| Louder Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 25, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | September 2005 – January 2006 | |||
| Studio | Barefoot,Los Angeles,California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:38 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Eric Valentine | |||
| Taking Back Sunday chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Louder Now | ||||
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Louder Now is the third studio album by Americanrock bandTaking Back Sunday. In April 2005, the group had begun writing material for the album. Two months later, they signed withWarner Bros. Records and contributed a song to theFantastic Four soundtrack. Soon afterwards, the group rented a room inManhattan where they composed songs forLouder Now. They came up with 20 songs, discarding half of them and recording demos of the remainder. The group began recordingLouder Now withEric Valentine in September 2005 at Barefoot Studios in Los Angeles, California. After Warner Bros. told them they did not need to rush, they recorded new demos. Recording ended on New Year's Day, 2006, and was followed by a tour of the UK, Australia and the U.S.
Louder Now was released on April 25, 2006, on Warner Bros. Records. Several weeks later, "MakeDamnSure" was released as a single; this was followed by a tour withAngels & Airwaves. A music video was released for "Twenty-Twenty Surgery", and the single was released a month later. A video for "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" was released in September, before the single's release in November. Taking Back Sunday then began a two-month stint as part of theTaste of Chaos tour. A video album,The Louder Now DVD: PartOne, was released in December. The album included videos of the recording process, tour footage and music videos. "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" was released as a single on New Year's Eve. In early 2007 the group toured North America, followed by the release of "My Blue Heaven" as a single in April. After a tour withLinkin Park, guitarist Fred Mascherino left the group and was replaced by Matthew Fazzi.
Louder Now received generally favorable reviews from critics, and was votedKerrang!'s album of the year. It debuted at number two on theBillboard 200, selling 158,000 copies in its first week after release, reached the top 10 of severalBillboard charts and the top 20 in Canada, Australia and the UK. Two months after its release,Louder Now wascertified gold by theRIAA for sales of 500,000 copies and was later certified silver by theBPI for sales of 60,000 copies. As of May 2009, the album has sold 674,000 copies in the U.S.
In July 2004, Taking Back Sunday releasedWhere You Want to Be on independent labelVictory Records. The album became a bestselling independent rock album within a year, selling 634,000 copies,[1] and was certified gold by theRIAA.[2] The band toured frequently for eight months before beginning to compose material for their next album.[3] VocalistAdam Lazzara said in April 2005 that the band was in "the early stages" of writing new songs.[4] In April and May the group went on a co-headlining tour withJimmy Eat World,[5] introducing "Error: Operator" and "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?".[3]
On June 10, it was announced that the band had signed with major labelWarner Bros. Records and would begin recording their third album later in 2005.[1] That month, the group contributed "Error: Operator" (which differs from the final album version) to the video-game adaption ofFantastic Four. Activision, the game's developers, wanted the track written from the viewpoint ofMister Fantastic. The group was hesitant, according to Lazzara, since the character is an "extremely rich, extremely smart guy ... And I'm not very smart, and I'm not rich at all, so I couldn't really relate."[6] The song was also included on thefilm's soundtrack.[7] In June and August 2005, the band supportedGreen Day for two UK shows, and supportedWeezer for a US stadium show; they were initially scheduled to headlineHellfest, though they later dropped off.[8][9][10]
In July 2005, Taking Back Sunday rented a room in Manhattan, which they shared with members ofthe Sleeping, and began writing songs with laptops and guitars for their next album.[10][11][12] Typically, they arrived at about 10 am; some evenings, Lazzara showed up after the band to write melodies.[11] The group wrote 20 songs before discarding half,[12] and recorded 14 or 15 demos in their home studio.[13] According to bassist Matt Rubano, Fred Mascherino and Adam Lazzara's lyrics "are coming into a golden age. The tracks are really more rocking and we're trying some new things, but it's still us."[3] ForWhere You Want to Be the group "didn't spend as much time playing together," but forLouder Now "we know each other's playing. We know what we want and don't want."[14]
