Saves the Day's new record, In Reverie, is once again led by the vision of producer Rob Schnapf (Elliot Smith, Guided by Voices).
After the Jersey band broke from their emo repertoire with their poppy last album, Stay What You Are, fans were waiting to see what Saves the Day would come out with next. What they produced is an album in the same pop-punk tradition of Stay, with catchy beats and charming lyrics but mediocre singing.
This time around, however, there is an unfortunate departure from the beautiful instrumentation that we are used to. The result seems to be an almost pitiful attempt to achieve the success of their last album: In Reverie is pretty similar to the band's previous offerings, but absent are ballads like "At Your Funeral" and punked-up delights like "Cars & Calories."
However, reader be warned: Chris Connelly's voice is an acquired taste, hitting the ears somewhere between your whiny ex-girlfriend and Neil Young. The songs are a bit more polished on this album, which takes away from the overall roughness that is characteristic of the band's sound. Track three, "Driving in the Dark" is actually almost a redeemer for an otherwise dry album, juxtaposing complex chord progressions with eloquent lyrics to create a new sound from the band.
While its clear that Dreamworks pumped a lot of money into this album, as demonstrated by an ornate cd booklet, the music just isn't the same. Stay What You Are remains an infinitely better album.
