Saves The Day- "In Reverie" (Sep.16, Dreamworks)
Grade: C-
"In Reverie" is one of the bigger disappointments of 2003. 2001's "Stay What You Are" took strides for the band that would seem impossible to replicate, as it was such a change from the generia that is Saves The Day previous to it. "In Reverie" just doesn't cut it.
From the opening guitars, it is apparent that Saves The Day is trying something new, and that a few listens will be imperative to truly understand what they are attempting to do. After a few spins turns into a thousand, the listener is left head-in-hands, wondering what to make of it.
Frankly, "In Reverie" can be likened to an emo band playing a sock-hop in 1950 and doing their best to rip-off Weezer at every turn. The songs are well-structured and arguably enjoyable, but just so very bland. Vocalist Chris Conley's high-pitched melodies do not work as well when not belted out at full-force, as they were on "Stay What You Are."
Is it a well-done record? Yes, but it just sounds forced. Saves The Day is experimenting much as the Get-Up Kids did with "On A Wire" and The Anniversary did with "Your Majesty." The difference is that while those bands pulled off changes without a hitch and with a nod towards their previous work, Saves The Day just falls short.
Towards the end of the disc, the band slips in some truly stellar work though. "Where Are You?" is full of the stops and starts that made Saves The Day so unique, while still working in the aforementioned "50's" elements that they employ on the rest of the record, truly inspiring wishes that the band would've sat down for a few more weeks in the studio and thought things through.
In truth, it's a halfway decent record. "In Reverie" is destined to be one of those love/hate records that some scenesters will get a hold of and imagine it to be both innovative and phenomenal. That's why most scenesters should be shot.
Recommended for fans of: Two Thirty Eight, The Beatles' "Rubber Soul," The Anniversary.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
