Customer Reviews

Coming Home

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Having never listened to or heard a recognizable song by New Found Glory, I thought that I would try out the "punkers" and see if I liked them. To be honest with you, after hearing the exceptional COMING HOME, I found New Found Glory to be one of my new favorite bands. I love the whiny vocals by the lead vocalist as well as the driving rhythmic guitar lines. Listening to COMING HOME you hear remnants of Blink-182 with multi-layers of vocals and the whole punk/emo feel. Is New Found Glory the second coming? No, but they may be one of the few so proclaimed punk bands keeping that "punk" element alive.

The album opens with the great "Oxygen" which is the first track to exhibit the multi-layer vocals along with driving, dirty-sounding guitar lines. Coupled with the great lead vocals of Jordan Pundik, "Oxygen" is just one of few great tracks on COMING HOME. Even better is the following track "Hold My Hand" which features a driving bass line, and gives off the essence of straight, no furls punk rock. The chorus as well as the pre-chorus are so poppy they are both catchy and makes the listener want to sing along. Unlike Good Charlotte (who have many skeptics), New Found Glory don't feel so poppy where it is more pop than punk, but it is a good mix.

Again the hits keep rolling with the consistent "It's Not Your Fault" and "On My Mind" and only hits the slightest falter with the title track "Coming Home", which is above par to its credit. "Coming Home" features the cliche-commonplace "oh, oh, oh" that have become almost second nature in either punk or emo music. "Make Your Move" features what is usually one of my biggest pep-peeves... overwrought guitars. However, the overproduced sound is desired on this very cool track, one of the first instances where I appreciate that timbre.

"Taken Back By You" isn't a favorite track of mine, but I do like the bridge and break sections here. "To Good To Be" features the great vocal harmonies that tend to string COMING HOME all over, enhancing its pop element. What is different about "To Good To Be" might just be the fact that it isn't nearly as heavy as the majority of other tracks here making its lighter, cleaner sound something that is desired here. "Love And Pain" is about the only miss here, though it is average to its credit. "When I Die" is a very bombastic track with great, lush string orchestration, and very nice choice of chord progression. "Connected" is another above par track, though not necessarily hit material, while the closing "Boulders" is exceptional with great string orchestration, a prominent bass line, and a dynamic ending among other things.

Sure COMING HOME isn't perfect, but it is pretty good and definitely is one of the best punk-emo releases of 2006. This was my first time hearing New Found Glory and if they continue to make great music like this on COMING HOME, then I am sure that I will be purchasing the rest of the albums they release. 4 stars.

New Found Glory are one of the few bands that i can personally say i have grown up with. I've been listening to New Found Glory since 8th grade, and as the years progressed, so has the band. I am not going to do an indept analysis of how the band has changed over the years, because i think people can decide that for themself. I personally, was disapointed with Catalyst. It felt too repetative, and it didnt have that much staying power for me. Jordan voice had been somehow gotten higher & nasally on that record.

So out comes 2006, and New Found Glory is set for their release. At first, i wasn't too excited. Catalyst didnt stick, and i didnt expect this to be any better. Oh, how wrong was i? This record takes their growth to new levels. The whole record is catchy and lyrics still have that blend of the fun NFG. The first single, "It's Not Your Fault", protraits how much this band has grown, and yet its so amazingly catchy. If you honestly cant say that, that song left you singing "It's not your fault, so please stop your crying now", you honestlty dont understand the concept of catchyness.

I would go to an analysis of every song, but i honestly feel this record has a lot more emotion than anything they have ever written. I cannot stress how much i love this record, and its not just one or two songs, its the whole record. This is easily the best effort by the band in terms of consistancy. Catalyst had its fillers, but this record is strong all the way through. As i was saying before, Catalyst didnt have much staying power and i had stopped listening to that record several weeks in, but this record just sticks.

There were 3 things i would like to point about this record. Firstly, was the man behind the boards. Thom Panunzio did an amazing job with production on this record. The record is not overproduced, which i felt is a major difference between the last two records, along with better songs on this record.

Secondly, no one seemed to mention the cameos by EISLEY (Guitarist Chad Gilbert is married to the amazing Sherri Dupree) on this record. The closing track, "Boulders", has a gorgeous acapella part featuring the Eisley girls, and one of the most epic musicallys ive ever heard by NFG.

Thirdly, i would like to mention a song that really stood out. "When I Die" was written about Chad Gilbert's father who passed away. The lyrics in that song are breath-taking. It just takes your heart away, and especially if you read Chad's explanation in the liner notes. Especially if you recently lost someone, or have ever lost someone you loved, i think a lot of us can relate.

On a whole, New Found Glory 7th studio effort is an gigantic step for the band. This record isn't the same New Found Glory anymore. These songs are not just songs. There's just something amazing about this record, and i highly suggest everyone check it out. Personally, this could very well be my record of the year. And even if it won't be your favorite record by them, this is worth checking out.

I love New Found Glory. I have all of their albums except Nothing Gold Can Stay, and I have loved each and every one with a passion. With each CD, the overall sound and message of their music changes. A lot. Catalyst was so different from their normal sound that they've lost many fans because of it. But I remained hopeful after their amazing delivery of apocalyptic-themed lyrics and slower melodies, waiting patiently for Coming Home. Now that I have it, I'm taking what we've been given.

I agree with what most of the other reviewers on this site have said. The band has definitely grown up, both in delivery and in theme. I do miss the fast and energetic punk-rocker tracks they've had through the years, from "Truth of My Youth" to "Boy Crazy". But it seems like the group has latched onto an entirely unique trend all their own, no matter how mainstream it may be at first glance. From the opening song all the way through, Jordan Pundik's high vocals are at his best since their self-entitled CD. He has so much passion everywhere, whether he's screaming at a girl who left him or mourning the death of someone close.

