A Great Album

I just realized that I've never paid tribute to one of my favorite albums of all time. In Reverie by the Princeton, New Jersey band Saves the Day.

For those of you who keep up with latest releases, this album is old news. Released in 2003, people. But of course, great music is timeless.

Saves the Day has a sound that is truly, for lack of a better word, unique. I really haven't heard anything like them, and I've got quite an eclectic taste. On first listen, the lead singer's voice may seem nasal and puerile; the music - simplistic, poppy and unsophisticated. Its very likely that you will be tempted to write them off, as I did, as a group of uninspired teenagers with nothing to sing about and nothing worthwhile to offer.

These guys however, are the case to prove the point that first impressions are not everything. Oh no, not at all. You'll find yourself walking along the streets of wherever you live, humming their music. For no apparent reason. I'm not talking about stuck-in-my-head in the annoying, slightly embarrassing way that Britney Spears songs tend to get stuck, but in a way that creates a need for more.

And if you are the slightest bit enlightened, you'll go back and take a second listen, then maybe a third. If you still don't get it by that point, then keep trying, but not too hard. Music is supposed to be fun and personal after all. There's no point looking for something when your musical judgment may just be woefully inadequate.

What I hear in this album are lyrics so poetic, yet so simplistic, that they're beautiful without being out of reach. Layers upon layers of instrumentals - something new every time you listen. This music is malleable. It changes with your mood.

I can't get over the light/dark imagery. I'm a sucker for juxtaposition. Especially when despite the differences, there is a confluence, an entwining. A syzygy (the conjunction of two things without the loss of identity).Violent words and hyperbole, contrasted with gentle music and delivery - it gives me the chills.

The music really does put you In Reverie.

If anyone has given it a listen, let me know what you think!