Taking Back Sunday - you're so last summer. This year, labelmates Spitalfield own the hottest time of the year. Victory Records scored big with these four guys from the suburbs of Chicago and their Victory debut, "Remember Right Now." This album is gold, from start to finish, it's thirty-seven minutes of pop rock heaven.
Spitalfield wears their influences on their sleeve. You don't have to listen too closely to hear Braid/Hey Mercedes in JD Romero's powerful drumming and tracks like "In the Same Lifetime" sounds like an outtake from Jimmy Eat World's "Clarity" sessions. This album doesn't really bring anything new or original to the table, but this band has managed to master the pop rock sensibility so well that their sound will appeal to virtually everybody. This is the CD that you blare from your stereo the entire summer and never get sick of. They've managed to capture oa feeling that makes the listener want to remember right now, the happiness of just singing along to such well written songs.
Lyrically, this album is incredibly cohesive. It flows so smoothly from one song to the next and builds to the album's closer, "Make My Heart Attack" with the sing-a-long chorus of "I know that you know I'll be back I'll be home, I'm tired of telling you something that you already know." There are some bumps in the road for Spitalfield. Although their most recent addition TJ Minich excels with his song writing on the album's closer, other songs he contributed to lyrically are a bit too cliche. On "Stolen From Some Great Writer," the lyrics "we are so sick of recycled old ideas" just sound forced and inappropriate because that's what this album is, recycled ideas redone in a way that's completely pleasing. "Fairweather Friend" has the same aspect to it, but the songs are still strong enough that they don't take away from the greatness this band has achieved.
Other than those exceptions, the song on this album are catchy beyond belief. Vocalist Mark Rose really shows a new maturity and a vast amount of potential in his songwriting. Everything about this album just screams sing-a-long. There's an absolutely optimistic attitude that just leaves you feeling great and ready to take on the world. Even the weaker songs are still good enough to make this the feel good album of the year.
The album art for this album is some of the best out there. The layout is done so well that its as aesthetically pleasing as the album is musically solid. Chris Strong photography, is, as always, very welcome. Pay close attention to the lyric booklet, because it shows just how well-arranged the songs are, but you have to figure out why for yourself.
The most important thing about this album is that it shows just how much potential Spitalfield has. It's no secret that guitarist Dan Lowder is incredibly talented, but he doesn't really get the chance to shine on this album. Sure it's chock full of catchy riffs and the first single, "I Loved The Way She Said LA" (nice On The Road reference boys), is a hit waiting to happen. All in all, wow, Spitalfield has arrived, and you'd better get ready, because they're going to blow you away.