On September 21, 2005, it was announced that Taking Back Sunday had begun recording their third album withEric Valentine.[15] The group chose Valentine because he had producedQueens of the Stone Age'sSongs for the Deaf (2002) andThird Eye Blind'sself-titled album (1997). Although they met withHoward Benson andRob Cavallo, the band's "love of Eric's work kind of trumped any other meeting we had."[11] Unlike their previous records, the group worked in a large studio[16] (Barefoot Studios in Los Angeles, California).[17] Warner Bros. told them, "Take your time and it's done when you're done with it,"[14] and the band did another set of demos with input from Valentine.[18] According to Mascherino, the group knew how they wanted the upcoming album to sound, so demoing again was a "thorough way to do it."[14] Working in a big studio, according to Lazzara, gave the band the opportunity to "have more than two guitar sounds."[19]
According to Rubano, the group wished to make a rock-oriented album—not in compositional style, but "maybe in the recording and the tones of the instruments." They brought out "a really unique character" in all the songs.[20] During the recording, guitarist Ed Reyes usedOrange and Burman amplifiers. Most of his guitar tracks were recorded with anEpiphone Casino guitar, and he also used anEpiphone Crestwood guitar. Frequently using atape delay effect, Reyes did not usedistortion pedals since the Orange amp "had a perfect gain sound in itself."[13] Mascherino used hisGibson SG Special guitar during recording, which he said had "an amazing sound which is really warm and gives me my own sound."[13] He channeled it through aMarshall JCM800 amplifier, and also used aGibson Firebird guitar when the group needed "a really tight sound."[13] The drums were recorded in three days. After positioning four microphones around (and inside) the bass drum, Valentine placed Mark O'Connell in a room "he calls the torture chamber."[21] According to the drummer, the room's acoustics made the drums sound "insane."[21]
By November the rhythm guitar, bass and drums were done, leaving the vocals and lead guitar to be finished.[16] Recording wrapped up on New Year's Day, 2006.[22] The songs were recorded withPro Tools and transferred toanalog tape for mixing,[13] which was done by Valentine.[17] Matt Radosevich engineered the recordings, assisted by Chris Roach.[17] The band recorded 14 songs, with 11 planned to make the final track listing.[23] The strings on "My Blue Heaven", arranged byAnton Patzner, were performed byJudgement Day. Patzner played violin and viola, and his brother Lewis played cello. Elena Mascherino contributed backing vocals to "I'll Let You Live", andBrian Gardner mastered the recordings atBernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, California.[17] The group released behind-the-scenes studio clips,[23] often with snippets of new songs.[24][25]
Lazzara said that Taking Back Sunday was "starting to grow up," no longer writing songs about being in high school and realizing that they "have to be an adult about some things."[3] According to Mascherino, the group wanted to create something "timeless" to stand out from their peers; they "didn't want to just do the formula," and used piano, xylophone[12] and strings.[16]Alternative Press noted thatLouder Now had a "much more full sound, much more tight" thanWhere You Want to Be.[11] MTV called the album "a big, ballsy, monster of a rock record,"[22] and its title affirms that it is a rock record.[26] The album's sound has been described asalternative rock,[27][28]emo pop,[29]pop-punk[30] andemo.[31]
"What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" is, according to Lazzara, about a "pre-pre-midlife crisis."[32] Mascherino said that the song "charges forward," never letting "up and fully rocks the entire time."[26] Rubano called the opening guitar riff "not quite 'Paradise City', but it's a guitar riff where when we first came up with it, we were like, 'Whoa! Rock!'" He thought that "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" sounded like a modern equivalent ofthe Police.[20] Lazzara called the song "110 miles-per-hour, very hard to play and totally rocking,"[19] and Mascherino considered it and "Spin" the group's fastest songs ever.[26] "MakeDamnSure" has a phone message in the bridge; Lazzara and his girlfriend were arguing at the time, and she left him a message. Lazzara showed it to Valentine, wanting to include it in the song.[11] According to Mascherino, "MakeDamnSure" received the greatest group effort of the album's songs.[12] "Up Against (Blackout)", a track with atime signature of 6/8, was compared to Mascherino's former bandBreaking Pangaea.[33] The intro to "My Blue Heaven" was reminiscent of "Wounded" byThird Eye Blind;[34] the lyrics during the chorus were taken from "Wedding Dress" by Breaking Pangaea.[33]
