breaking pangea can't replace TBS's rhythm guitarist and generic bassist. I can't think of one standout bassline from the first album so who cares if they got a new one. And the new backup singer guy sounds as good as Nolan did, in a slightly cleaner way. As my last post and as a fan of TBS- stop bashing the reviewer, not everyone listens to the same music- it was a good review- just b/c I may not agree with it doesn't give me, or anybody for that matter, the right to bash the guy Make your own decision. AP gave it 5/5, acclaimed punk gave it 8/10 and pastepunk is raving about it.... Kerrang gave it 3/5, here gave it 1/5, and ap.net, in the most blatantly personal bitter review of all time, gave it a zero I think- there's obiously not one clear aggreement as to how this CD actually is- download it, buy it, borrow it.... make up your own mind If you really disagree with this review and think that Where You Want to Be is the greatest thing ever, please submit a review. We'll gladly run a positive review if someone writes one (and it is legible.) I think people put too much personal emphasis on this band- While the CD is obviously not up to par as their last, it's not that bad. And when the criticism for a song is based soley on the title of it, that's just plain weak. As for sounding like Brand New? Stop sucking Brand New's dick. Stop sucking Taking Back Sunday's dick. It's music people, not a soap opera- Their cover art is bad? Who cares, what do you do, read it all day long? Some TBS fans have alot of hostility. Telling the reviewer he doesnt deserve to live because he doesn't like your favorite bands new cd? Jesus, grow up. Also, when you trash Kid Dynamite while praising TBS, you lose any & all credibility you may have had. You still deserve to live a long and happy life. Hey, it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile! SO cheer up little buckaroo, & just remember that life is more than shaggy hair & tight t shirts. "I like what Fred has brought to the band on this cd. His voice works better with Adam's than John Nolan's did" I love how when you don't like a pop-punk record it's always automatically attributed to the fact that you're too punk for the band. Good god, I thought people could be civil and objective about this band/album for at least a day. yeah, I agree about the jimmy kimmel performance, they wern't that good. "I've got a bad feeling about this" TV performance on Jimmy Kimmel !! normally i wouldn't respond to the purely idiotic comments that have been popping up in support of the record, but this one i have to: Wow, this Colin kid really needs to sop trying to be cool, cause serisouly, it's not working whatsoever. What the fuck? If you're deticated to tayf, and don't like the new album cause of Adam's vocals, then you're not a real tbs fan. Kill yourself. generic. shit band, shit music, shit lyrics, shit guitars, shit bass, shit drums people really are tending to compare this to TAYF.. which i knew that tbs would have no chance of topping. but i really do think this release is good, though Fred really should have played a larger part in the vocal section.. he alone is fucking amazing and it seems like he was held back in his writing/singing. BP was a great band.. they'll be missed. and BP and old TBS is waaaaaay better than new TBS and Straylight Run Why does a cd NEED to have anthems? Just because every single song on the new cd doesn't have one liners like the old one had.("You could slit my throat....""Literate, stylish, kissable quiet""don't call my name out your window....""best friends means i pull the trigger, best friends means you get what you deserve...etc") It's still an awesome cd regardless. Colin is just a little ass monkey... he could careless about the music, he's getting paid to write reviews. Kid Dynamite sucks. Your music sucks. Other poster has a point, the object of emo/screamo is not to have a good voice, Adam isn't a pop singer... he doesn't have to sound like Tom Delonge. His voice is amazingly terrible. That would be the point, it's raw and it sounds amazing with the music. So fuck off. Whoever wrote the last comment seriously needs to be a little bit ashamed of his stupidness ... every singer recording some vocals needs to somehow be a good singer and somehow hit the right note ... since when emo/screamo singers aren`t supposed to be good?!? If shitty music is alright for you then go ahead ... I also think this isn`t a bad record, but nothing compared to the brilliance of TAYF! This doesn`t suck, it`s just boring after listening to it for the third time and it lacks the anthems ("this is