Congratulations, Saves The Day- you are going to be rich. It took five guys to create this ingratiating, starry-eyed mess. While clinging onto only the vaguest semblance of what can be construed as punk, Saves The Day serves up a batch of the most sickeningly sweet pop this side of The Promise Ring. With love them or hate them vocals (I hate them), Chris Conley sounds like a stopped-up, teenage Gomer Pyle, straining his way through some of the sappiest schlock that's ever been associated with punk rock.

If you can make it past the first forty-five seconds of "At Your Funeral" you may actually like this album. If I didn't have to review it, I would have thrown it out the window by the second word. Conley "sings" about an imaginary funeral for a friend, so that he can talk about holding hands "but it would be too painful to watch you die." You're at the funeral dumbass- she's already dead. "See You" is so perky and poppy that it'll make you long for a marathon of Faces Of Death films: "I don't think that I have got the stomach to stomach calling you today." Repeat ad nauseum. Ugh.

Check out these Seventeen Magazine lyrics written by grown men: "Her life was magazines and faithful TV screens/selling an empty dream of cars and calories" ("Cars & Calories"). Now imagine twenty tracks of that annoying voice harmonizing with itself in a chorus of "and it took bites out of her insides until she was just a hollow shell." I can see teenage girls welling up with tears right now. These guys are worse than sausage factory boy bands because they KNOW BETTER. Whatever gets the little girls to line up outside the van, eh guys?

The music on this album is of no consequence because you can't hear any of it over the forcibly catchy vocals. As each song passes, I am shocked and ashamed that five men all agreed that this was good. I can only hope they were held hostage by their producer and forced at gunpoint to suck through eleven songs. It's impossible to explain, otherwise. Who could utter this with a straight face: "and I'll sing out my song in case the birds want to sing along" ("Freakish")?

"Emo" doesn't even begin to describe how cloying and calculated this nauseatingly sentimental rubbish is. There's not a redeeming moment on Stay What You Are, but that won't stop it from being a huge hit- unless radio programmers are as revolted by Conley's nasally whine as I am. I just pray that they read the lyrics and promptly toss it in the trash. Here's another taste of Saves The Day's "poetry" for good measure: "To me you are the light from a light bulb that breaks sometimes/and the tender warmth inside is released into my life/and it smothers me in flames that lick and scorch my face/as the smoke reaches the sky, know I'll burn for you tonight."

If you have an ounce of pride or any respect for punk rock whatsoever, avoid this album. Don't even listen to a sample out of curiosity, thinking "it couldn't be that bad." Trust me, it is. If you don't heed this advice, then more bands will think that this is an acceptable way to use electric guitars.

——For Entertainment Purposes only——

DRAWER B READERS RESPOND:

(Before you send your complaints regarding this review please be sure to read how other STD fans have responded in order to minimize the duplication of sentiment. Much Appreciated. -The Editors)

whoever reviewed the saves the day album is totally ignorant and doesnt know what good music is. saves the day isnt punk its emo, and its some of the BEST music there is… reading your article made me physically angry because you remind me of those people who only listen to what mtv and carson daly tells them is cool. or for that matter just someone is ignorant and doesnt believe that differences are to be valued. id like to give the reviewer a big fuck off.
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you stupid faggot. Never talk about saves the day, or for that matter, ANY band, EVER again. Your apparent obsession with the actual lyrics to the song(s) makes me sick. Listen to the music fuckface, it’s good. The lyrics can be good and they can be not so good, how much does that have to do with the guitar playing? It flows together nicely, and in my opinion is very catchy. If you weren’t such a blind fuck to the fact that music is more than lyrics, maybe I wouldn’t be writing this now. Take your over-analytic, arrogant, convoluted ass to some empty parking lot and shoot yourself in the face. please.
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Your ‘Saves the Day – Stay What You Are’ review is unintelligible. I find it apalling that you would insult such an album. Chris Conley’s musical genius obviously far surpasses your mental capacity. Opinions I understand. But this is not an opinion – you are not even bothering to take into consideration the quality of the music. Rather, you are developing an opinion before listening.
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LOL…after reading that pathetic excuse to thrash Saves the Day, I just can’t stop laughing. Why even take the time out of your “precious” day to put a band down like that. Plus it’s QUITE obvious that your homophobic, sorry, I’d rather be gay. You should kick that Eric whatever his name is out on the god damn street……..actually keep him, he’s fun to laugh at. Anyway, if you don’t like an album, why don’t you simply put that, instead of racking your little brain for the most horrible things you could say about them. I pray to god that your under 15.
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OK…no! I don’t know what the hell you listen to but… oh GOD you have no idea what a good emo album should sound like, do you? i am, of course, refering to your “review” on saves the day. granted, it’s not as good as ‘through being cool’ (and don’t even THINK of saying that one sucked ‘cause if you do, I and about a million others are going to come to your house and RAPE YOU… don’t get excited) but is has a lot of good tracks, great vocals and good poetry. ugh. i’m gonna stop now.
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in my eyes any person who likes Bjork should never review a Saves the Day or Get Up Kids cd. get your head out of your ass and stop giving reviews for music you dont listen too. obviously any person who doesnt like a type of music will give a bad review for a band of that genre. for instance i think any Bjork cd blows, but thats only becuase i dont like that trippy electronic bullshit.
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ya know that feeling you get in your gut when you hear some really good music…. when notes go together so amazingly? I got that feeling when I first pressed play on the new saves the day cd. I liked the cd alot, I thought it was very well written. just because it strayed away from the punk origin of the band doesn’t mean you can’t give it a chance…
there are 3-4 songs that aren’t all that great… but I think the rest of the songs make up for them.