For "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" Lazzara had several lyrics and melodies, "but nothing was working and it was the most frustrating thing"; its chorus was the album's final composition.[11] Mascherino called "Spin" "this album's 'The Union', but on steroids",[26][nb 1] drawing a comparison toCirca Survive. The acoustic ballad "Divine Intervention" recalled the quieter work ofBrand New,[33] and included a lyrical reference to "My Favorite Things" fromThe Sound of Music.[35] Mascherino soloed on "Miami",[12] encouraged by Lazzara when the band was recording its demo.[11] Lazzara later called the solo "funny and great."[36] According to Mascherino, the group wanted the song "to sound as much like the Cure as possible, so it's all clean guitars."[26] He said that the drums on "I'll Let You Live" were recorded at a faster tempo, sounding "totally deeper" when played back;[37] the song evoked Breaking Pangaea's 11 minute song "Turning".[33] "Sleep" was the band's attempt at aMotown-inspired bass sound.[19] "Brooklyn (If You See Something, Say Something)" contains a "real floaty, airy pre-chorus and then it's upbeat but dark," according to Lazzara.[36] He did not regret dropping "Sleep" and "Brooklyn" from the final track listing "because when you listen to everything down, they just didn't really feel like they fit."[36]
In late January 2006, Taking Back Sunday toured the UK.[20] On February 16, the upcoming release ofLouder Now was announced.[38] The album's artwork, a photograph byJoel Meyerowitz edited by Brad Filip,[12] was introduced the following day.[25] It consists of a movie theater box office with the admission price listed as $1.52. A shot of people and a marquee sign can be seen in the reflection of the box office glass, which Lazzara said was a nod to "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost". He added that they ""wanted to touch on the feeling that you can be in a room packed full of people and still feel alone".[39] On February 21, "MakeDamnSure" became available for streaming;[40] in early March, the band filmed its music video. The video was filmed in Los Angeles with directorMarc Klasfeld; according to Rubano, the band chose Klasfeld because his script for the video suited the song.[41] MTV called it "a powerful montage of violent images, all shot in arty slow motion," combined with footage of the band performing in a wind tunnel.[41] "MakeDamnSure" was released to radio on March 14.[42] The group then toured Australia,[24] returning for a U.S. tour from late March to mid-May[43] with support fromTokyo Rose,[44] andSuicide City.[45] On April 6, the "MakeDamnSure" video was released.[46] The group played at theGive it a Name festival in the UK before headliningthe Bamboozle festival in the U.S.[24]Louder Now was made available for streaming on April 18, 2006, before being released on April 25, 2006 through Warner Bros. Records.[22][47]
"MakeDamnSure" was released as a single on May 15, with "Sleep" itsB-side.[48] In June and July, the band toured withAngels & Airwaves.[49] On July 23, the music video for "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" was released,[50] directed by Jay Martin,[51] and on August 28, it was released as a single with "Brooklyn (If You See Something, Say Something)" its B-side.[52] "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" was released to radio on September 19.[42] A music video for the song, directed byTony Petrossian,[53] was released on September 29.[54] In October and November 2006, the group was part of theTaste of Chaos tour, visiting New Zealand and Europe.[55] "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" was released as a single on November 6, with a live version of "Spin" its B-side.[56] Ten days later, the band appeared onLast Call with Carson Daly.[57] On December 12, the band released a DVD entitledThe Louder Now DVD: PartOne,[58] with over 60 minutes of footage documenting the making of the album, their world tour, live and behind-the-scenes footage of a show at the Long Beach Arena[59] and the music videos for "MakeDamnSure" and "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)".[58] On New Year's Eve, "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" was released as a single.[60]
On February 6, 2007, the band appeared onLast Call with Carson Daly again.[61] In late February and early March 2007, they headlined a North American trek with support fromUnderoath andArmor for Sleep.[62] On April 2, "My Blue Heaven" was released as a single[63] and released to radio a week later.[42] From late July to early September, the band participated in the2007Projekt Revolution tour withLinkin Park.[64] On August 3 it was announced that O'Connell had injured his back, and he was replaced byMatchbook Romance drummer Aaron Stern for the remainder of the tour.[65] Shortly after the tour Mascherino left the band, although his departure was not announced until early October. He said, "It was getting to the point where I felt I had taken the road as long as I possibly could," and his compositions were "more pop than anyone else [in the band] wanted to go." Mascherino had written over 45 songs, most intended forLouder Now but turned down by the band. He began a solo project,the Color Fred, and remarked that Taking Back Sunday was "more about cooking food than making music".[66][67]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 64/100[68] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | 75%[69] |
| AllMusic |    [34] |
| Alternative Press | [33] |
| The A.V. Club | C−[70] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[35] |
| Gigwise |   [71] |
| Now | 2/5[72] |
| Rolling Stone | [73] |
| Stylus Magazine | B−[74] |
