Taking Back Sunday - New Again

Artist: Taking Back Sunday
Album: New Again
copyright Warner Bros. Records 2009


The year 2002 brought forth what would prove to be a musical giant. Taking Back Sunday released their first full length album Tell All Your Friends which went on to produce the singles "Cute Without the E (Cut From the Team)" and "You're So Last Summer." Taking Back Sunday went on to make a name for themselves by playing Warped Tours, touring with the likes of blink-182 and others, and contributing songs to countless superhero movie soundtracks.

However, all was not well in the Taking Back Sunday camp. When it came time for the band to write a follow up album to 2006's Louder Now, the band found that the writing process wasn't being allowed to happen because of how much fighting the band was doing. This resulted in the departure of guitarist and vocalist Fred Mascherino.

So the question is, after three very successful albums, does the fourth measure up? Can new lead guitarist Matt Fazzi fill the shoes of Mascherino?

Well, before actually answering the questions, let's talk about the album a little. New Again opens up with, you guessed it, "New Again." The song serves as a fitting opener with a super catchy chorus slightly reminescent of early U2. Next is the first single from the album, "Sink Into Me" which has an infectious drum beat, gang vocals, and a fantastic bridge section.

"Swing" (my favorite on the album) finds Matt Fazzi doing a Fred Mascherino impersonation on the guitar. For me, this song comes off sounding like what Louder Now's "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" should've sounded like. It also has some of my favorite lyrics from the album ("lover, lover on the fence/bat your eyes/ball a fist and swing").

The track that has proven to be the most controversial is "Cut Me Up, Jenny." Some people really like it, but it seems like most can't stand it. However, I think it's one of the best on the album. One of the more creative songs on the album and of Taking Back Sunday's entire career. Adam Lazzara's half-screaming vocals are the highlight here.

Skip a little bit to the last song, "Everything Must Go." Taking Back Sunday hasn't always been my favorite band when it comes to closers, but they've always gotten the job done. This song, however, surpasses any closer they've ever wrote. Everything about this song is near perfect. Lazzara's vocals and the guitar interludes are particularly fantastic.

The biggest problem I find with this album is the lack of dual vocals which were so prominent in other Taking Back Sunday albums. It's not that Fazzi can't sing, because there are spots on the album where he is clearly heard, but those places just aren't as common as they were on earlier work. For me, the dual vocals were what really drew me to TBS, and although this is still a decent album, it doesn't quite hold up to past albums (which answers the first question asked at the beginning of the review).

To answer the second question, does Matt Fazzi do a good job replacing Fred, I would say yes. As a guitarist, he's fantastic, and live, he sings all of the dual vocal parts perfectly. However, on future TBS albums, I'd like to hear him more.

Grade: B-

Favorite songs: "Summer, Man," "Swing," "Cut Me Up, Jenny," "Carpathia" and "Everything Must Go