Senses Fail: Catch Fire

When the so called "screamo" movement hit the American alternative music scene in the early part of the decade, few bands were as overloaoked and critically maligned as New Jersey's bleeding heart champions Senses Fail. The band enjoyed their fair share of success despite the haters, and singles like "Buried A Lie" and "Calling All Cars" took off and catapulted Senses Fail to the top of the emo heap allowing them to enjoy a few tours of Warped Tour's main stage and stints opening for scene stalwarts like New Found Glory and fellow Jersey success stories My Chemical Romance. Despite a few lineup changes and a dip in popularity and perceived relevance, Senses Fail rode into 2009 in a pretty good place; their latest opus Life Is Not A Waiting Room had spawned a couple new fan favorites and that album also garnered them the most critical acclaim they had seen yet in their career. However, old school fans whined that Waiting Room was perhaps a bit too metal and a bit too moody in comparison to older material. 

Enter The Fire into the band's musical legacy. Senses Fail's newest work is their best since their 2004 breakthrough Let It Enfold You, and all of lead singer Buddy Nielsen's famous pessimism and general grumpiness is back in full swing, but with a new twist. Instead of his usual "woe is me, the world is coming to an end," Nielsen offers his comfort to life's issues. "It's OK to feel lost, it just means you're alive" he sings on the title track, which opens the album in a strangely positive fashion. 

Throughout the rest of the record, Nielsen takes his loose cannon reputation to heart while simultaneously bringing the biggest hooks the band have produced in years. There are a lot of songs on this record that, aside from the newfound lyrical maturity, would have fit in nicely on Let It Enfold You. The album's sixth cut "Landslide" brings the biggest, softest hook on the record. "I was born into a landslide," Nielsen sings, showing he hasn't quite overcome the Daddy issues he first opened up about on Life Is Not A Waiting Room.

The Fire was recorded in Baltimore with frequent Senses Fail collaborator Brian McTernan, who is known for his ability to get great vocal performances. McTernan certainly came through this time around, prodding the famously off key Nielsen to nail every take for a slick, huge sound. "Lifeboats" is a straight up metallic barnburner like nothing the band have produced to date. A common public relations tactic bands will use upon the release of new material is to say that "the heavy parts are heavier, and the melodic parts are catchier." In the case of The Fire, this is actually true. There are some truly beautiful choruses and some real rippers on here, but it's all done in a way that only Senses Fail could pull off.

When it's all said and done, The Fire is a true landmark album from these veterans. We have seen Senses Fail grow from emo's new kids to the storied road dogs they have become today. Senses Fail is a band that has always done things their way, and through label changes and lineup changes, popularity peaks and valleys and the trials and tribulations that come with being a band that pushes the envelope, they have bowed to no one and never compromised. Under Nielsen's leadership, Senses Fail can absolutely do no wrong.