Saves the Day - Daybreak

Princeton, New Jersey's finest are back after a 4 year layover with their latest release, Daybreak. The follow up to 2007's Under The Boards finds the legendary pop-punk quartet aiming to return to their original sound that was most notable on their breakthrough 2002 effort Stay What You Are. This album also completes the trilogy storyline that began with 2006's Sound The Alarm.

The disc opens up with the disc's sprawling 10 minute long title track which seems a little drawn out and unnecessary, but features some solid guitar riffs and the familiar vocal refrains of frontman Chris Conley help keep the song afloat and just manages to barely crack the finish line. "Let It All Go" returns the band to more familiar territory with a decent, laid back rocker with hard edged guitar riffs heard at intermittent intervals and Chris's vocals adding a great deal to this track. "E" is an intricate, gritty rocker that features swinging changes in tempo that is sometimes hard to decipher at times, but is nevertheless one of the highlights of the album. "Deranged & Desperate" is an odd sounding track with whiny guitar riffs and Chris's vocals unable to come up to par as found on the subsequent tracks, making this song a somewhat uncomfortable listen.

We start off the disc's second half with "Chameleon", an acoustic flavored number that is a quick recovery from the album's subpar first half, and aims to keep the album in playing shape with Chris's vocals sounding much more focused and refined here. My favorite song off the album is the disc's first single, "Living Without Love" a consistent, well thought out tune that is one of the most melodic songs on the album with upbeat, throwback guitar riffs and Chris's vocals mixing in together perfectly to create a sonic delight that you're bound to enjoy. We get ready to close out the album with "O" a melancholy, toned down affair that sets in the emotional mood of the album as a whole and enables the listener to fully grasp the lyrical content and what Chris is trying to convey to his loyal fans. "Undress Me" is the disc's finale that features dark, moody guitar riffs and much of the same ominous lyrical content that was found in the prior track that brings this decent album to a close. When I first discovered Saves The Day back in 2002 after I saw the video for "At Your Funeral", I was impressed with the band's ability to create explosively melodic pop-punk songs built upon dark and emotionally resonating lyrics that made Stay What You Are one of my favorite albums to this day. The band succumbed to their own shortcomings on 2003's disappointing In Reverie which led to the band being dropped by Dreamworks Records and some of that discontent settles in on this disc, which is not what I was expecting from this influential and talented group.

In conclusion, a solid and unspectacular effort from Saves The Day, who finally wrap up their 3 album trilogy story arc with more of a whimper than a bang and deliver a subpar quality effort that the band can hope to do better on their next release.

                                                                                                                     Album Score: 3/5

Track Listing:

1. Daybreak
2. Let It All Go
3. 1984
4. E
5. Z
6. Deranged & Desperate
7. Chameleon
8. Living Without Love
9. U
10. O
11. Undress Me