Taking Back Sunday's Self Titled Album, Taking Me Back To The Early 2000's One Track At A Time.

Taking Back Sunday is a band that I can consider one of my favorites since I was about twelve years old.  The fact that their newest album is the first album to come out with their original line-up from their first album, made me extremely excited.  The reason why I say the line-up from their debut album is because even before their album came out, the five people in the band were not the original five.  There have been eleven different people in this band from the early 2000's to now.  The only consecutive members are Eddie Reyes (rhythmic guitar), Adam Lazzara (lead singer), and Mark O'Connell (drummer).  However, Shaun Cooper (bassist) and lead guitarist and co-vocalist John Nolan came back and were back in action. 

When I first listened to their self-titled album, I was disappointed. I guess it was because I went into the listening of this album, thinking that I would be very similar to their first album, Tell All Your Friends.  But it was very different.  I wasn't very happy with it, at first.  But as time went on, I would listen to it in small doses, and it eventually did grow on me.  I listened to each song, and they all did have something special about them. Something I loved. Let me just take the time out to go over each song, just so you can see where my head is at in terms of what I feel about this album.

1.  El Paso: The first song on their album, and definitely my favorite.  This is what first hits my ears when I press that little play button.  And the moment I heard the three drum hits in the beginning along with the guitar riffs, I was listening, and I liked what I was hearing.  And when the chorus hit, I was so excited.  I felt an old school TBS vibe from the anger seeping from the track.  I absolutely loved it, and the song got even better after that.  Everything from the harmonizing vocals, to the screams, to the heavy guitar..it was all screaming (not literally, of course) "we're back, and we're better than ever."  The drum part on this track is most definitely my favorite on the whole album. It was a great song to start out with.
2. Faith (When I Let You Down): Now I knew that this song would definitely be the "hit song" on the record.  It would be the one I would hear on the radio for some time, and I knew this the moment the vocals came in.  It just has that kind of ring to it.  And I really did like it.  Lead singer Adam Lazzara's voice goes so beautifully with the screams of John Nolan, one of the two guitarists and vocalists of this awesome band, during the chorus.  The lyrics are so great in this song, and when you hear John screaming Please while Adam sings it out, I get chills no matter how many times I hear it.  However, it didn't give me that feeling of Old School Taking Back Sunday coming out to play for all of their fans.
3. Best Places To Be A Mom: This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.  I feel like it really shows off the talent that the band has in writing lyrics for their music.  Also, it definitely gives me that vibe of Old Taking Back Sunday, because to me, there's nothing really quite like it.  And the fact that John Nolan and Adam Lazzara are back together and writing songs together makes me so happy.  They're making me remember what I loved about them in the first place.  And in terms of the musical aspect of this song, I really love the guitar part in this, and I absolutely love their harmonies.  The two voices go together so well, and it makes me so happy that they're back together.  
4.  Sad Savior: The beginning of this song reminds me of an old fifties tune.  It has a new flare to it, though.  And much like Best Places, the lyrics are great! I really dig the sound of this song, and I think that it's definitely something out of their comfort zone.  I like that the pace of the song changes, and I really dig the gradual change from something quite soft, to something powerful and in your face.   That's the band that I knew and loved when I was just a wee teenager, and I really enjoy the fact that really shined through in this song.
5. Who Are You Anyway?: I thought this song started out at a pretty great tempo, not something that I'm used to hearing from Taking Back Sunday. It was very upbeat, but moderately slow..but then it picks up, and turns into something sounds very familiar.  It goes back and forth like that throughout the whole song, but I don't mind it one bit.  I think they went down a very creative path with this song, and I think that it has a kind of pop-y aspect to it, but not enough to make their fans question the path that they're going down. This track is one of those that's kind of in the middle between something heavy like El Paso, and one of the lighter tracks like Since You're Gone. But I did like it. It wasn't my favorite, but I like it.
6. Money (Let It Go): I really dig this track, for so many reasons. I absolutely love the raw vocals throughout the whole thing.  And I obviously love the fact that I can most certainly feel the old Taking Back Sunday vibes just seeping out of this track.  And I was completely sucked in by the awesome bass line intro.  It's not something that they lead in with all that often (that thing being a bass line), and I think that it was an awesome start to a great song! I loved the power within every instrument: voice, guitar, bass, drums.  And much like the last song, I like the different flavor that they gave their fans with this song..a different side of them.  And I like that they showed us that without losing touch with their roots. 
