I left with at least 8 different sampler CDs. Having quite a ride back from Houston me and my dad--I know he didn’t like the music but I really respect him for at least trying to bond with me—listened to all of them. One compilation was Black By Popular Demand, which is in my opinion pure genius. I mean how clever is that? (Not very? I agree.) This was definitely the best one I had and I’ll have to upload it, one was from some punk label, another was a promotional for Clit 45, and all the rest were VR summer samplers.
After listening to about half of them I popped one in that had a song called “Existing in a crisis (Evelyn)”. I instantly loved it. I checked who the band was, then as soon as I got home went to the local Best Buy and picked up Sirens and Condolences and the self-titled Bayside.
The basic feeling of their debut is cynicism. It starts off about how his friends don't live right, then how things are hard, he is alone, maybe there isn't a God after all, then it goes to "just let me be alone for a while", then its on to life sucks I hate it and I hate you so I'll smash this car into a guardrail.
Number two is slightly more positive. Life is still rough and things are no less fucked up but theres a spark, and a light at the end of the tunnel, so maybe I'll keep walking instead of sitting down and dying. Friends are users, the past is rough, the future will be rough, but I can blame it all on bad luck.
A couple of years back Bayside hit the road with Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, and Aiden for a tour. From what I know the shows sold well and a lot of people turned out but, unfortunatly one night roads where icy and Bayside's van got in wreck. Sadly their drummer died.
I had figured that the self-titled would be the last I would hear from Bayside. Then this acoustic CD turned up. Dedicated to the memory of the drummer, "Beatz", it has a trubute song (that in my opinion is the best song they have ever written.), a live track, two new songs, and of course acoustic covers of their old stuff. Great album, and my favorite of the three.
(Now They have a forth album that as of I yet I do not own. I heard it went gold, so congrats to them.)
So Bayside may not always have the deepest pool of inspirations, or the best sounding singer, the most energy, or the fastest guitar players, but they captured the feelings I had at that time in my life. To me that’s what really makes a good album. I don’t give a fuck if everyone says this band has no talent, or that band is cliché, or this sounds like whomever. If it talks to you, it talks to you. If people cannot respect that then forget ‘em.
Sirens and Condolences
Bayside
Acoustic
Support.
