“Existentialism on Prom Night”
from the album Straylight Run
2004
So you help form Taking Back Sunday, record the debut album and sell some 200,000-plus copies of it that droves of rabid, angst-riddled teenagers will adore for years or until they find themselves in a happy relationship. You tour extensively and have a great time on the sonic rise to success, then decide that you don’t like the direction that the band is going and the way they write their songs. You call it quits. TBS goes on to record a new album and sell 163,000 copies of it in its first week while your new band, Straylight Run, is building hype on the Internet, chalking up thousands of downloads and selling a pile of merch with no record in stores. This is what John Nolan and Shaun Cooper did after enlisting ex-Breaking Pangaea drummer Will Noon and piano-presser Michelle Nolan, John’s sister, to make their band. The sounds the kids get are bittersweet melodies laced with youth-conscious lyrics on a varied tempo field. Hmmm, sounds interesting.
Straylight’s sound is basically split into two categories: the slowed down, somber ballad; and the tumbly pop song — both styles interlaced with each other throughout the album. The slower-paced songs are what Straylight handles best. The opening song, aptly titled, “The Perfect Ending,” is a good fit for the first song you hear in the morning or the last song you hear before you go to bed. The keys lay a nice backdrop for Nolan’s stringy vocals as he peers into the mind of a person balancing on the line between depression and happiness, questioning their role in life. There’s enough here to make even the most jaded elitist think back to his optimistic, impressionable days and re-acclimate where he or she stands now.
Another highlight is “Existentialism on Prom Night,“ which contains the chorus, “Sing like you think no one’s listening,” this line put a pleased smile on my face; let it out, who cares what you sound like. Nolan’s song writing peers into the mind of this generation’s cautious, yet passionate psyche, subliminally encouraging perseverance and optimism. Rarely are the lyrics extremely complex (“What’s another word for desperate?”), but at times they’re just enough to reach into your head and get you thinking.
Straylight Run’s songs might not appeal to everyone, but you might be surprised — they could strike the last vulnerable nerve you have in your body and they’ll make friends with it. On the whole, this album probably won’t be in my rotation forever, but for now it’s a good fit. Do you keep a diary? Sold. Otherwise, listen with a cautious ear, the shaky track arrangement could be the factor that turns you away.