Daytrader

Daytrader: Last Days of RomeLast Days of Rome (2011)
Run For Cover Records

Reviewer Rating: 4

User Rating:

Contributed by: BryneBryne
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on January 21st 2011We're ensconced in an age where, due to the prevalence of the Internet and illegal downloading (along with the economy's general downturn), many bands can only afford to tour regionally, if at all. The flipside to that same phenomenon is that information has never been more accessible, and conversat.

We're ensconced in an age where, due to the prevalence of the Internet and illegal downloading (along with the economy's general downturn), many bands can only afford to tour regionally, if at all. The flipside to that same phenomenon is that information has never been more accessible, and conversation has never been easier to initiate across vast distances. There's an above-average chance that members of some of your favorite bands live in different cities, states, or even countries. Similarly, there's a pretty good chance that many of your favorite bands are veritable supergroups living in the same region, having risen from the ashes of either broken-up contemporaries or from the relative inactivity of their other gigs. These bands arrive with built-in pedigrees and, perhaps, unrealistic expectations. We inherently expect a band like Daytrader to be immediately great, when they're still really finding their voice. A young band is a young band, no matter how many veterans make up the ranks; chemistry takes time to manifest itself, if it ever does at all.

That's not to say that Daytrader's new EP, Last Days of Rome, isn't enjoyable; in fact, one can hear the band laying the foundation for something that has the potential to be really unique, without ever sounding out of their element. Really, LDoR is just about what you'd expect from a band boasting current and ex-members of Latterman, Crime in Stereo and Bridge and Tunnel (among others). These five tracks pull tricks from the sounds of each of those groups, and for the most part do so seamlessly; the driving, melodic heaviness of "Kill My Compass" as well as the stark, almost distant instrumentation of "Grey-Colored Glasses" are straight out of the latter-era CiS playbook. It's done in a manner slightly more straightforward, but the wrinkles are there.

"Living" takes those same attributes and adds some speed to them, as well as a more anthemic element that Latterman perfected in the mid-to-late 2000s. Here, it's never as gruff or spontaneous as that band's work tended to be, heading in the opposite direction of most of the other, more well-known post-Latterman projects. Conversely, a pronounced post-hardcore tinge abounds in both the title track and closer "Death Means Nothing to Men Like Me", both songs possessing bits of angular intricacies that, while on the more melodic, streamlined side, aren't far off from something one might hear on a Bridge and Tunnel record. Again, whether or not that comparison would be made without the omnipresent pedigree is unclear, but it's difficult to ignore given the circumstances. And why would we ignore it, anyway?

The finished product of these influences is, in its simplest form, a brand of emotional post-hardcore that's plenty familiar but never boring. Daytrader have caught lightning in a bottle with Last Days of Rome; time will tell if the band can sustain it over the course of a full-length, but a solid foundation is there.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

devianter (March 13, 2011)

best ep of 2011 'till now

ben_s (January 24, 2011)

This isn't Bridge And Tunnel or Crime In Stereo, but it's still really good and shows a lot of promise.

I think I'll be more excited to see what kind of direction they go in after this EP though.

superskabro (January 24, 2011)

STILL no Dopamines' review? WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!

frank460 (January 24, 2011)

This band has some serious potential and I can't wait to keep hearing more from them but I think they still need to find their niche. This ep is all over the place and Kill My Compass is easily the best song on this record but the other songs are nowhere near as strong (my opinion at least). Also I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Pat's drumming on this record is sub-par compared to his work in Latterman and Bridge & Tunnel.

mikexdude (January 23, 2011)

danclemens:

You do have a point, people need to stop throwing the Saves the Day comparison around. Shit's just not good.

inagreendase (January 22, 2011)

Maybe you're listening to a different band, then. "Grey-Colored Glasses" is practically an alternate version of "This Is Not an Exit".

danclemens (January 22, 2011)

I really don't get why people keep on insisting that this band sounds like Stay What You Are-era saves the day. The sound is not there at all. Just because a band is from Long Island nowadays does not mean they NEED to sound like a certain era of saves the day.

Regardless, this band is really good and this record is solid. I definitely see really awesome things coming from this band.

AlmostPunkEnough (January 22, 2011)

while i don't really hear any of the bands in particular in Daytrader's sound, there's an undeniable "Long Island-ness" permeating the whole record. i really expected that trademark Latterman bass sound (which sounds even more like Latterman in RVIVR form that it ever did for Latterman haha) but if it's there at all it's really subtle.

all in all i didn't think i'd like this very much cause i always feel new bands formed from the ashes of groups i worshiped can never live up to their potential. and while this sure as hell isn't as good as Crime In Stereo or the almighty Latterman, it just keeps growing on me. i hope it continues to do so.

Jawbroker (January 22, 2011)

Agreed on hearing a little bit of Bayside in their music.

damnitsderek (January 21, 2011)

This is really, really fucking good.

Hercules_Rockefeller (January 21, 2011)

really liked the demo. this is still pretty good, but I am excited for their future stuff because they seem to be going in a fascinating direction

adamobs2400 (January 21, 2011)

Yeah i don't hear any Latterman or Bridge and Tunnel influences in here (maybe a little bit of CiS.) Great EP though.

inagreendase (January 21, 2011)

Carlo: They might re-record it for an eventual full-length.

Carlo_Cabinetti (January 21, 2011)

Was initially disappointed that they didn't re-record Chromatic Living, which I thought was awesome (but then if I liked the original so much, why would I want it done again? Dunno) but this is a quality EP. Good things will come from this.

victim (January 21, 2011)

I think is pretty good while simultaenously acknowledging that its not really my thing

inagreendase (January 21, 2011)

I don't know. I hear a lot of bands in this (Bayside, Stay What You Are-era Saves the Day, late-period Polar Bear Club) but none that any of the guys had been in previously.

Really awesome debut all the same. Definitely a different vibe than the demo, but each song has its own distinct identity this time. Foreseeing big things for this band.