It's been noted that the names of New Jersey's Saves the Day's records have been somewhat contradictory to the bands' career: Can't Slow Down, Through Being Cool, and Stay What You Are. The release of 2003's In Reverie was marked by a critical panning and a fan reaction that was far from, well, reverie. In some ways, it wasn't surprising when the band opted to return to Vagrant Records to release their new record Sound the Alarm after Dreamworks folded. Critics of the softer-sounding and more subtle In Reverie will often play the "major label" card, and while the album had its faults - most notably Chris Conley's subdued vocals relating to throat problems - it was an interesting sound for the band, but apparently not one they were keen to explore further.
The departure of bassist Eben D'Amico in 2005 marked another change in lineup for a band where singer/guitarist Chris Conley is the only original member. It's a fair statement that Saves the Day is essentially the Chris Conley show, with the main focus of the band being his honest and often gruesome lyrical offerings and his love-it-or-hate-it nasal and high-pitched voice. Sound the Alarm is no different, although vocally, there's a slight improvement on In Reverie's often irritating whine. That said, the vocals on "Eulogy"'s verses are an effort to listen to at times due to the sugary-sweet enunciation and less-than-stellar lyrics.
The band promised a faster, angrier Saves the Day, with Conley describing it as "Beatles from hell". At 35 minutes, it clocks in similarly to the band's past releases, none of which go far beyond 30 minutes, so the fast part is at least true. It's hard to label Conley's vocals as angry when they tend to be energetic and excitable (as in "The End", a great return to form on track two) rather than explicitly angry.
Lyrically, the band is similar to past offerings; in some cases too similar. "The End" features the line "Got a grenade in my mouth and my finger on the pin", which seems to echo Stay What You Are's "Your Ghost Takes Flight" with the line "Got a grenade stuck in your teeth / and you're pulling at the pin". The message here is that Conley's lyrics have switched to a more reflective and often introspective stance as opposed to reactions and commentaries on outsiders.
"Dying Day" features a cool drum intro that almost ushers in a brutal hardcore assault before a slice of summery pop bounce slides into place. "Say You'll Never Leave" is another catchy sing-along, despite the nasally vocals, although at the halfway point in the album, you're probably only still listening if you're a fan of them in the first place.
"Don't Know Why" bears some resemblance to the mellower acoustic work on In Reverie, and is the record's token slow song. The final few tracks of the record again show a mixture of the band's most popular sounds; the Lifetime-influenced pop punk energy of Through Being Cool teamed with Stay What You Are's softer vocals and polished guitars. "Hell Is Here", however, marks a departure for the band, with a distinctly minor chord progression and slower, more powerful rhythms. A breakdown of "Everyone you know will someday die" illustrates a slightly more depressive feel to the band, and could relate to Conley's ongoing struggle with Crohn's disease.
Despite the fan criticism, In Reverie was still a brave step for a band keen to reinvent, and had some proud moments amid the less-worthy mistakes. Sound the Alarm luckily improves upon its predecessor and the band's signing with Vagrant makes it easier to accept any doubts about their intentions. It mixes some of the best aspects of Saves the Day's sound, and while it will never top Through Being Cool for pure energy, production, songwriting and emotion, it's unlikely the band ever will.
