Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends

You may be wondering why we would bother reviewing an album a year after it has been released, and has already received praise in every magazine, e-zine, and music press outlet you can name. Well…that is exactly why, because it is so damn good (plus, this girl named Dani has promised us riches beyond belief if we review it). We dropped the ball when we got it last year and now we are trying to make up for it by making sure you check it out. Taking Back Sunday is most often described as “emo”, but what the hell does that mean these days anyway? Emotional rock? Well they definitely have that, and not in the ever so annoying whinny way, but in the screaming vocals and balls to the wall screams way. Point blank, they are what “emo” should be. If for some reason you haven’t heard the awesome “Cute Without the E”, and don’t know what the band sounds like, think Thursday or maybe old Juliana Theory. Perhaps a less-poppy Finch or a not as aggressive Thrice? All of the forementioned bands come to mind when listening to this disc. One thing that some critics have picked apart on this album is the vocals, saying that they are out of key too often, and singer Adam Lazzara doesn’t always hit the notes he is aiming for. I guess that is where my opinion differs. All too often bands fix vocal issues a little too much in the studio and you end up with an over-produced radio ready piece of crap. I say leave the vocals a little dirty, at least then we know it’s honest. Whether you like this type or music or not, you can't deny that it has been done well on Tell All Your Friends. I realize I haven’t gone into very much detail on this review, but I really feel like if you are going to like this kind of music, you have probably already heard about Taking Back Sunday. If not, pick it up for a really good example of what someone like Jimmy Eat World would sound like, if they didn’t suck. [www.takingbacksunday.com]