me with the words ...") ... and to put it straight, this year has already seen much more energetic releases like A Wilhelm Scream ... for now I`m off to my Lifetime, Kid Dynamite and Grey Area records ... Serisouly, you ass fucks have no idea what music is anymore. Alright just because they use "mosh"..? what the fuck? what does that have to do with the music? You obviously don't know what the hell you're talking about. "I should hang you from a ceiling fan while skinning you slowly then throw you into a pool of cyanide. No, you aren't worth the blood on my knife. I'll just shoot you and make it quick." It's Taking Back Sunday... you gave it a 1? I should hang you from a ceiling fan while skinning you slowly then throw you into a pool of cyanide. No, you aren't worth the blood on my knife. I'll just shoot you and make it quick. if you guys enjoy good music instead of getting so into being cool and trendy and going with the norm, then you could actually enjoy this record because it is good music. morons I give it a fucking 10. I give it a fucking 10 because you're all fucking morons. First off, Emo/Screamo singers aren't supposed to sound like fucking good singers, thats the point of the genre you fucking idiots. Second, who the fuck cares if they took lyrics from Brand New, they're friends, they're allowed to. Third, it's fucking Taking Back Sunday, they're better then ALL the shit they play on MTV or any Radio station. Fourth, did I mention that you're all fucking morons? You pissants probably listen to fucking good charlotte. one word collin........die, thatd be all i waste on your pitiful excuse for a review as for the last song, not only does it start like an electric guitar version of the Brand New acoustic song "soco", but like the song, the first words are "passed out"....and it also includes the term "sunday's best", just like the other song. now, this is obviously Brand New related, or taking back sunday are fucking idiots that let that seep into their brains thinking it was an original tune. great album GrEaT aLbUm, AwFuL rEvIew...adam is like so hott, like almost as hott as chris from saves the day. Anyone who didn't see this disaster coming is a fucking idiot. great review, awful album However, the breakdown and ending of the song remind me of the days when this band had members with talent, No, I don't think we need any more of this. I loved the first album, and will still buy this one. Hopefully it doesn't prove to be the equivalent of Atreyu's second Victory record (man, that band took a giant nosedive). Tate actually did not like the album either..... so I figured the album would be amazing if he disliked it. This band had always been a dirty little pleasure for me, but this cd just doesn't click for me like the other one. I think this album is decent enough. True, they no longer have the sound that made them TBS, and they have definetly lost all the emotion that filled their songs before. But it isnt horrible. Theses are still decent songs played admiably well. If this was there freshmen release I would have said that it wasnt horrible and the band showed potential. Sadly, comparing it to their last and it does seem dissapointing. dude, just cause you knew the band doesn't mean they're still a good band. Let me get this straight I live on Long Island and I have been a fan of this band since Antonio was in the band singing and Adam was playing bass. They fucking ruled then and they still fucking rule today. I bought this album knowing that Taking Back Sunday never put out a bad tune, and what I got on "Where You Want To Be" is 11 fucking amazing songs that sound better than any other bands out there ay this moment in time. Ede Reyes to me deserves so much respect as he has been in alost every other band on Long Island until he formed Taking Back Sunday. Ed has been in some of the best to come out of Long Island such LIHC legends Mind Over Matter, Clockwise, early days of Inside, at one point The Movielife and to me Ed is finally getting the respect he deserves. 