Bayside's Shudder relates to fans
Oct. 3, 2008
Since its emergence from the Long Island scene eight years ago, Bayside has gone from wondering about the next band that would change (their lives) to becoming a band for youth everywhere. The band's fourth full-length album, Shudder, kicks off the tour of the US and Australia.
Like the albums that preceded it, Shudder is an album of the youth, for the youth. Their coming-of-age-themed melodies remain filled with both apathy and ridicule, but this time around they're coated with optimism. Their punk and Alkaline Trio-esque anthems are the songs of those who are still finding their place in the world and, as such, they're incredibly easy to relate to.
The powerful opening track, "Boy," documents self-doubt while evoking hope through lyrics and a natural, rhythmic sound. Vocalist Anthony Raneri, with unconventional ashtray-smoothness in his voice, sings "He's just too normal/This place is too scary/He's so scared that he'll miss/It keeps him in hiding/And restless and wanting." Bayside's lyrics are universal and offer something to the music industry that no other band or musician really has, making them difficult to classify as any one genre.
Bayside's lyrics put a clever twist on tired topics, such as fear of failure and false religious types. On "Have Fun Storming the Castle," Raneri sings, "Wicked are the ones who dare to think outside the box/I guess it's righteous making money in the name of God/think about what's right and wrong/the same gray line we all live on." Bayside's lyrics give voice to a generation of searchers and seekers, and encourage listeners to think for themselves. This alone makes them unique and arguably the best of their kind.
On the band's previous record, 2007's The Walking Wounded, listeners sang along to "Carry On," proclaiming, "Hey hey I've got things to say!" In the realm of promoting self-expression, Shudder is no different.
This album delivers a lot more optimism than The Walking Wounded but does not quite capture its triumph. The mellow sounds of the album's central longest track, "I Can't Go On," detract from the overall power of the album. It is, however, a change from Bayside's traditional brooding pop and powerful solos. This shows the band's growth and continual experimentation with sound and in turn parallels the guys' motivation to help others find their place in the world.
Shudder has more in common with the band's second album, self-titled and filled with similar optimism and heartfelt lyrics. Supporting Raneri's clever, relatable lyrics are the hard-rocking solos of guitarist Jack O'Shea, which particularly resound in Shudder's opener "Boy." Bassist Nick Ghanbarian and drummer Chris Guglielmo, whose inventiveness in sound establishes the rhythm, particularly aims to impress in "A Call to Arms." The song also features an incredible solo by O'Shea.
Following increasingly dynamic and outside-the-box albums that featured dramatic lyricism and experimental instrumentation, Shudder brings the sound back down to Earth slightly to create an album that is classically Bayside: natural, powerful and honest.
For fans of the band, it'll remind you why you still love the guys. For those new to the Bayside "cult," you may have found the band that Bayside hoped to gain inspiration from. They needn't look further than themselves.
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