Can't Slow Down
documents the origins of a very young
punk
band blessed with unusual talent. Due only to their
instrumental
superiority,
Saves the Day
's subsequent releases slightly eclipse this 1998 full-length debut. Listeners will probably prefer
Through Being Cool
's more developed
emocore
melodicism and highly evolved arrangements. That's not to say that
fails to deliver any of the
pop-punk
components that
emo
fans would expect from the New Jersey musicians. Most notably, vocalist and songwriter Chris Conley's inventive lyrical approach is up to the high standard of later material. Worded like journal entries and love letters,
Conley
's refreshing verses are free of cliches and predictable rhymes, giving an honesty and definition to his work that similar artists generally can't match. Things really click on better cuts like
"Always Ten Feet Tall,"
but for the most part,
doesn't quite deliver the musicality that fans of
might expect. ~ Vincent Jeffries