2 out of 10. But I can't spell. I wonder what these kids are thinking: http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm?Item=14380&CFID=6878603&CFTOKEN =45588667 LiveJournal is a website. I'm ahead of the curve, I've always though this band sucked. Oh, oh.. Sure, not as good as TAYF, but I love it. Good Will Hunting. I'd second that..but then I'd be a critic The same fuckers who are on here trashing this, ARE THE SAME FUCKERS WHO SUCKED TBS dicks' when they were on top. Definition of a critic: Someone who never gets laid, never creates anything of his/her own into the public, expert bitcher & whiner. Record reviews are useless. Listen to an album and use your own mind to decide if you like it yourself, don't rely on someone else to influence your thinking. Where You Want To Pee? Wait a minute, I'm 18. I'm also a male, who considers himself to listen to great music. I also enjoy playing sports. heh, if you wanna see how much talent Mr. Lazarra possesses, check out Jimmy Kimmel Boring. Next. i would bet my life that the only 2 people here defending this pathetic excuse for a band are both younger than 16. this band is so terrible they almost arent worth the 15 seconds of my life it is taking to type this. I apologize for swearing. can someone please post the old version of "slowdance on the inside" or where to get it. Breaking Pangaea was a fantastic band. Then the members decided to split so they could be on MTV. Bad decision. BP was a million times the live band that TBS is. I love those dudes as people but Straylight Run can suck it and TBS is to emo what Winger was to hair metal. Lazarra is the problem. Someone should do his sister and kick him the fuck out of the band. Fuck the title names of the songs, fuck how Tell All Your Friends sounds, fuck the cover art (for fuck sake), and fuck all you motherfuckers for claiming to have any idea what good music is. Nowhere near the old album. There are a few bearable songs but for the most part this cd is boring and the lyrics have lost a lot of their originality since Tell Your Friends. can someone spell Breaking Pangaea's name right? this bands blows. my guess is next month the used bin with be overflowing with these. Don't you dare say they lack talent, If you've ever heard Breaking Pangea then you'd understand how much those guys had to hold back and what they are actually capable of. Seriously folk, get a grip. This is a GREAT album. Losers. All of you. What the hell is up with the cover? The production isn't at fault here; the shitty songwriting is. Major disappointment. I'm still waiting for the review of hazen st. How can you be serious? I love this album, and i'm a pretty recent TBS fan. I love tell all your friends, and where you want to be sounds really great. I guess people either love it or hate it I'm with Scott, Breaking Pangaea needs to get back together. I think you absolutely have to include The Union with this albums two or three good tracks- it's faster paced than most of the stuff TBS has done, and is one of the few tracks that makes me believe that TBS doesn't want to be caught pretending it still has John Nolan. It's a catchy as hell song. "Slowdance On The Inside" is the only good track. i heard john nolan was still in the band when they wrote it. maybe that's why it is much different from the rest of the album. it actually sounds like old tbs. actually, i thought this band sucked from the start, and suck even more now. i would be embarassed to let my friends hear my music if i was in a band this lame. I didn't think it was that horrible. I mean it is obvious they lost some of the intelligent lyrics with the leaving of Nolan, but I thought that New American Classic was a pretty good song, as well as a couple others... Not nearly as good as TAYF though. The same fuckers who are on here trashing this, ARE THE SAME FUCKERS WHO SUCKED TBS dicks' when they were on top. You deserve to revel in your shame for wasting your time on this shit. Now Lifetime that is a band. People need to stop comparing this album to TAYF. Good review. how did Lifetime come up in this? its going to be funny when the only fans this band has left are 12 year old girls who dont know any better. or did that already happen? also, the artwork reminds me way to much of the Cure's "Galore" album. fuck this band. yeah the old version of ...slowdance on the inside is nothing like the new one, so you're way off the mark. terrible band, planes mistaken for stars is way better i'm sure the overproduction on the vocals was due to the fact that this guy can't really sing. He's the kelly osbourne of indie. I listened to the whole thing on MTV.com, and it's because a forgetable version of "Tell All Your Friends." my favorite Liftime song would have to be Turnpike Gates. Early STD had more to it when it was done by the band Lifetime. HORRIBLE REVIEW. I've only heard two tracks off this - "Bonus Mosh Pt. 2" and whatever the single's called - and they were awful. Absolutely awful. Fred, please bring back Breaking Pangaea! i havent heard this, but this shit deserves one star to no stars for using the word "mosh" and also for using it in such a lame way. Bonus mosh part 2? so gay |
