Taking Back Sunday

Taking Back Sunday | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 28, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros.
• ASIN: B004Z18160
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,720 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. El Paso

2. Faith (When I Let You Down)

3. Best Places to Be a Mom

4. Sad Savior

5. Who Are You Anyway?

6. Money (Let It Go)

7. This is All Now

8. It Doesn't Feel A Thing Like Falling

9. Since You're Gone

10. You Got Me

11. Call Me In The Morning

Editorial Reviews

This is the record that a lot of people never thought would happen: A brand new Taking Back Sunday album that features the same line-up as the band's platinum-selling 2002 debut Tell All Your Friends. Although the players here - frontman Adam Lazzara, guitarists Eddie Reyes and John Nolan, drummer Mark O'Connell and bassist Shaun Cooper - are the same, it's important to point out that this album isn't a sequel to this band's debut as much as it is the beginning of a new chapter of innovation and productivity from this celebrated Long Island rock act.

What began with the simple idea of all five members coming together at the Sonic Ranch in the border town of Tornillo, Texas (near El Paso), last year quickly resulted in a sonic windfall that saw the band writing nearly a dozen songs - and from there Taking Back Sunday never looked back. "The whole experience of us getting back together was really freeing," Lazzara explains. "We went into all of this knowing that our music didn't have to sound a certain way, so we just decided to see what happens and this is what came of it." Nolan adds, "I think we all knew that we had to take this band to a place where it hadn't been before for it to really work; it couldn't all be about nostalgia."

Let's face it, it would be simple for Taking Back Sunday to get back together solely in order to embark on an anniversary tour for Tell All Your Friends, but despite their previous successes they are quick to point out this record is a brand new beast that is ushering in a different era for the band. "This album isn't us trying to be something we're not," Lazzara summarizes, "it's just us and I'm really proud of that." If you listen to Taking Back Sunday with an open mind, you'll agree that it is an important record that marks a giant leap forward for a band that truly defies categorization.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars with saddness, I give this CD three stars September 2, 2011

By Todd Tyler

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love TBS. In fact, I have seen them in concert countless times and used to play songs from Tell All Your Friends on my college radio station. I felt that New Again was awesome and listened to it a ton in the last year. So this album was highly anticipated. However, it fell way short of my expectations. I felt that they just came up with a few new lyrics for songs that have been successful in the past. You'd think this would be good because I like their other music. However, this self titled album wasn't new or edgy or different, and therefore, hasn't excited me much. There are good songs, but overall, I painfully give this album only three stars. I still love TBS, but this just didn't do it for me.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! June 28, 2011

By Kevin C. McCarthy

Format:Audio CD

The title says what is undoubtedly the most important sentiment I can give: thank you Taking Back Sunday for, to use an old cliche, "getting the band back together." This is absolutely THE TBS that I loved with Tell All Your Friends and it certainly blends the best elements of TAYF and Where You Want to Be (which was a more mature and skillful second album). I'm not discounting the albums that came after WYWTB but if this was only their third album, I'd be extremely satisfied with their song selection.

Personally, Louder Now was a huge drop off in terms of quality and song writing. New Again tried but never really hit the mark. This album, however, is right up there with TAYF and WYWTB. I've never been excited for a band to get back to it's roots because, frankly, it rarely happens (especially with the lineups that made their best albums) and when it does, it's typically disappointing. But disappointing doesn't describe the original TBS at all, never did and with this new album, it still doesn't. I have had this thing on play nonstop for over a week (thank you local record stores for selling albums before the date!). I really wish it would never end.

Now, I've never been one to provide full on reviews on individual songs, so I will simply list the tracks and give a 5 star-based rating to each along with a very short description. This is obviously personal preference.

1. El Paso - 4/5 - When I first heard this song when they posted it to YouTube a few months prior, I didn't love it. In fact, I thought their reunion might not produced the type of album that I hoping for. Turns out, in the whole span of the album, it's perfect and it's certainly a great way to begin the album.

2. Faith (When I Let You Down) - 5/5 - I *love* this song.... It's definitely a great song for anyone's who had rough times with a significant other and you find yourself on the rocks because you know you disappointed them. When you fear they might leave, and you want to keep them, you to would plead for them to not lose faith in you.

3. Best Places to Be A Mom - 5/5 - In style, this definitely harkens back to TAYF. Great lyrics. I love it!

4. Sad Savior - 4/5 - Beautiful, slower song.

5. Who Are You Anyway? - 4/5 - Interesting beginning, had to grow on me, but overall very solid. John Nolan's backing vocals were always the perfect compliment to Adam's vocals, and they're on display here!

6. Money (Let it Go) - 3.5/5 - This is an OK song. The weakest on the whole album. 3.5 ain't too bad for being a weak song, no? It's really a testament to just how good this album is.

