Frank Giaramita
08/20/04, 11:28 PM
Band: Straylight Run- www.straylightrun.com (http://www.straylightrun.com)
Cd title: Self-Titled
Release date: October 12th 2004
Label: Victory Records- www.victoryrecords.com (http://www.victoryrecords.com)
Rating: 9
This much anticipated Self-titled debut consists of heart felt melodies and emotional lyrics... nothing less than one would expect from John Nolan (the heart of TBS). The most obvious benefit of the new cd is the variation of song style, a very bipolar approach with songs ranging from slow, easy listening ballads, too faster and more aggressive sing-a-longs...there is literally a melody for every mood that one could experience. Another noticeable feature is Michelle Nolan's vocals. Her voice has improved greatly and the amount of emotion that is expressed through her melodies is incredible compared to the demos. She also harmonizes a lot more with John than she did on the demos, it sounds stellar. Some might not notice or really care, but I must say, the drums on this record sound incredible. The snare drum is tight and clean sounding, the bass drum think and punchy, the technical rolls that Will does sound a million times better this way, listen for that. Ahhh...alright...John vocals and production. I'll try to sum these up in the least amount of words as possible but it'll be hard bc a lot needs to be said about these two things. First off, if you like John’s raspiness (like I do), i'm sorry to say, but it's not incorporated half as much as you'd think. He sings a lot clearer and cleaner and some songs (like Your Name here) it's hard to believe that it's even him. For those who say "I bet John's voice will be overproduced" couldn’t be more wrong. In "Mistake we knew..." (i’m just using this song as an example) there isn’t effects on his voice AT ALL...not one. I actually think it sounds a little under produced at times. On the other hand, Michelle's vocals make up for John's lack of production, you can literally hear the reverb on her voice louder than most of the instruments on the cd, it actually balances out nicely with John though. Now that all of the general shit is done, I'll give a song-by-song breakdown:
A lot of this shit is based on my opinion and spoils some little goodies here and there. So if you don't want little features spoiled that don't read, and if you can't respect my opinion than lick my shlong.
1) The perfect ending- Ironic/creative song title for a cd opener, I love it. However I think this song is a bad choice to open the cd. It's a very drawn out, bland and chill song. I personally like when a cd opens with a strong song that kicks your ass and lets you know what your in store for. Great tune, great title, wrong location.
2) Tension and the Terror- Good Stuff. Stellar snare drum and John Vocals sound more alive than the demo's version, a lot more. The really annoying effect that made me want to shit myself in sheer irritation (the one that is about 25 seconds into the old version) has been toned down A LOT, THANK GOD. Overall this song is awesome now and was awesome on the demo. Anything that has changed on the new version is for the better.
3) Existentialism on Prom Night- Sweet fucking Christ do I love this new version. It's tied for first as my fav song on the cd. And it's been on repeat for a while now. The most noticeable part on this version is the "sing like no ones listening" part has been turned up a lot in volume and is more up front and "in yo face". I like it this way, some may not. If you can get your hands on this version...do it...now. (No I am not sending it to you, so don’t bother)
4) Another Word for Desperate- (Take any positive word you've ever heard and throw it here). Such a beautiful fucking song. It reflects exactly what this cd is about and I can almost guarantee it'll be the one everyone talks about come October 12th. The melodies are so goddamn catchy and it's a very hard song for Straylight Run. Another sick feature is the fact that it's long (5:39)...but not drawn out at all. It changes time signature and sounds like a totally different song about 4:30 into it...I have a fetish for time signature changes and wacky shit that I didn’t think Straylight would EVER do...well they did it...perfectly. Amazing song.
5) Mistakes We Knew We Were Making- A lot of people will like the old version of this song better bc John sounds like he was singing half asleep in this. His voice just sounds more chill and relaxed; the raspiness is retired for this song. The best feature of this version is the toning down of the flanger/phaser effect that was used in the background. Everything sounds more clear now and I like it ten times better this way. I felt like I was listening to the song underwater in the old version.
