Customer Reviews

Where You Are

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You may remember Socialburn from back in 2003 when they had a few minor hits with "Down" and "Everyone," but then again, maybe you don't. Afterall, there were (and still kind of are) plenty of bands saturating the scene and doing the same style. And it doesn't help that after their mild success that their label folded and the band ran for shelter. Nevertheless, "Where You Are," Socialburn's debut is still a competent release that shows a lot more potential than what's on the surface.

"Where You Are," as produced by Creed/Puddle Of Mudd producer John Kurzweg, is full of 12 songs, all of which are ready for radio and could easily be hits. Listening to this album, it's a bit difficult to see why the band never took off. Frontman Neil Alday (who moans in his best Kurt Cobain) proves to be a good songwriter, and the band plays together with a professionalism hardly seen in bands this young. "Down" and "Everyone" are easy hits, as well as "Never Be The Same," the bitter ballad of the set. "Utopia" is a bit darker (and reminiscent of Smile Empty Soul) and helps break up any monotony. However, in my eyes (or ears) the standouts are "Break Back" and "Ashes," two songs that show a bit of an edgier side and showcase the band in a state that's a bit more raw and a bit more rocking than elsewhere.

Overall, it's a good, if not, predictable listen. Fans of the genre should have no trouble appreciating Socialburn. However, when you consider that Kurt Cobain has been dead for just about 12 years, and that bands like this are a dime-a-dozen, it's a bit hard to give Socialburn the credit they deserve. Truly, they could have gone for a more exciting sound (their follow-up album, "The Beauty Of Letting Go" is close, but no cigar) with the talent involved. As it is though, if you just want a good rock CD that doesn't require much brain-power, this is "Where You Are."

I first heard Socialburn on a local radio station here in FL. They played 2 of their songs off the new CD 'Where You Are'. I was, simply put, blown away. The 2 songs I heard (Down, U) were enough to make me rush out and buy this wonderful CD. Once I bought it, I couldn't wait to see if this band was too good to be true... could they really produce a CD FULL of nothing but great music? Of coarse they could! The whole CD is awesome. Every song I listened to was better than the last. They almost immediatly became my new favorite band, which is not an easy spot to fill. All my friends, no matter what they listen to, think Socialburn is a really good band... most of them end up buying the CD just because of it's timelessness! You can listen too it all day everyday and it just keeps getting better! Anyway, I'd just like to say that 'Where You Are' and Socialburn are the best!

In the world of rock, it seems a new band emerges every day and sounds either too much like other bands or has no lyrics. However, in the case of Socialburn, their debut album actually jumps onto the scene in a music year littered with many great releases already and many more to come..and Socialburn proves they aren't just another rock band trying to make it. "Break Back" opens the album with a great guitar and drum intro and lyrically I love this song about regretting lose and wanting to break back to the past to change it...top song. "Down", the first single according to many other reviewers, showcases the vocals of the lead singer quite nicely and even though it's not the strongest on the album, it's still a good track. "Ashes" begins with a nice acoustic guitar strumming at the beginning and creates a more melancholic tone that seems to highlight the reason for the somber title of the song...great song. "Everyone" begins with the passionate vocals against the backdrop of guitars and then the drums add in...very good song as well. "I'm Happy" has a 3 Doors Down feel to it at the beginning and is a great song that has an upbeat tempo and message, particularly about waiting to see someone so much...I can relate to this song and I love it. "One More Day" has a nice acoustic feel to it and I like the accompanying vocals on this track...great lyrics and great song that slows the tempo down some from the harder rock tracks. "U" is in my opinion the best song first of all on the album and ought to be the next single..it has a great strummed intro and the the guitars and drums interlaced with absolutely captivating lyrics...my favorite song on the entire album and one of the best songs of the year thus far. "Never Be the Same" has a slower beginning but has a more passionate chorus..top song. "Utopia" begins off almost eerie like with the guitars and drums but I really like this song too lyrically and rhythmically. "Vacany" is one of the downbeat songs on the album but I love this song too with the great vocals and lyrics as well...another great song. "Pretend" isn't a bad song at all but it almost goes too quick on the lyrics but has a great chorus and silence before the chorus..interesting and innovative. "Stacy" ends the album quite nicely with the drums and guitaring in it as well as well as interesting lyrics. Overall this band exceeds all the other debut wannabe rock bands by combining elements of bands like The Calling (passionate vocals), Puddle of Mudd (vocals again) and new innovative guitar rifts combined with drumming. Lyrically, this album is awesome as well and I only see this band becoming bigger with time.

Socialburn proved that they had alot of potential with their first release, "Where You Are". Where Are You is a solid 12 track album but it does have some beginner weaknesses.

Socialburn is:

Neil Alday -- Lead Vocals, Backup Guitar
Brandon Bittner -- Drums
Chris Cobb -- Lead Guitar
Dusty Price -- Bass

Alday's voice is very rough and I can understand where the criticism of the bands vocals come from. However, if you dont require a highly processed voice, you'll see that he's actually a rather good singer. Cobb is an excellent guitarist, and the album features some very good bass.

The weakest track is probably Stacey, but there are a number of extremely good tracks. Down, Ashes, Everyone, U and Pretend are great tracks.

Where You Are is not a prefect album, by any means. The song writing definitely needs some work as each individual song is fairly repetitive, featuring a couple line verse and then the chorus and then the same thing over again. Also, each song sort've sounds the same, and the band needs to work some variety into their next album.

