Saosin – “Along the Shadow” [Album Review]

It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been about 10 years since I first heard Saosin. The high school chills got real when I first heard that this year they’d be releasing Along the Shadow. My memory of Saosin got somewhat frozen in the days when Cove Reber fronted the band, so… it took me a second to realize what was goin’ on when having my first listen through the album.

Side-note: thinking back to 2006 and how many albums I had in my collection as a junior in high school, there’s SO much more music available at our finger tips today. Like woah… I’m super jealous of kids growing up now, you know… minus the looming global financial collapse and ever fleeting liberty, but in hindsight, it’s always been inevitable, so I might go with the unlimited music. Just kidding. That’d be ridiculous.

I’m about to say something that’s probably completely wrong, whilst trying to figure out to describe how this album sounds to me. Post-hardcore as a genre has splintered in several directions in the past few years, as some bands blend their take on post-hardcore with pop-punk or even a slight indie vibe, while others take a heavier route. In this album, I feel like Saosin stayed pretty true to their original sound in terms of production and overall vibe.

The most noticeably “Saosin” aspect to me are obviously the deliciously high tenor, sometimes aggro, vocals but also the intertwining guitar parts that sometimes sound like two separate lead guitar lines, panned hard left and right. It creates kind of a moving, maybe even flying, feeling as the songs develop their own perpetual flow. “The Stutter Says A Lot” is the track in particular that I’m listening to that seems to epitomize this aspect of their sound. Besides the beautiful tracks, there are also a handful that will help reignite your angst-y side with that signature chug-chug, minor second interval, two note bend riff. Classic. You’ll know it when you hear it!

My fave moment of this album are the vocal harmonizes on “Sore Distress”. They’re… kinda eerie in a hollow yet sentimental way? Bear in mind that these are words trying to describe sounds, so… shut up. I feel your judgment. I reject your judgment. Maybe I’m judging YOU!??

Along the Shadow Track Listing:

01. The Silver String
02. Ideology Is Theft
03. Racing Toward a Red Light
04. Second Guesses
05. Count Back from TEN
06. The Stutter Says a Lot
07. Sore Distress
08. The Secret Meaning of Freedom
09. Old Friends
10. Illusion & Control
11. Control and The Urge to Pray

Run Time: 39:50
Release Date: May 20, 2016

Check out the song “The Silver String”