6) Dignity and Money- Solid song. Some stylish effects on the vocals. For some reason this song gives me a country kind of feeling... a very up-beat happy kind of song. It's one of those tunes you listen to right after you get a blowjob. Good shit...I like it a lot. It's up there with "Another Word..." and "Existentialism..."
7) Your Name here- You’ve heard it. I love this song. I love it a lot. So will you, after a few listens...I promise. It'll grow on BIG TIME. Amazing song.
8) Tool sheds and Hot tubs- This is strictly Michelle. Very very upbeat song, its good but it's not really my style. It gives me an MTV ashlee simpson kind of feel. Don’t get me wrong, I'd fuck ashlee simspon's brains out, but her music isn’t cutting it for me. Same with Michelle Nolan, Id bang her, but ehhh. This song isn’t me at all. The drums sound midi, like computerized shit. That doesn’t help bc a lot of that Britney spears, pop crap has midi drums...blahh.
9) For the Best (feat. Nate of The Format)- Nate rules. His voice is amazing, seriously. I like this song a lot. Very chill and relaxing. He sings the breakdown part "we're moving forward but we're holding ourselves back" and harmonizes with John for almost the whole song...awesome awesome shit.
10) Now it's Done- Another Michelle song. Very chill. Better than "tool sheds and hot tubs" that's for sure. It still lacks something. Her voice just doesn’t have the emotion or power that I hope to hear in this song. Sick guitar solo in it, like 80's shit, No joke...like Journey shit. Sweet. I’m half and half on this tune. It’s Alright.
11) Sympathy for the Martyr- Last song on the cd. I put off jerking off to write this, so if you actually stuck with me and made it this far, god bless you. Weird slapping noises in the beginning of this song (like I said, I need to jerk off right now, so maybe i’m just hearing slapping and sex noises in my head...I don’t know, bare with me). Good shit, very nice closing song. A very relaxing kind of grand finale that really sums up the feel of the cd. It catches the overall mood that the cd presents. The pre-chorus and chorus are VERY Brand New feeling and the Chorus is SUPER raspy...I LOVE IT!! It has a very sing-a-long kind of end that fades out like a movie would. Great closing song...I love it.
Overall this cd is bomb. I give it a 9. BUY IT OCTOBER 12TH!!!!
Cd title: Self-Titled
Release date: October 12th 2004
Label: Victory Records- www.victoryrecords.com (http://www.victoryrecords.com)
Rating: 9
This much anticipated Self-titled debut consists of heart felt melodies and emotional lyrics... nothing less than one would expect from John Nolan (the heart of TBS). The most obvious benefit of the new cd is the variation of song style, a very bipolar approach with songs ranging from slow, easy listening ballads, too faster and more aggressive sing-a-longs...there is literally a melody for every mood that one could experience. Another noticeable feature is Michelle Nolan's vocals. Her voice has improved greatly and the amount of emotion that is expressed through her melodies is incredible compared to the demos. She also harmonizes a lot more with John than she did on the demos, it sounds stellar. Some might not notice or really care, but I must say, the drums on this record sound incredible. The snare drum is tight and clean sounding, the bass drum think and punchy, the technical rolls that Will does sound a million times better this way, listen for that. Ahhh...alright...John vocals and production. I'll try to sum these up in the least amount of words as possible but it'll be hard bc a lot needs to be said about these two things. First off, if you like John’s raspiness (like I do), i'm sorry to say, but it's not incorporated half as much as you'd think. He sings a lot clearer and cleaner and some songs (like Your Name here) it's hard to believe that it's even him. For those who say "I bet John's voice will be overproduced" couldn’t be more wrong. In "Mistake we knew..." (i’m just using this song as an example) there isn’t effects on his voice AT ALL...not one. I actually think it sounds a little under produced at times. On the other hand, Michelle's vocals make up for John's lack of production, you can literally hear the reverb on her voice louder than most of the instruments on the cd, it actually balances out nicely with John though. Now that all of the general shit is done, I'll give a song-by-song breakdown:
A lot of this shit is based on my opinion and spoils some little goodies here and there. So if you don't want little features spoiled that don't read, and if you can't respect my opinion than lick my shlong.