Despite these faults, this is a very solid album, and an excellent debut. The problems can be fixed and this band is only going to get better. I still recommend this album to anyone looking for a solid rock album.

WOW I first heard "Down" and "Everyone" on the radio and thought "Wow must get this CD" and I did, and am VERY glad that I did, it is certainly not a waste of money even if you had to pay $30 for it. The music is some dang amazing rock that you wont get from any other band, the lyrics are even good which is a plus. There isn't one song on here that i like less than any of the others. I definitely recommend this one.

This band is incredible, not only because of this very commendable debut but also for the fact that the whole band has barely graduated from high school. ELements of Kurt Cobain (Nivana singer) and Lifehouse (instrumentals) can be found here; it seems the band cannot decide between the Melodic Rock approach, or the grunge, hard rock tact.

Killer songs include "Never be the same", "Utopia" (sound like they ripped it straight from Nirvana's CD), "Everyone", and "I"m Happy". However, the album generally carries an optimistic mood, with some very catchy melodic passages.

If you're a fan of staind, thornley, or anything that incorporates talented vocalists and modest "heaviness", then you'll no doubt enjoy this up and coming band.

Socialburn's debut "Where You Are" is the best album that nobody else I know owns. They play a very melodic and upbeat style of rock music, with thoughtful, catchy lyrics and guitar hooks. Lyrical content is mostly about broken relationships, but fortunately avoids depressed lyrics. The music for the most part follows the format of bass and drum alone or with a light guitar loop in the verses with rocking choruses. Here's a song by song review:

1. Break Back: Good solid, rocking opener that makes great use of the bass guitar in the verses and screaming lyrics in the chorus. 9/10

2. Down: The single most people have heard remains a good song with lyrics that are easy to relate to. This track does have a bit darker sound to it than the rest of the album, but is still good. 8/10

3. Ashes: Probably my least favorite song, though I'm not entirely sure why. The lead singer naturally has a raspy voice, and his use of higher notes in this song comes out kinda weird. It's still not bad though, and I only skip it about half the time. 6/10

4. Everyone: The album's other single is an excellent song with a positive feel to the music despite the pain-filled lyrics about an ex-girlfriend and watching her form a relationship with "someone and everyone else." 10/10

5. I'm Happy: Very similar both musically and lyrically to Everyone, and while excellent, fails to achieve the same level of greatness, mainly due to the fact that the guitar is a bit repetitive in the chorus. 8/10

6. One More Day: A fabulous ballad that slowly builds in intensity. I love the lyrics in the second verse "I swear I've made up my mind/I'll take you back just one more time/Oh no, you hurt me again/You swore you'd change again." The only downside to this song is that the electronic sound in the chorus reminds me very strongly of a Collective Soul song that I can't seem to place. Still, 10/10

7. "U": Another great rocking song with nice use of electronics in the verses and positive lyrics. 10/10

8. Never Be The Same: The absolute best song on the CD. If you're too cheap to buy the CD, at least download this song. The lyrical performance in the chorus is amazing, the torture suggested by the lyrics "Please don't go away/'Cause I will never be the same, I will never be the same" is evident in the singer's voice. 10/10

9. Utopia: A decent song. It is a very positive love song lyrically, but the music sounds way too dark for the topic. 6/10

10. Vacancy: Yet another great rocking song that builds in intensity to an excellent chorus. 9/10

11. Pretend: Excellent verses make up for a slightly repetitive chorus. 8/10

12. Stacy: Another masterpiece, this song is a warning to the guys in the author's hometown about a girl he once had a relationship with (presumably Stacy). The lyrics go through the wide range of emotions that Stacy can make you feel, from badly wanting to stay with her to wanting to die because of her. 10/10

Overall, I ranked this album 5 stars because it is one of the few albums I can listen to all the way through without skipping a single song, which is very rare. I definintely recommend checking out Socialburn. Sililar bands I'd suggest are Seven Channels, Hoobastank, Third Eye Blind, and Sugarcult.

...although there was much left out. Apparently i heard "Down" back when this album was released and never heard from these guys again. I chose to search through this album half a year ago and found only one other song to be a keeper, even though the rest of them are anything but terrible.

This was "Utopia", conventionally one of the better songs on this debut. Full of that darkness that creates a driery atmosphere and a damn good rythm to it. Also the song which has verses said by the main vocalist and choruses that rocketeer by the bassist who many believe should take over the singer on center point.

Highly reccommend listening to "Down" and "Utopia", and listen to any samples to see whether or not anything else works for you.

I first heard the song "everyone" when I was playing MVP Baseball 2003. I went out and got the cd and it was awesome. I don't like a lot of new bands but these guys are a big exception. I love all the songs with "everyone" being my favorite. One more thing, When's their next cd comin' out?

Like everyone else I've heard "Down" and "Everyone" on the radio. But this album offers more than just the singles. I could picture 80% of this album being played on the radio. It's addictive. Songs like "I'm Happy" and "One More Day" seem almost instantly nostalgic. Like a few other albums from 2003 that can be popped in the CD player and just hit the play button. These guys have found the ingredients for a good album, find your own distinctive sound and then diversify it. The singer does have a Kurt Cobainish sound to him. But who said that grunge like music was bad? There's not much good "Rock" out there with most rock music going the way of the Nu-Metal direction. Which there is nothing wrong with Nu-Metal. Socialburn is a good break from the recent trend. I advise you give the album a few good honest listens before you judge it.