Review: Safetysuit - ‘Life Left To Go’
Posted: May 13th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick
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Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: May 13, 2008 via Universal Motown |
| Safetysuit is: Doug Brown (Vocals / Guitar) Dave Garofalo (Guitar) Jeremy Henshaw (Bass) Tate Cunningham (Drums) |
Overview: Safetysuit began their music industry run in Tulsa, Oklahoma under the name Crew. As the band began playing shows around their hometown, the buzz became a boom, and the band decided to get serious, relocating to Nashville, Tennessee and changing their name to Safetysuit. Not long after arriving, the boys ran into producer Greg Archilla, who laid down an EP for the band in 2005. With a recorded product under their belts, Safetysuit took to the stages, winning over throws of fans with each show. It wasn’t long until Universal Motown came calling, deciding to let Safetysuit record an album. The band once again settled on Archilla to produce their debut, entitled ‘Life Left to Go‘, which hits stores May 13, 2008.
The Good: ‘Life Left to Go‘ is more of Safetysuit “oozing” rather than “playing”. I say this because the band is ever so careful to not give anything away early on, slowly letting all the pieces of the puzzle seep out before finally putting them all together on their last stand. The sparkling “Someone Like You” kicks off, matching melodic sensibilities with an effervescent wit. “Apology” is bright and colorful, and while the signature “whoa oh’s!” the song packs start off annoying, you will find yourself helplessly glued to the hook in the end. Safetysuit begins the soul-searching conquest ‘Life Left to Go‘ is centered upon with the reflective and insightful “Find A Way”, a powerfully delicate craft delivered with utmost the utmost care. “Stay” is a multi-layered clip that will unquestionably grow on you, but if not, Safetysuit respond with something easier to gnaw on in “Something I Said”; already packing insightful and inspiring vocals and lyrics, the song is aided tremendously by swirling, battle-ready music, pumping into it extra zip and zest. The lively “Down” keeps pace, with an infectiousness that stems from its dangerously hooky chorus. I refer to my favorite track from ‘Life Left to Go‘, “The Moment” as the disc’s perennial underdog. The peppy song lets its guard down, and out springs an enveloping and complete tune, which I’d like to consider as a “darkhorse” rock smash. Brace yourselves emo kids, because Safetysuit is about to take a song meant for your genre and turn it into something above all that nonsense. Enter “Annie”, whose lovelorn lyrics are hoisted by Brown’s stoic, chesty vocals and a towering musical backbone, torching girl jeans and eyeliner in the process. If you are patient with “What If” you will be rewarded, for the song reaches its zenith with the arrival of its bridge; spooky, and almost mute, Safetysuit take complete control of the moment briefly, showing a rare glimpse of a band playing God with both their music as well as with the listener’s senses. “Gone Away” is a slow, dripping ballad that shows the stellar things that can happen when bands take their time and ease into their ballads, rather than jumping around dynamically and spoiling its impact. ‘Life Left to Go‘ puts up its ‘Sorry, We’re Closed’ sign with the record’s title track, a song which the band calls “very important to us”.; Safetysuit makes sure you are as moved by the song as they are. Cast under dark skies, the haunting and exploratory “Life Left to Go” will put you in a trance-like state and run its chilling fingertips up and down your mind and body. Listening to “Life Left to Go” is an entirely indescribable experience for me personally, because when I close my eyes and let the music take hold, I feel like I am “being set free” in a metaphoric sense; this brilliant six minute coma is unique to the individual, a one in a million type of song that Safetysuit can say they boast.
The Bad: After being soothed by “Life Left to Go”, I have to recover before I put pins in Safetysuit’s voodoo doll. Song wise, the biggest blemish is the forgettable “Anywhere But Here”, but the tune is a perfect example of the album’s greater problem. This might leave some of you scratching your heads, but hopefully it makes some sense. As separate entities, most of the songs on ‘Life Left to Go‘ are good, infact quite good. As a unit however, all the songs entwined together as one album come across as somewhat wispy and bland. Crazy, eh? Listen to each song on ‘Life Left to Go‘, one by one, and before moving onto the next track, take a healthy chunk of time to catch a breath and absorb what you just heard. After meticulously screening each song independently, listen to ‘Life Left to Go‘ without cessation, and you will soon realize that the music this time around lacks the passion and impact it radiates when each individual clip is left to its own devices. In a nutshell, ‘Life Left to Go‘ requires the listener to be extremely patient in order to understand and feel what Safetysuit is doing; once it clicks however, you will know.
