Taking Back Sunday

For the past couple of years, I've listened to Taking Back Sunday. One of my young loves got me into them, and I have loved them ever since. Recently, they released a new album following up on 2006's Louder Now. Since then a lot of things have changed with the band, including the departure of guitarist of Fred Mascherino. Fred now has his own solo project, The Color Fred, and since has been replaced with Matthew Fazzi. So, when Taking Back Sunday announced the date of their appropriately titled release, New Again, I added to my list of stuff to check out. I'm huge skeptic and I'll be the first to admit my curiosity got the best of me. It seems like the long hiatus left us in the dark and suddenly they are popping up everywhere. Everyone knows that Taking Back Sunday have always been a band with a lot of baggage, and no one seems to stick around long. Then my alternative press subscription arrived with them on the cover. I read the article and was disappointed to find that the article did not focus on the band's new album, but rather frontman Adam Lazzara's drama. The article also went into Lazzara's split from his fiance, the woman he cheated with, his wife, his child, his weight gain, and his jealousy of Fred. He continued to brag about his songwriting and how it had grown so much. He basically made himself look stupid. I bought the album and quickly looked through the artwork to discover no lyrics where included, which is lame. Since Fred has left, the dynamic, split vocals are now left for Lazzara alone. This record is a little harder than past records. The lyrics are still cliche and even a little immature. They all kind of sound alike and there are no standout tracks. The album stabs at Fred and also Lazzara's ex fiance. I've tried to keep this ranting about the music, not the personal lives. It seems as Lazzara traded his melodic vocals for angry howls. It's just kind of bland. Overall, I'd give this a 2 out 5.

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