Let’s be honest with ourselves here. Taking Back Sunday could record front man Adam Lazzara throwing up, and kids would eat it up like a 50 dollar plate at a fancy restaurant. Taking Back Sunday will always have a loyal fan base. So, one could not judge the greatness of the new Taking Back Sunday CD Louder Now, by album sales alone.
I am one of those people who believe that Taking back Sunday will never outdo their first album Tell All Your Friends. Their sophomore album Where You Want To Be, was one of those albums that had a lot of excitement and buzz around it. I bought it the day it came out and was fairly disappointed. Skepticism, was the first thing that comes to mind when I heard that there would be a third disc put out. I had no intention to buy, (even though I felt almost obligated to buy, like many others), until I came across the music video for “Make Damn Sure.”
The A&R reps for Taking Back Sunday are certainly not incompetent. They certainly did put out the best track on the CD, for a single. There are a few good songs on the record Louder Now. The problem is there are few songs on the album that are memorable. The same problem that, Where You Want to Be had. There is a definite difference from being catchy and stuck in your head vs. being memorable. Is Louder Now one of those CD’s that four years from now you will still be blasting, singing along with your friends in your car? The answer I found was clearly ‘No.’
Taking Back Sunday did try to making this one good however, they definitely have catchy lyrics throughout the disc. Taking Back Sunday even covered the song “Just like Heaven” by the Cure. Even with all their efforts, something important is still missing from Louder Now. That certain something might be ignored by many, but not by all.