Most of the songs on the CD are incredibly sweet. The first, "Oxygen", is beautiful. The drums and vocals both shine here; "Hold My Hand" follows but does not disappoint. Its raw honesty mashed with some more dubious wording makes it one of the most daring and satisfing songs on the album. "It's Not Your Falt" showcases some very interesting combinations of instruments and some positively yearning lyrics. "On My Mind" seems almost too cautious coming from the band, but the end is fresh and the chorus catchy. Lead singer Pundik definitely shows his highest range here - I'm a female singer and even I can't reach the notes he spews out. The CD's namesake, "Coming Home", is one of the best songs on the album and I can't find anything negative to say about it. It reminds me of the long lost songs on Sticks & Stones.

"Make Your Move" is a more slow and sensual song, probably as far away from the traditional NFG formula as this album gets. I'm sure I won't be the only one startled by how different it is, but it stands on its own nonetheless. "Taken Back By You" brings listeners back into what they love about this band, and it sounds great. Sadly, "Too Good To Be" falls flat in most areas, probably because it's very much like a lot of pop-rock already out there and that's a terrible shame. But once again we're dragged back into the goods and given a taste of New Found Glory's roots with "Love and Pain", full of emotinal and musical highs and lows. "Familiar Landscapes" triumphs, with lyrics that almost anyone can relate to and a wonderfully angry chorus but poignant verses.

The end of the CD brings this collection to a complete closing. "When I Die" is one of the best songs on the album without a doubt, dedicated to Chad Gilbert's father and written about his passing. It's the only song that's not about a romantic relationship and thus it would fit very well onto Catalyst, but it's so gorgeous and heartbreaking that its placement doesn't matter at all. "Connected" gets off the a good start, but there's something about it that I don't like. Probably because of some of its un-creative lyrics. "Boulders" is moving and is in the right spot (as a closing song).

But wait! There's also a downloadable bonus track for those who got their CD at Best Buy, "Over Me", which is a fast yet acoustic piece that reminds me of their older material, namely "Dressed To Kill". For those who don't have the code to listen to it, try and see if you can find a way to hear it. It's worth it.

In conclusion, Coming Home is a very unique album from New Found Glory that both shies away from their old CDs and embraces some of their other traits. This is yet another band that has matured since their last album, so if old fans are willing to accept something different but not worse, this is a must-have.

This album is suprising, you may hate it the first time you hear it, I remember I wasn't paticularly fond of it. But the more you hear it, The Better it gets, Even though NFG has matured, I don't think they forgot their old music or disown it. There's some old NFG feeling to it as well.

Most reviews come from kids that just do what ever they can do to sound cool and make believe to them selves that they are hardcore...hardcore does not really exist anymore and that's ok. I like music...from Jim Brickman to Nirvana to Slayer to the Ramones and so on. This is a great CD a grown up CD. Just let the poppy punks grow up and you can grow with them...just ad water.

Catalyst hinted at a different sound to come from NFG and they have delivered. This sounds very different than what we've come to expect from them. It is not as pop/punk and more just straight alternative. Some have complained that it's slower and that it is true. Some have said that it "isn't NFG" and I think this is stupid. Of course it's still NFG, they've just finally grown up. Fans complaining about the lack of high school break up songs should realize that, unlike some of their fans, they are actually out of high school and have been long overdue to improve their writing. It should also be taken into consideration that instead of losing love (which is primarily what every other song on every other album is about), Chad Gilbert is getting married. This definitely can be heard in the lyrics. Basically when it comes down to it, this is a great album and if you can appreciate and better but very different NFG album, you should listen to it. If you're still stuck in the stage of believing that all their songs have to be fast, whiney and about breaking up, then you should skip this album and continue listening to "Nothing Gold Can Stay". Best song on the album in my opinion: Boulders...epic and beautiful.

what you kids need to understand when you say this is a terrible album and it's not them is that...musicians grow over time. part of the beauty of music is watching musical groups grown and bring more influential types into their overall sound. you must not be musicians if all you can do is talk about how disappointed you are about the album. if one band had one sound their whole career's and we're around for 10 years. they wouldn't be successful. so enough with the "this cd sucks, blah blah" bull. because obviously you need to grow up a little bit kids.

I think this is one of their best albums yet. Listen to it every and never gets old.

I love NFG They are my favorite band of all time. With each new album i patiently wait to be disappointed because I loved the last one so much how could they possibly out do it. Well as usually they didn't disappoint me instead I have a brand new favorite album by NFG. I don't know how they do it, maybe its age and the wisdom it brings. Being about the same age as the members makes it ewasy for me to relate to all the songs. But now my 16yr old son and 13 yr old daughter also love them. So it is safe to say they cross the gap since even my mom will patient listen and tap her foot along. To truely experience NFG start at the beginning and work your way up you won't be disappointed each album really does just get better and better, and still the greatness of each new album in no way diminishes the love and enjoyability of the previous albums.

Let me start by saying this is one of my all-time favorite bands. Since the early days I've been a fan. This album had some high expectations from me and I burned it, listened to it, then proceeded to literally throw it out the window of my car...pissed right off. But this is NFG so I calmed down and decided to give it another chance. How wrong I was! It is good stuff. Overall, a damn solid album but it's a few songs in particular that did it for me. They are "When I die", "Boulders" and the Title Track. Amazing songs by an amazing band. Catalyst was okay at best...but they really hit it here I feel...they are still growing and developing with every release and I look forward to the next.