Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends
Victory Records
March 26, 2002

What It Sounds Like:  Pop-Punk and Emo tied together with a tight noose.

Let’s just start out with this:  Taking Back Sunday gave us the best emo line that could ever be written in a song.  It’s like the Jesus Freak of emo, right in the middle of its early two-thousands heyday.  Ready for it?  Your mind is about to be blown.

I’d never lie to you
Unless I had to
I’ll do what I got to
Unless I had to
I’ll do what I got to

The truth
Is you could slit my throat
And with my one last gasping breath
I’d apologize for bleeding on your shirt.

-from You’re So Last Summer

Top it.  You can’t!

Those last four lines are golden.  Let me set this scene for you…

So you’re dating some girl when you’re fifteen.  She’s into you.  You’re certainly into her, because for goodness freaking sakes, how in the world did you ever land this hottie in the first place?  Look kid, she’s gonna break your heart.  It’s pretty much science.  But, the fact of the matter here is – you do not care.  Your love transcends any pain she can throw your way.  As a matter of fact, the girl that once told you that she loved you has now decided that some other dude is just going to be a better use of her time, so not only is she breaking up with you – she’s deciding to end your life.  She comes up, and with a stinking Winchester 14.25 Bowie Knife, cuts you right across the throat.  Blood everywhere, and you’re on your way out.  But in those last seconds, those last final moments before you pass through space and time and end up on the other side, you can manage one….final…line…

I’m sorry…for ble—ee–eeding…on your…shirt….

Victory is yours, sucka!  Humble to the end.  Except for one thing…

You’re…DEAD!

Taking Back Sunday have proven their worth over the years.  Their debut was certainly promising.  Loads of pop-punk hooks, bleeding hearts, makeups and breakups (but mostly breakups), and…well, more makeups and breakups.  Call them undiversified if you want, but it falls on deaf ears to me.  I don’t know about you, but when I was 16 – I wanted songs about girls and the strife they cause you.  I got it in spades here.

Maybe she’s been cheating, and you just found her out?

Cute Without The “E” (Cut From The Team)
The Blue Channel

Maybe you’re wishing someone would notice the heartbreak you’re going through?

Ghost Man On Third

Maybe you just slept with a girl and realized you wanted more than she did?

Bike Scene

Maybe you tried to forget about the girl, so you started dancing with Mary Jane instead?

You Know How I Do

The topics are covered.  The choruses are catchy.  And as always, it’s more relevant to the sixteen year old mind than the twenty seven year old mind.

But that’s just me acting cool like the sixteen year old would try to be.

You know I’m down with some Taking Back Sunday.  Their career has had some ups and downs, and some records that came in the future were better than others.  But this one, the most pop-punk of the lot, was a solid start of a worthwhile career.  The whole “emo” scene is over and done with now, but you could certainly separate the more worthwhile bands from the imposters.  These guys were the real deal.

8/10

If you had to listen to two tracks:  You’re So Last Summer / Bike Scene