7. This is Now: I love the constant back and forth vocal action between John Nolan and Adam Lazarra on this track.  Although, I do feel like this song is a bit repetitive, I really like the sound of it.  I think that Adam sounds great on it, and I really do love the part of the song when it's just him.  It's barely a whisper, and then it goes right back into sounding loud, and powerful, and basically saying 'LISTEN!' And I really think this is the only track that I feel Adam sounds exactly like he did about a decade ago. It's incredible how ageless his voice is, and I feel like this track definitely shows it.  Other than the vocals, I love the change of dynamic in this song. I love how quiet it can possibly get, and how loud and in your face it gets within the next minute.  It's really something special.
8. It Doesn't Feel A Thing Like Falling: The drumming in this song is definitely one of my favorites next to El Paso.  I think that the context of the song, and what the song is actually what gives me the vibes of them getting in touch with their old roots.  I love the part about two and a half minutes into the song, with the repeating of 'like falling', and I love the way John and Adam's voices mesh once again.  I mean, I don't really like that there is some synth. in this song, but I really do love the heavy guitar and how it kind of over powers it.  
9. Since You're Gone: This may be a bold statement to some, but this may be one of my favorite songs by them, ever.  I just love what the song is about, and I love Adam's voice so much in it.  I love the lyrics, and I think that it shows the romantic side of Adam that I absolutely love.  It's about how he's taking his love for granted, and now that she's gone he realizes what he's missing and how much he really wants it back, and how sorry he is.  Much like the way he says 'please' in Faith, he screams and pleads for the girl to 'come back'.  When he screams slash sings those two little words, it honestly pulls at my heart strings.  It was so beautiful, and I really feel for him, which is really what he wants for his fans to feel about their music.
10. You Got Me: This song starts out with a catchy guitar riff, and as I continued listening to the song, I realized that it had a very emotional message and meaning to it.  I loved what the song was about, and I loved the sounds.  However, as much as I do love the sound..I do feel like it's a bit repetitive.  It sounds exactly the same throughout the whole thing, and it stays at the same dynamic the whole time.  I would have wished that it didn't stay at a consecutive seven or eight. I really wish that they pumped it up a bit.  It is a good song, though! Not my favorite on the album, but I do dig the sound of it.
11. Call Me In The Morning: The conclusion. The last song.  And I must say (no pun intended); it made the album end on a good note.  This wasn't something I was expecting at all. I definitely wasn't seeing the album end with something THIS mellow.  I honestly do love this song, though.  I love how it gradually gets more powerful and more loud as it goes on.  I love that it ends on such a sweet note.  Call me in the morning, call me when you're home, I know what you've been through, don't let go. It ends with the phrase don't let go.  I am totally aware that they definitely didn't make a song as pretty and romantic as this about their fans.  But, what I got from that part of the song is that Taking Back Sunday (all five lovely members of it) don't want us to stop loving them.  We're all getting older, and they don't want us to let go. And I don't think I ever will.

Throughout this whole album, I feel like the vocals on Lazzara's part sounds like he's pleading, begging his fans to listen to their voice, to listen to what he actually has to say.  This album is their first album with the original line-up since their first album that came out a bit over ten years ago.  I think that this album is definitely something that says that they're growing as a band.  They're here to stay, and I'm really happy about that.  They have been my favorite band since I was in seventh grade, and I regret nothing about that.  They've greatly impacted my life, and I honestly can't wait for the day that I can hear these songs for myself live.


I actually saw Taking Back Sunday when they performed at my school for our Fall Festival.   They performed two of the songs off their newest album, and they were You Got Me and Faith. I will not lie, and I'll say that when I heard Faith for the first time LIVE, I cried a little.  Because watching them play it, and watching Adam and John sing it..it really did look like they were begging. Begging for their fans to not lose their faith in them.  I know I won't. 


This album made me feel young again (not to sound cheesy or anything like that), and I really took a turn down Memory Lane while listening to it. It was truly a great album, and on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd probably rate it an 8.5 or a 9.  Taking Back Sunday is here to stay, and this album totally proves it.