Bottomline: I have to admit-when I first got ‘Life Left to Go‘, I rolled through the album once and quickly brushed it off and moved onto something different. It wasn’t until I began to write this review that I really, REALLY stepped back and LISTENED to what Safetysuit accomplished with each, single track; by the time I fell back down from my euphoric utopia induced by the title-track, it was clear that Safetysuit have a diamond in the rough with ‘Life Left to Go‘. Unfortunately, I don’t think many listeners will be willing to spend the time picking apart the rind to get to the fruit, and this is disheartening for both the band as well as those missing out on a unique musical experience. I might have made this album sound like a Nobel Prize worthy effort, but rest assured it is not. Putting all rhetorical and theoretical analysis of Safetysuit’s debut aside, I’ll wrap this up in simple fashion. If you are looking for an album to get you pumped up, look elsewhere. If you are searching for an album that will catch on quickly, search elsewhere. But if you are craving an album that will encourage you to be studious, peaceful, and patient, ‘Life Left to Go‘ is your fix.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Comments
Comment from jordan
Date: May 13, 2008, 9:16 am
hey, just some advice. I think you guys should add another section to the reviews near the top called Sounds like, or if your a fan of: That way us lazy people that dont want to read it all can look and see if its the type of music we like and then read it so we dont waste time.
Comment from pschrade
Date: May 13, 2008, 9:42 am
yea, that’s a good idea
Comment from Jay
Date: May 13, 2008, 10:52 am
I suppose we could. In this case though, click the Safetysuit contest link on the left. You can hear them there for now.
Comment from drastic8
Date: May 13, 2008, 1:01 pm
Influences (ripped from their MySpace): “U2, The Police, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Matchbox20, Muse, The Eagles, Crew, Uncle Gary and Your Story”
Also ripped: “Oddly, the band’s influences share very little with the group’s final sound.”
Guess that doesn’t help much - they really have a kind of heavy but epic U2 sound at times…
Comment from Nick
Date: May 13, 2008, 1:52 pm
haha where oh where is brucey springsteen on this album? thats a good one…
Comment from Mikel
Date: May 13, 2008, 6:33 pm
The singer sounds alot like Elliot from City Sleeps
Comment from Nate
Date: May 14, 2008, 10:37 am
sounds like ass
Comment from Jason
Date: May 15, 2008, 6:17 pm
I’m actually a big fan of this CD. I gave it a full listen the other day and was pleasantly surprised. I suggest you guys give it a chance.
Comment from Kyle
Date: May 17, 2008, 8:54 am
I also really like the album. It is definitely worth a few listens in my opinion.
Comment from NashVolCrew
Date: May 20, 2008, 10:42 pm
This album will be the gold standard that any other debut modern rock album will be held to for this year. A nice change of pace from the seemingly quite usually raunchy modern rock scene lately, I like to think of it as ’song for every situation’ rock. Also, I think to say that “Anywhere But Here” is a forgettable song is quite a stretch, to me at least. At any rate, if you’re not convinced of SafetySuit’s album’s greatness, and they happen to be in your area when they’re touring, make an effort to get out to their show and you will surely be blown away by their live performance.
Comment from ButterflyAF
Date: May 21, 2008, 4:10 am
It’s about time the rest of the world is lucky enough to experience SafetySuit. While their album is great and hasn’t stopped playing in my car since last Tuesday, their live performance is on another level. Most bands sound good on the radio and you leave the show dissappointed. SafetySuit however, will leaving you begging for more! If they are ever in your area do everything you can to get there and I promise you will be glad you did :)
Comment from Amy
Date: May 21, 2008, 4:16 am
I am a fan of this band way before they released this record and seriously, you guys really need to give them a chance. I remember seeing them performing live for the first time in Nashville a few years ago and I was so blown away by their music and their songs. “Life Left To Go” captures it and this is why I am a fan of their music and this band. Great songs with lyrics that can really get to your emotions.
