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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Like Dashboard Confessional (for better or worse), February 24, 2008
I remember the first time I stumbled upon Vesely's Myspace page. I thought to myself, "This is what I've been waiting for." After two utterly disappointing Dashboard Confessional releases ("A Mark, A Mission..." and "Dusk and Summer"), tracks off of Vesely's "Awake" seemed to take me back to the simpler days of Dashboard, when it was just a man and his guitar, pure sincerity stripped of all pretension.
And so here I am today, listening to Vesely's latest offering, "A Twist in My Story." And, in a sad way, my original comparison to Dashboard Confessional may have been more on the mark than I once thought. The man and his guitar have been ripped through the production ringer, with the addition of every instrument to boot. That raw sincerity and charm of "Awake" isn't necessarily nonexistent, but you might have to sift through a couple of layers of "recording magic" to find it.
One thing you simply cannot take away from this album is that, for the most part, the songs have that remarkably moving quality that we've grown to love in Vesely's work. And for that, you'll love this album. Songs like "Fall for You," "Like A Knife," and "A Twist in My Story" are more than worth the price of admission. In fact, there's not a legitimately bad track on the whole album. So why the little rant at the beginning about Vesely going the way of Dashboard?
The most disappointing part of this release is the re-recordings. For one, it seems like somewhat of a copout to just re-record old songs. Really, that's three less new songs that Vesely had to write and that we got to hear. But more than that, some of the re-recordings just sound so lifeless when compared to their originals. Now, I'm not just some fanboy that indiscriminately prefers old over new. In fact, I almost enjoy the new version of "Maybe" more than the old version. But "Your Call," and to a lesser extent, "Stay Close, Don't Go," just simply didn't need to be re-recorded.
Remember that hip, new, high-budget remake of Romeo and Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio? If you don't, check out the $1 DVD bin at your local gas station. Point is, just because you throw money at something doesn't mean it'll be worth it's weight in salt. And that's exactly what is so tragic about the re-recording of "Your Call," and this whole album, really. With the money of a major label driving its production, of course the new version of "Your Call" sounds more crisp and clean than the original. And of course all of the songs on this album have that 'radio-ready' feel to them. But what you lose in the process is the sincerity, the raw sincerity of a man and his guitar. When that's what brought you to the dance in the first place, why go and change it?
So, is this album worth it? Yes. Absolutely. It's not just some pop-rock affair that's only good for one or two songs. It's a solid offering, start to finish. But fans of "Awake" shouldn't expect the same sound they've grown to love.
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~ We the Kings
~ Boys Like Girls
~ Thriving Ivory
~ The Maine
~ Mayday Parade
by Secondhand Serenade 
