Whatever's Got You Down

Samiam (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 2006)
• Original Release Date: September 26, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hopeless Records
• ASIN: B000GYI04I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,735 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Born in 1988 from the legendary Gillman St. punk scene, this band pioneered the pop-punk/rock sound that so many great bands have drawn influence from. This is the long-awaited follow-up to 2000's "Astray" and with it you get a piece of punk's past, present, and future.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good album, but not very good production, October 4, 2006

By	Sannah Zay "suncat23" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Of all the Samiam albums, this one reminds me most of Soar. In fact, if this album came out after Soar I believe it would have been generally considered outstanding. However, the main reason it doesn't get five stars from me is because it does seem like such an enormous step backwards in production quality. In some ways it's nostalgic, and I half wonder if it was produced this way intentionally. This album could easily be confused to be an older album from the band from the Soar era.

Unfortunately, we've been able to hear Samiam albums from recent history that have fairly outstanding production quality... at least by comparison. The band really does shine when the sound is clean. It's a bit more difficult to discern certain musical subtleties that make Samiam's sound so attractive and distinct when the production quality drops to this level. It really is a shame since many of the songs on this album are very well written and catchy.

I'd say as far as song writing and general style goes, they do seem to be bringing back some of what the band used to incorporate into their music from the Soar era... which makes me think the "production thing" may have been intentional. However the songs are not a step backward, and some could have easily fit in on the most recent Astray album. I really have trouble getting past the production quality, in case you can't tell... but it might be tainting my opinion and judgement because it really is obvious the drop in quality compared to at least the last three albums.

There's no reason for any Samiam fan to throw a hissy fit and assign one measly star to this album, however. Leave the one-star ratings for bands like the Ataris. Regardless of the at-least-at-first-glaring production quality issue, the album is extremely solid and is another example of high quality songwriting and musicianship from an excellent band. I'm just happy to have more of it after such a long hiatus.

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe you people, March 6, 2009

By	the last unitard (chapel hill) - See all my reviews

This is not only a good Samiam album, it is a great Samiam album. In fact, as a longtime fan of the band I can say without hesitation that this is THE BEST Samiam album.

That's right. Better than Clumsy. Better than You Are Freaking Me Out. Better than Soar. Better than Billy. Better than Astray (another unfairly maligned album).

The production is stripped down. That's not the same as bad. It's what happens when you take off some of the gloss and studio magic. This is how it's supposed to sound. Jason's voice is older and rougher, but the harmonies are still beautiful. There's all kinds of great guitar sounds that have never been heard on a Samiam record.

The songs are coming from an older, wiser, sadder perspective. The angst and anger of the early days are replaced by wistfulness and regret. It's for grown-ups. Maybe that's the reason for the bad reviews.

All I know is that if you listen to "Do You Want to be Loved" and it doesn't make you feel something, you just haven't lived yet.

2.0 out of 5 stars I JUST COULDN'T GIVE IT 1 STAR! WHAT A SHAME!, September 8, 2007

By	! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b "DR SHOCK" (TRI STATE AREA) - See all my reviews

I will have to echo the other reviews here. This album isn't so bad,but the sound mix is awful. Jason's voice sounds shot to H E L L ! It's sad that a good effort by a band that should have been huge is done in by a bad sound mix! For die hard fans only. If you are just learning about Samiam try 'Billy' or 'Soar'. This one just breaks your heart!