1) The perfect ending- Ironic/creative song title for a cd opener, I love it. However I think this song is a bad choice to open the cd. It's a very drawn out, bland and chill song. I personally like when a cd opens with a strong song that kicks your ass and lets you know what your in store for. Great tune, great title, wrong location.
2) Tension and the Terror- Good Stuff. Stellar snare drum and John Vocals sound more alive than the demo's version, a lot more. The really annoying effect that made me want to shit myself in sheer irritation (the one that is about 25 seconds into the old version) has been toned down A LOT, THANK GOD. Overall this song is awesome now and was awesome on the demo. Anything that has changed on the new version is for the better.
3) Existentialism on Prom Night- Sweet fucking Christ do I love this new version. It's tied for first as my fav song on the cd. And it's been on repeat for a while now. The most noticeable part on this version is the "sing like no ones listening" part has been turned up a lot in volume and is more up front and "in yo face". I like it this way, some may not. If you can get your hands on this version...do it...now. (No I am not sending it to you, so don’t bother)
4) Another Word for Desperate- (Take any positive word you've ever heard and throw it here). Such a beautiful fucking song. It reflects exactly what this cd is about and I can almost guarantee it'll be the one everyone talks about come October 12th. The melodies are so goddamn catchy and it's a very hard song for Straylight Run. Another sick feature is the fact that it's long (5:39)...but not drawn out at all. It changes time signature and sounds like a totally different song about 4:30 into it...I have a fetish for time signature changes and wacky shit that I didn’t think Straylight would EVER do...well they did it...perfectly. Amazing song.
5) Mistakes We Knew We Were Making- A lot of people will like the old version of this song better bc John sounds like he was singing half asleep in this. His voice just sounds more chill and relaxed; the raspiness is retired for this song. The best feature of this version is the toning down of the flanger/phaser effect that was used in the background. Everything sounds more clear now and I like it ten times better this way. I felt like I was listening to the song underwater in the old version.
6) Dignity and Money- Solid song. Some stylish effects on the vocals. For some reason this song gives me a country kind of feeling... a very up-beat happy kind of song. It's one of those tunes you listen to right after you get a blowjob. Good shit...I like it a lot. It's up there with "Another Word..." and "Existentialism..."
7) Your Name here- You’ve heard it. I love this song. I love it a lot. So will you, after a few listens...I promise. It'll grow on BIG TIME. Amazing song.
8) Tool sheds and Hot tubs- This is strictly Michelle. Very very upbeat song, its good but it's not really my style. It gives me an MTV ashlee simpson kind of feel. Don’t get me wrong, I'd fuck ashlee simspon's brains out, but her music isn’t cutting it for me. Same with Michelle Nolan, Id bang her, but ehhh. This song isn’t me at all. The drums sound midi, like computerized shit. That doesn’t help bc a lot of that Britney spears, pop crap has midi drums...blahh.
9) For the Best (feat. Nate of The Format)- Nate rules. His voice is amazing, seriously. I like this song a lot. Very chill and relaxing. He sings the breakdown part "we're moving forward but we're holding ourselves back" and harmonizes with John for almost the whole song...awesome awesome shit.
10) Now it's Done- Another Michelle song. Very chill. Better than "tool sheds and hot tubs" that's for sure. It still lacks something. Her voice just doesn’t have the emotion or power that I hope to hear in this song. Sick guitar solo in it, like 80's shit, No joke...like Journey shit. Sweet. I’m half and half on this tune. It’s Alright.
11) Sympathy for the Martyr- Last song on the cd. I put off jerking off to write this, so if you actually stuck with me and made it this far, god bless you. Weird slapping noises in the beginning of this song (like I said, I need to jerk off right now, so maybe i’m just hearing slapping and sex noises in my head...I don’t know, bare with me). Good shit, very nice closing song. A very relaxing kind of grand finale that really sums up the feel of the cd. It catches the overall mood that the cd presents. The pre-chorus and chorus are VERY Brand New feeling and the Chorus is SUPER raspy...I LOVE IT!! It has a very sing-a-long kind of end that fades out like a movie would. Great closing song...I love it.
Overall this cd is bomb. I give it a 9. BUY IT OCTOBER 12TH!!!!