Louder Now received a score of 64 out of 100 fromMetacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[68]AbsolutePunk founder Jason Tate considered the album "closer toNorthstar'sPollyanna" than toWhere You Want to Be,[69] and said that the music wasn't "anything mind-blowing. I don't get knocked on my ass like I did the first time I heard TAYF, but the catchy repetitiveness is all there."[69]AllMusic reviewer Corey Apar called the album's name "an apt title for a super-tight, aggressive album that falls somewhere between their last two, tapping the heartfelt vigor ofTell All Your Friends in order to giveWhere You Want to Be a swift, square kick in the pants."[34] Scott Heisel wrote forAlternative Press that the band "[is] spot-on when they floor it or put it in park; it's the sputtering along in-between that hurts the record."[33] Despite not mastering "the art of the middle ground," they take "immense leaps forward musically on their third album." According to Heisel, the band should be "commended, not for just choosing not to rehash their older work, but for truly trying to branch out artistically—and succeeding most of the time."[33]
Kyle Ryan ofthe A.V. Club called Taking Back Sunday's sound on their debut album "fresh and raw" and their approach toLouder Now "formulaic".[70] According to Ryan, Lazzara "changed his style a bit" and "occasionally sound[ed] like his jaw is wired shut."[70]Entertainment Weekly reviewer Clark Collis wrote that the album's title "justifies its name thanks to a chunkier array of riffs and choruses" compared toWhere You Want to Be.[35] Sarah Dean wrote onFasterLouder thatLouder Now differs from the band's records; it has "a darker mood, bigger choruses and perhaps even catchier melodies," with the "emo-pop punk flavour Taking Back Sunday are renowned for."[29]Gigwise contributor Lee Glynn wrote that the album had "no standout tracks" other than "MakeDamnSure".[71] Apart from the latter, "there is nothing on this album that reaffirms them as a band full of malice and bite."[71] Spence D. ofIGN gave the album a score of 6.7 out of 10: "It's a safe bet to say that TBS diehards will soak up the 11 tracks with a sponge-like vengeance. Newcomers may wonder what all the bells and whistles are about, though. But tracks like 'My Blue Heaven', 'Spin', 'Divine Intervention' and 'I'll Let You Live' promise even greater things to come from this band, who are only now hinting at their growing sonic maturity."[75]
NME gave the album a score of six out of ten: "It tails off towards the end, and TBS never quite shake the feeling that other people are doing this sort of thing far more thrillingly elsewhere."[68]Now reviewer Evan Davies wrote that although the group's fans and label had expectations, it "doesn't mean you have to put out the exact same fucking album twice in a row."[72] According to Davies, Taking Back Sunday writes two kinds of songs: "energetic pop rock with whiny vocals, and midtempo power rock, again with whiny vocals."[72] Christian Hoard ofRolling Stone wrote that the group "amped up their sound," with Valentine "delivering a turbocharged attack spiked with dark, catchy melodies and giant choruses."[73] Hoard called most of the album's songs "skull-rattling slasher[s] with enough pop smarts to keep the heartbroken agony from becoming too much to handle."[73] ForStylus Magazine, Ian Cohen wrote that the album "tables the discussion" of whether Taking Back Sunday "embrace their arena destiny or disappear into the basement for cred that never really existed."[74] Cohen concluded, "As was the case with pop-metal, 'albums' weren't the objective, so much as a few ace singles and album tracks that hold serve, which isLouder Now in a nutshell."[74]
Louder Now was expected to sell 185,000 copies.[76] It sold 158,000 copies in its first week, and debuted at number two on theBillboard 200.[77] The album had lower first-week sales thanWhere You Want to Be, which had sold 164,000 copies.Louder Now was surpassed at the top of the chart byGodsmack'sIV,[78] which sold 211,000 copies.[79] The album was number two on theDigital Albums chart,[80] number seven on theTop Rock Albums chart[81] and number nine on theTastemaker Albums chart.[82] It was number five in Canada,[83] number 17 in Australia,[84] number 18 in the UK,[85] number 70 in Ireland[86] and number 90 in Japan.[87]
Two months after its release,Louder Now wascertified gold by theRIAA.[2] By August 2006 the album had sold over 470,000 copies;[88] in November it was certified silver by theBPI,[89] and was number 124 on the Billboard 200 Albums year-end chart.[90] "MakeDamnSure" was number eight on theAlternative Songs chart,[91] number 25 on theDigital Songs chart[92] and number 36 on theUK Singles Chart.[85] "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" was number 60 on the UK Singles Chart.[85] "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" was number 21 on the Alternative Songs chart[91] and number 83 on the UK Singles Chart.[85]By May 2009, the album had sold 674,000 copies.[93]
