This record is another prime example of why I should never give up on an album until I have had plenty of time to listen to it. When I first bought this record, I couldn’t get past the Saosin knock-off feeling and the fact that I really didn’t care for it that much. But as time went on, it began to grow on me and the Saosin qualities that were once glaring negatives became positives.

For starters, I really like the album art. It’s the first record of the year that I feel the art and the music fit each other really well. As you listen to the record you begin to hear the intricacies and differences between Secret & Whisper and Saosin. While they are very similar in style, I would go so far as to say that S & W wrote a better Saosin record than Saosin has thus far. I think it should also be mentioned that the Saosin I speak of is the current Cove Reber iteration, not the previous one.

Now will this record be as sucessful as Saosin? Probably not. Will it succeed as an underground classic? Maybe. I think that if people gave this record an actual chance and put aside their initial complaints, they might find a record they enjoy. This album will more than likely find its way to my list at the end of the year and I highly recommend you give it a listen.

Favorite Tracks : “XOXOXO” “Anchors” “Vanishings” “Great White Whale”

RIYL – Saosin, ‘A Moment of Imperfect Clarity’ Spoken, ‘Sing the Sorrow’ AFI

8/10

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I would also like to add that this album features some of my favorite Ryan Clark artwork of 2008. The typography is clean and the illustrations are simply intriguing. They have a nice texture to them and complement the layout very well.