Saturday, September 20, 2008

Track By Track: Callahan- Face The Day [EP]

Track By Track: Callahan- Face The Day [EP]
Unsigned

I'm starting to turn away from the more "poppyier" stuff due to the Fall season approaching. But, I might as well end it off on a good note. Hailing from Springfield, Ohio; Callahan bring comparisons from All Time Low to Valencia, and even to Ohio's own Hit The Lights. They released their new EP "Face The Day."

1. This One's For The History Books- Immediately, I became hooked to this release within 30 seconds. Vocalist Ryan Clay brings resemblance to AG from All Time Low. Pounding guitars mixed with soft vocals, the lyric "Boys Will Be Boys" will be stuck in your head for about six hours (As the case for me).

2. The Bittersweet July- Teasing guitars enter the beginning of the song. Mixed with the pounding vocals from Clay again, this band seems to have the EP moving in the direction they want. This seems like one of those "feel good" songs. However, it doesn't lead into the next song very well.

3. Dressed To Impress- Some bands in the similar genre go through the same problem: Why do songs sound the same throughout the album? I wish bands would realize that you don't need to contain one sound to become "known." This song doesn't really do anything for me. It actually bores me at times. I mean, when I start guessing the next lyric.. you can tell it's one of those generic pop-punk songs.

4. Face The Day- When I originally heard this song, I thought it was from the band Parade The Day. This is probably the strongest song on the album. With the guitar teamwork from Jake Bonham and Brad Comer, it keeps your foot tapping. It also doesn't hurt that the man behind the kit (Wes Comer) knows what he's doing. Again, vocalist Ryan Clay sounds really smooth and comfortable in this song. It sounds like he's not trying to force things; he's just letting things happen. "I'll fall asleep waiting for you."

5. When Morning Comes- I heard the intro and I thought it was Spitalfield. Guitars remind me of the old Chicago band. This song isn't the strongest song on the album. It probably would have been more appreciated by me if tracks three and five were switched in the order. However, the negative to this song: It sounds like I've heard the song before.

6. Love Stories Never Have Endings- Many bands tend to albums off horrible. If bands would pretend albums were essays in English, you'd need a strong conclusion/clincher sentence. In this case, Callahan knows how to write an essay. Reminding me of The Dangerous Summer, the gang vocals at about 30 seconds left in the song are genius.

Overview: This is a solid release. Nothing overdone and nothing that really can kill the mood. It'll probably be in my friends car next summer when he can drive. And this probably will make great beach music. Check it out if you like: Valencia, The Dangerous Summer, All Time Low, or Hit The Lights

Score: 74%

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"the gang vocals at about 30 seconds left in the song are genius"
So true! I could swear it's the guy from Mayday Parade/Go Radio

Kaleidoscope said...

Wes is my boyfriend <3 And yeah, it is Jason Lancaster of Mayday/Go Radio.

Anonymous said...

"So true! I could swear it's the guy from Mayday Parade/Go Radio"
i thought he was the guy from mayday parade as well.
it's scary
but amazing.

Sparked said...

Yupp, I totally agree with you. This one's for the history books - first time round, I was hooked, and haha the lyrics "boys will be boys" is still stuck in my head.