Saves The Day – Through Being Cool
(Equal Vision)

Saves The Day are a band who are considered to be part of the emo scene and the hardcore scene without really belonging in either one. I suppose the emo label is obvious; a lot of their lyrics are about relationships and breaking up with girls and stuff, and they have that pretty boy image. I would say, however, that their music is a little too straightforward and not artsy enough to be called emo. On the other hand, they are clearly too melodic and poppy to be a hardcore band. If you ask me, they are a power pop band, plain and simple. That’s not a bad thing though, because they do it well.

Despite the title of the album (which they ripped off from a Devo song), Saves The Day are steadily gaining popularity.These guys definitely have some commercial potential, and there has been talk that they will be the next Blink 182, but I really doubt they will reach that level of mainstream success. Their music is too smart and the songs are too fast paced for the most of the mainstream music world to latch on to.

Saves The Day are huge fans of the band Lifetime and it really shines through in their music to the point where Through Being Cool sounds like it could have been the latest Lifetime album if they were still together nowadays.Every song on the album has its moments, butI think the most solid track is You Vandal, which features thundering drums, thick guitars, and a fun, melodic sing-along chorus.

The lead singer of Saves The Day has a very distinctive voice and style of singing. I would think that one’s opinion of this band is heavily dependent on one’s opinion of his singing. If you find his singing is too whiny or too poppy for your tastes, then it will probably be difficult to look past this as you listen to the cd. On the other hand, if you think the singing is catchy and you find the melodies sticking in your head for days, then this cd will never leave your stereo. — Sean