7. This is All Now - 5/5 - I fell in love with this song when they posted a lyric video on YouTube, that's really when I knew this album was going to be, for lack of better words, magical.

8. It Doesn't Feel a Thing Like Falling - 4.5/5 - Almost a 5-star song. Falls just shy because it took two listens to completely hit me...but than again, that's not such a bad thing.

9. Since You're Gone - 5/5 - I love the beginning. Starts off with piano and, on a first listen, you think this song is gonna be a soft ballad - NOPE! Slower, beautiful song. About a relationship gone awry, and likely a slight reflection on Adam's feelings after the original lineup broke apart.

10. You Got Me - 5/5 - Just an amazing song.

11. Call Me in the Morning - 5/5 - A beautiful song and an absolutely lovely way to end the album.

The album brings me back to high school in the sense that I listened to them a lot after TAYF. They also got me through the confusing times post-high school (graduated '02) and when WYWTB came out, it was the perfect album for that time in my life. Taking Back Sunday, the album, is a great blend of the best parts of their past and an amazing glimpse into the positive, more mature future they have. It's been ten years and while they might have changed a lot, they still resonate loudly with me both lyrically and musically. In my honest opinion, this album *might* be the closest thing to perfection they've done to date. I know that's hard to say with TAYF and WYWTB being near-perfect albums, but it's very close if nothing else.

And I have one request to make of them: if you guys are looking to kill each other and break up, just stop and take a break for a while. Just let us know and tell us the truth, because any new albums will be worth the wait (just don't make it too long).

Oh, and go Tell All Your Friends: Taking Back Sunday is back!

On a final note: thank you, thank you, thank you. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Great album April 17, 2013

By Travis Limon

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoy every song. No filler. To me, they only get better with each album. I have no doubt their next will be great as well. But this one will be hard to beat.

2.0 out of 5 stars yet another boring album March 22, 2013

By general bonkers

Format:Audio CD

I knew this wasn't going to be easy. I put off listening to it for a while. I had read the mediocre reviews, but decided to finally see for myself what their latest effort was all about.

I'm not frustrated that the original lineup didn't result in a return to form as I feel that ship set sail years ago. Rather it's sad that their clear trajectory towards Rock has resulted in so many mediocre albums. Is it so much to expect a band that used to get you excited to do well in another style? I'm sure there are plenty of great genre-hopping examples, but I'll cite Beastie Boys as one instance. They managed to do rap, punk, funk, and all sorts of tunes while keeping the music interesting and engaging. Instead Taking Back Sunday seem to be going the typical "interesting band turned mediocre" route that plagues so many musicians.

What's truly sad is how they appear to be earnest in their intentions with this record. I listened to the commentary tracks about how they were excited about this piece or that. It's clear that they think it's good material, perhaps the best they've written in a while. I read somewhere that they didn't care for their last album, which to me was a stronger release than this one.

One of the main things that always impressed me about this band was their knack for turning non-obvious progressions into hooks.. an impressive feat for a punk/emo band. Also the simplicity of their guitar work (as a guitarist you can see where they were just messing around with notes near their hand and came up with an idea), which would be combined with kick ass drums, interesting bass, and crazy/cocky lyrics to pull off one hell of a stunt that defined a genre. Gone are those days, and you're left with straight-forward, forgettable Rock....

With that said, they're clearly hitting the mark for a different audience. I guess that's part of the process of being able to reach a much wider audience, but like trying to fix a relationship gone stale, can't you keep some of the magic around? Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Always good January 28, 2013

By AJ Mondor

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been a fan of Taking Back Sunday for a long time. This album did not disappoint. Especially for the price.

5.0 out of 5 stars I had to warm up to it... January 21, 2013

By College Student

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

...but once I did, can't stop listening. This is not "Tell All Your Friends," that is for sure. Is there growth in the band? Sure. Maturity? Definitely. After the first listen, I felt indifferent to the album. Next times around, though, dang. Awesome. All the songs have their own unique charm. I won't elaborate further, I'll leave the rest up for you to decide. But I will say, don't knock it 'til you try it. I have a feeling, in the end, you won't be disappointed.

4.0 out of 5 stars TBS Redeems Themselves December 3, 2011

By Jared Goldman

Format:Audio CD

This album was a major comeback in my opinion after the bands previous release "New Again". Though New Again had a few key tracks, its was below the standards of what I've come to expect from TBS. This self titled masterpiece makes up for it and then some. With the original lineup back in full swing, I can honestly say there is not one "skippable" track on this album. Don't let the first single "El Paso" fool you. The rest of the album is not nearly as aggressive and is much more reminiscent of Where You Want To Be. Definitely a great buy for any TBS fan.