The Fire- Senses Fail

Why I Chose It

Cause Senses Fail is one of my overall favorite bands ever. And this was coming out. And I got it early. I'm really really hoping Buddy Nielsen works his beautiful, emo magic again.

Live Blog

The Fire - "It's okay to feel lost, it just means you're alive". Sang so catchily. The guitars swirl again. Buddy's voice relies a lot more on a...manly side of him. It's not as whiny, cause he's grown up too. But he can still scream. "I just want to feel alive".

Saint Anthony - Sounds like Still Searching "Streets". But it's still good. "But now all I see is the face between the moonlight waxing". I like the guitars in this song. I love their use of gang vocals too. No screams in this one. Sorta a happier song, but it's still sad.

New Years Eve - No screaming in the last song? It begins this one. We can almost tell Buddy is getting really into hardcore music here. Gang screams? Is that even a thing? Please...no. I like the solo in this one. 

Safe House - More, sad, resigned emo music. You get the feeling of worthlessness. 

Coward - Starts with some pretty tortured scream of "I blame myself". He has a regular delivery, then he pauses and, off tempo, says "you fucking coward!". It's pretty cool. I like the songs with heavier screaming like this one. 

Landslide - "I need to start living because my life is passing by". Man I can relate. "New Jersey has become the new Atlantis, spawning new romantics". Is that good or not, I can't tell. This is a slower one.

Heading West - Faster one, but this one sounds more resolved. Sounds like he wants to take control of his life and fix it. "If you can't change yourself, change your scenery". 

Lifeboats - This is the intense song. Buddy would make a good hardcore singer. Probably the best song so far. "What do you do when you've got nothing left? Give up give up! and hope for the best". "What the point of life if all I want is out?"

Nero - Clean singing. I don't know the lyrics, so I can't really remark on what he's saying...but it's sounding a lot like the cleaner parts of the rest of the album. I mean, I like it. It's just...really similar. 

Irish Eyes - I like the guitars at the beginning. I also like the chorus. "I have to lose it all, if I wanna be free". "I can't lose something I never had". 

Hold On - Feels like an ending song. "Am I just lightning lacking thunder?". "I've got to let this go."" I take a final breath, breathe it in my lungs, because everything I've done has made my numb". 

Write Up

So, I never have liked Senses Fail's CDs as they come out. They need to grow on me. I didn't like Still Searching that much when it came out, but now I think it's amazing. Life is not a Waiting Room was nonsense to me until after I broke up with my girlfriend. Something in my life needs to happen for me to really attach to it. All the songs on this CD are about 3 minutes long. Buddy was never really about musically complex things, so this really isn't that big a deal. Just, maybe some variety. It seems to me they are really feeling losing Heath, their old guitarist. In Still Searching, the guitars are one of my favorite parts. 

This CD is, competent, upon first listen. But Senses Fail hasn't steered me wrong in the past. So I'll listen again. and again. and again.

Would I listen again?

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