Bayside
Bayside
Victory Records, August 2005
Offensive words: 3+
Genre: radio rock/pop punk
Also for a little different sound check out Anberlin.
Bayside formed in Long Island, NY during the winter of 2000, developing their own style based on soaring vocals, powerful guitar work and brooding lyrics from influences as diverse as The Smiths, the Smoking Popes, and Nirvana, to the Cure, Stevie Wonder and Nick Drake. The band began to tour, establishing an early fan base and drawing the attention of various tastemakers, ultimately contributing to several high profile compilations. The exposure brought Bayside to the attention of Victory Records, and in the fall of 2003 the band began recording their debut album, “Sirens and Condolences”, with producer J. Robbins of Jawbox. The release of the album drew praise from magazines like Teen People, Alternative Press and Guitar World, who called Bayside “Angular but melodic emo, with two well-arranged guitars and off-kilter vocal melodies.”
Music
I popped in the cd expecting crappy pop punk, which I am not a fan
of and that is what I got on the first track but suddenly the focus
changed. This band is SO much more than pop punk. The album
is full of very catchy guitar driven power tracks with more rock
influence than pop punk. It is a very diverse album. "Devotion and
Desire" hits as the second track with a metal influenced intro and
the band completely changes style of a more emo rock focused band with a
catchy chorus. Hard driving bass and great guitar riffs put the album
into a new direction. "They Looked Like Strong Hands" slows
the pace down in some aspects but comes in with still yet, an aggressive
and meaty approach. "Existing in a Crisis" shows a bit of a
pop influence but the grin of the guitar and depth of the bass line
still pulls it from being in the pop category at all. Straight
line rock with good beats and rhythm. Some great acoustic focused
guitar work and melody can be heard on the sincere and charming ballad,
"Don't Call Me Peanut." I don't know it is a cd that I would
be listening to much in my free time but it is an enjoyable musical cd
with plenty of diversity and approach.
Lyrically/Vocally
Lyrically, the band also take a very diverse range of topics dealing
with a lot of relationship issues, which would fall to that pop punk influence,
but also about dealing with life in general and the inner demons and hypocrisies
that we all face. A few of the songs use some strong metaphors of violence
to show inner struggle that did go a bit over the top for my personal
style. The song took an interesting approach on sexual hypocrisy on
how guys are seemingly supposed to brag and make up stories while the
girls get drawn through the mud with bad reputations. At least offensive
words are thrown in with a few 'f' bombs. Seems like the album would
have done just as well and gotten the point across without those. The
vocals are really up and down for me. One minute I was getting into
them and then the next it was like fingers on a chalk board. Again,
the first track is horrible and the vocals hit my nerve there. I
would advise listening to get a feel without the first track.
Overall, with a bit of overly aggressive metaphors of violence and mild language,
I take a pass with it also not being my personal style for music
enjoyment.