weren’t his lyrics always sappy?

I don’t care what kind of music it is…. if the notes work well…. and sound amazing… I tend to enjoy listening to it….

meh.
later.
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whoever reviewed saves the day – stay what you are…. is an ignorant moron.

that’s about it.
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I read Eric Greenwood’s review of Stay What You Are, and I found him to be a blithering fool. I have one question for you. Why did you write the review in the first place? Obviously, you don’t like Saves The Day, so why are you wasting your time reviewing the damn CD in the first place? Obviously it’s because of the fact that you are jealous that they have a band and are having fun and actually living life, while you sit on your ass in front of a computer and write reviews all day long. It sickens me when people like you write reviews about bands that you obviously aren’t into to begin with, and then say they suck. Obviously you understand the fact that people like different things, so the only reason you wrote the review, that I can understand, is that you are jealous of the fact that they are kick ass musicians. So go get a life.
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I think you are a deaf freak for saying that stuff about Saves the Day. Saves the Day is a heck of a lot better than all that other stuff out there, I think that you are probably the worst critic I have ever known.
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hey you know what? you don’t know crap about one of the best bands that has ever lived…you are too caught up in what is “punk” that you fell into the poster board crap that wants everyone to think of punk as one form of music that sounds exaclty the same….now you can make fun of words that you don’t understand or you can keep your idiotic opinions to yourself…this is the first time i’ve been to this site and already i think its crappy…and for your info. they have other cd’s that are less “pop sounding” as you so imbosilically put it. so go talk to a real kid whose really punk and ask them what punk means. they’ll tell you it means whatever. its how you feel and how you express it with a few simple insturments and a voice…and hey i don’t see you singing and making any money asshole…and besides they probably will get rich kroq already played them…so shut up…more people like this band then they like you.
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this site is so crappy! its made up of a bunch of whiners dissing everything! no wonder no one comes here! you guys suck major ass!
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Fuckface,
First of all every single review on your site sucks shit man. Your shitty little site is the worst thing I have ever seen. It is blatently clear that you have too much time on your hands. Get a life and listen to some good music. You claim Saves The Day isnt punk/emo but you dont have any good punk/emo bands reviewed on your s(h)ite. All you need is a stern ass raping and you should be on your way. I think maybe if you start farting blood it’ll get rid of the excess blood in your brain that is clogging up your judgement. So go back to your Bjork, Bauhaus, John Tesh and Duran Duran cd collection an throw them straight into the garbage with the rest of your shitty self and start over… but this time with good taste and merit, Get the cock out of your trap before you open it up again and let out such meaningless garble. Loser. Once again get a life.

You reek
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Who is this Eric Greenwood moron that wrote the Saves The Day review. He is truly a fucking idiot. The man simply has no taste or respect for music. Saves The Day is one of the best bands out there..they held up the Vagrant tour and held it up strong. The band has come a long way… the earlier STD stuff is incredible..I admit they may have stepped down a bit.. but it is for the better..and they deserve the success the will get or making such a perfect album.
So big fuck you goes out to Eric. jeah Lates.
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Eric Responds:
“i guess i hit a nerve with that one.”