Review Summary: A strong debut littered with moments of near excellence from a talented and emotional band out of Queens, NY.
We all know the drill by now with these various "Emo," pop/rock outfits inked to the Chicago based Victory Records: Hit the studio, produce an album featuring that infectious single or two with the chorus that gets stuck in everyone's head, and then take it on the road where they can hop around on stage in tight-fitting shirts and skinny jeans belting out that very chorus while promoting the album in the hopes of generating enough revenue to continue touring and ultimately produce a new CD down the line. Bayside represents the rare exception to this.
Forming in New York over the Winter of 2000, this Four Piece Rock outfit certainly didn't have an easy path to the success and notoriety that they now enjoy; In fact, it would be a full 4 years until the band would produce their first full length album, Sirens and Condolences. But after three years of sharpening their skills around the east coast punk-rock scene, the group was able to catch the eye of Victory Records and commence production on 2004's SAC, a collection that many fans cite as the band's most raw and talented work.
At about halfway through Sirens and Condolences, the listener will realize that this album is mostly centered around doomed relationships and heartbreak, a topic which on the surface might seem like a bad thing in its cliché and vastly overplayed nature but underneath shines as a sort of blueprint to how one can cope with the loss of love. It's a concept that we all have dealt with at some point or another in our lives, and through the use of strong lyrics and sound melodies Bayside serves us up a nice reminder that we are not alone, we all have been there, and it all comes in the shape of a CD.
The MVP of this album has to go to Vocalist/Rhythm Guitarist Anthony Raneri. Whether it's delivering heartfelt lines like "Scars are tearing open along my palms and knees/ I guess that's what I should get for crawling back at your feet," (Alcohol and Alter Boys), or nailing some interesting guitar riffs (Guardrail,Kellum), Raneri is the glue that holds this album together. While some might argue that he doesn't have the best voice in the business, he is certainly one of the more emotional ones, piercing listener's hearts as he goes track to track and that is what makes a solid album in this genre.
A close second for the award would definitely go to Bassist Andrew Elderbaum, who wrote all the lyrics for the album while laying down some pretty sick Bass lines. Elderbaum, departing shortly following the release of SAC, is probably as underrated as they come, as every song on the album boasts well-written lines of imagery and poetry that invoke an image of just how true this band was when making this album into the heads of all listeners. Elderbaum definitely didn't slack off on the musical end, either; If you want proof, just listen the intro of Track 10 "Just Enough To Love You."
Raneri and Elderbaum utilize this combination of intense vocals with equally emotional lyrics to drive the record along, which in turn leaves the collection with a sense of consistency without repetition that is so hard to find in a genre as overcrowded as this one.
Guitarist Jack O'Shea, one of the only two remaining members along with Raneri, has cited the likes of Metallica and Guns and ROses as prime influences of his work, and that is certainly evident across this record. O'Shea bangs out some complex riffs from start to finish, and is really a driving force for the musical section of the collection. John Mitchell onn the Drums, also departing after the record's release, does a sound job of matching O'Shea's intensity and pace while giving SAC a strong foundation. He never really exceeds expectations here, but like the album itself is extremely consistant and that is key to a successful album.
All in all , what you have here is a debut album boasting the consistency and sound of a veteran band with the lyrics and vocals of seasoned vets, only Bayside had only been playing together for 3-4 years. Songs like Just Enough to Love You and album opener Masterpiece showcase some of the band's several approaches at excellence in lyrics and vocal delivery, while tracks like Guardrail and How to Fix Everything will leave you scrambling to cover some of the guitar/bass lines present in the song, and it is a highly recommended listen to any and all fans of the emo/punk/pop/rock genre.