And why “Anywhere But Here” is a “Forgettable Song”?! I have to disagree with on this. It’s a great song. To put it this way, “SafetySuit” is a breath of fresh air from what I’ve been hearing on the radio these days. I would suggest to check out this band live and then listen to “Life Left To Go” again…I can tell you that once you do that, you’re going to be a fan of this awesome group.
Comment from martini10
Date: May 21, 2008, 7:23 am
i went to see safetysuit in richmond for the chili cookoff and i have never been so impressed by a band ever before! these guys are so down to earth and awesome to talk to!! their music is really upbeat and easy to sing along to! i got their new album and am addicted to it! you’d be silly not to go out and get the album ASAP!
Comment from guitarist7192
Date: May 27, 2008, 3:25 am
Well my view is to each his own. But personally i don’t know how someone couldn’t like this album or the band. The Album aside they are great live and i suggest that you check them out. I have been listening to these guys since they were still in Tulsa Oklahoma and from then on I have expected great things. Now the debut album is here and it couldn’t be better. The lyrics are great and each song is very well written. I was not disappointed with one single song on this album. Job well done guys!
Comment from Ang
Date: May 28, 2008, 4:21 pm
I haven’t listened to the whole album yet but the first few songs I have listened to is pretty good
Comment from btizzleagamaite
Date: May 29, 2008, 11:57 pm
This is the first actual CD I’ve bought in a long, long time. It was worth every penny I spent (ten bucks with tax) to know that I was helping these guys out. They have a fantastic sound, one that seems classic yet original. Their music is clean and refreshing. I feel the need to always have their music around me.
Comment from jhwznga
Date: May 31, 2008, 2:23 am
Honestly…i think that the cd is great…i think they did a good job, not only the album is good, but so are their live performances.
Comment from kelsz
Date: June 5, 2008, 12:43 pm
It’s very rare for me to find an album that I can continually listen to the whole way through without skipping to the next song or ripping it out of the player to find something else. SafetySuits first album is one such rare jewel that I have yet to get enough of…if you haven’t seen these guys rock out live then you’re definitely missing out on an amazing show! Hearing and seeing them live is such an incredible experience - they immediately get that crowd connection and put forth so much energy that you can’t help but have fun, bounce and jump around and rock out with them. They are just as good if not BETTER live than their album. So what are you waiting for? Go purchase the album and check em’ out live…you won’t be disappointed.
Comment from CrazyPnthr09
Date: June 7, 2008, 8:55 pm
I got the album last week on iTunes and I think that SafetySuit is one of the best bands that I have ever heard. Their album is just amazing in every way. I could listen to it for hours and hours and I would never get bored. When SafetySuit comes to Columbus, Ohio, I will be one of the first people to buy a ticket for their concert!!!! =)
Comment from SOONERborn
Date: June 10, 2008, 8:58 pm
In my opinion this album is one of the best to come out in awhile. It is definitely worth a listen. If you can catch a live show do so. Its one of the better shows I have seen.
Comment from KitCat96
Date: June 13, 2008, 11:24 am
I anxiously awaited for this album and was not disappointed. I love every song and can’t seem to pull this from my CD player! A “must BUY” in my opinion.
Comment from feck99
Date: June 15, 2008, 6:16 am
Saw them do an acoustic set in a restaraunt down the street from me a week ago. They sounded great. The CD tho, is marred by bad lyrics. Real high school stuff, lots of cliches. Usually lyrics don’t matter to me that much, so saying I don’t like them REALLY means they’re bad. The band is a cross between Lifehouse and Snow Patrol, with a little Vertical Horizon thrown in.
Comment from CMUJoiseyBoy
Date: June 17, 2008, 11:12 am
Sure, feck99, the lyrics may not be high poetry, but the whole point for them is for listeners to relate to what they’re saying. If you’ve listened and even one song makes you think “yeah, I’ve felt like that before,” then they’ve succeeded.
I agree with “The Bad” a little bit. The flow between songs isn’t the greatest at times, but overall this is a great album. Almost all the songs are quite catchy and, like I said in the last paragraph, if you come away from listening to this album and think “yeah, I’ve felt like that” to even one song, then they’ve reached their objective.
Comment from scionchick
Date: July 18, 2008, 8:13 am
I absolutely love their music it’s just so soothing and relaxing. This ablum is definitely worth checking out! :-D
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