The album was one ofAlternative Press' most-anticipated albums of the year,[94] and toppedKerrang!'s album-of-the-year poll.[95] The music video for "MakeDamnSure" was nominated for anMTV2 Viewer's Choice award, which ultimately lost to "The Kill" (2006) byThirty Seconds to Mars.[58][96] TJ Horansky ofAlternative Press wrote that withLouder Now, the group "started firing on all cylinders." Mascherino's "unique fluid and gruff vocals perfectly complement" Lazzara's "maniacal and effusive delivery," and Horansky called the vocals "much more natural" than Taking Back Sunday's previous albums.[97]Fuse.tv's Jason Lipshutz calledLouder Now his second-favorite Taking Back Sunday album. According to Lipshutz, it "was a mainstream mission statement, with ferocious guitar work and choruses aimed squarely at arenas." With moments of "true grace and contemplation," the album was "thrilling and complex."[98]Rock Sound ranked it at number 55 on the list of best albums in their lifetime, stating that "nothing else in their back-catalogue boasts the huge songs, slick polish and, arguably, theheart of their major label debut."[99]
Louder Now has appeared on best-of emo album lists byThe Daily Dot[100] andLoudwire.[101]Cleveland.com ranked "MakeDamnSure" at number 67 on their list of the top 100 pop-punk songs.[102]Alternative Press ranked "MakeDamnSure" at number 54 on their list of the best 100 singles from the 2000s.[103] The album was re-pressed on vinyl in June 2017,[104] which charted at number 16 on theVinyl Albums chart.[105] Throughout 2019, the band performedLouder Now in its entirety for their 20th anniversary world tour. For cities in the US that had two shows back-to-back, the band would flip a coin to play eitherLouder Now orWhere You Want to Be (2004) on the first night and the other album on the second night.[106] To help promote the tour, a career-spanning compilationTwenty (2019) was released,[107] which included "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)", "MakeDamnSure", "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" and "My Blue Heaven" fromLouder Now.[108]
All music and lyrics written and performed byTaking Back Sunday.[17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" | 3:47 |
| 2. | "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "MakeDamnSure" | 3:32 |
| 4. | "Up Against (Blackout)" | 3:02 |
| 5. | "My Blue Heaven" | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" | 3:55 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Spin" | 3:39 |
| 8. | "Divine Intervention" | 4:14 |
| 9. | "Miami" | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Error: Operator" | 2:51 |
| 11. | "I'll Let You Live" | 5:07 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Brooklyn (If You See Something, Say Something)" | 4:33 |
| 13. | "Sleep" | 3:20 |
| 14. | "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:46 |
| 15. | "MakeDamnSure" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:33 |
| 16. | "Error: Operator" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:05 |
| 17. | "Divine Intervention" (live acoustic version onLive 105) | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" (live fromLong Beach Arena) | 3:46 |
| 13. | "MakeDamnSure" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:33 |
| 14. | "Error: Operator" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:05 |
| 15. | "Divine Intervention" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 5:02 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Louder Now: PartOne" | 93:46 |
| 2. | "Performance Only" | 18:22 |
A companion toThe Louder Now DVD: PartOne, dubbedThe Louder Now DVD: PartTwo was released on November 20 as a CD/DVD set. The DVD contained tour and studio footage, as well as music videos for "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" and "12 Days of Christmas". The CD featured live tracks, as well as the B-sides "Sleep" and "Brooklyn (If You See Something, Say Something)."[111]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:03 |
| 3. | "My Blue Heaven" (Live from Long Beach Arena) | 4:17 |
| 4. | "Spin" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:56 |
| 5. | "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:46 |
| 6. | "MakeDamnSure" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:33 |
| 7. | "Error: Operator" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 3:05 |
| 8. | "Divine Intervention" (live from Long Beach Arena) | 5:02 |
| 9. | "Sleep" (non-album track) | 4:20 |
| 10. | "Brooklyn (If You See Something, Say Something)" (non-album track) | 4:33 |
| 11. | "12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Is for the Birds" (hidden track) | 8:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" (live from Long Beach Arena) | |
| 2. | "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" (live from Long Beach Arena) | |
| 3. | "My Blue Heaven" (live from Long Beach Arena) | |
| 4. | "Spin" (live from Long Beach Arena) | |
| 5. | "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" (music video) | |
| 6. | "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" (music video/making of video) | |
| 7. | "12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Is for the Birds" (animation) | |
| 8. | "Bonus Material" |
Personnel per booklet.[17]
|
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[89] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[122] | Gold | 674,000[93] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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