DAYBREAK [SAVES THE DAY]

Saves the Day complete their self-discovery-themed trilogy -- preceded by 2006￢ﾀﾙs provocative Sound the Alarm and the quieter Under the Boards a year later -- with Daybreak. Whether by design or due to the intervening years and lineup changes, Daybreak sets itself apart from the rest of the trilogy with its sense of optimism and simultaneously forward- and backward-looking perspective. The album starts on an epic note, with a ten-minute, five-part opening track in the contemporary rock opera vein of Green Day￢ﾀﾙs American Idiot, revisiting various points in Saves the Day's career ("Somehow You Love Me" offers guitar work that would fit alongside In Reverie, and "F***** Up Past the Point of Fixing" serves up Sound the Alarm-era angst) as well as showing the band stepping outside of their box (the chiming guitar and subtle electronics of "8 AM" are reminiscent of the Dismemberment Plan￢ﾀﾙs Emergency & I). This concept carries through the rest of Daybreak, showing the band at their most mature -- the last half of the album takes a more straight-ahead alt-rock turn than they￢ﾀﾙve previously approached -- and embracing experimentation. This experimentation is best executed with "Chameleon," in which Latin-tinged guitar and free-flowing keyboard mingle with Chris Conley￢ﾀﾙs tried-and-true boyish vocals and yearning lyrics. But lest longtime fans be left longing for their emocore roots, tracks like the bouncy "Let It All Go" step in to fill that need. Daybreak is successful on two levels: in the way it touches on the best elements of Saves the Day's past works, it￢ﾀﾙs a welcome entry point for new listeners; and with its freshness, it assures established fans that the band is still invigorated after going at it for over a decade. ~ Chrysta Cherrie, Rovi