Lights and Sounds
Lights and Sounds | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 24, 2006 | |||
Recorded | May–June 2005 | |||
Studio | Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 52:42 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | Neal Avron | |||
Yellowcard chronology | ||||
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Singles from Light and Sound | ||||
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Lights and Sounds is the fifth
Lights and Sounds debuted to mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, receiving criticism as the album fell short from the standard set by its predecessor, Ocean Avenue. Upon the album's release, it charted at number five on Billboard's 200 and Top Internet Albums' charts, making it the band highest charting album to date. The album accumulated sales of just over 315,000 copies, which failed to match the 2 million sales of their previous album. Yellowcard went on to explain that the disappointment of the sales were due to their going "a bit too far" with the expectations they had thought the album would exceed.[1] Lights and Sounds was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The album yielded two singles, "
Background and production
After almost two years of touring in support of their 2003 album, Ocean Avenue, Yellowcard took a few months off. In December 2004, vocalist Ryan Key and bassist Peter Mosely moved to New York City to write songs for their upcoming album,[2][4][5] while the rest of the band remained in Los Angeles.
As Key and Mosely stayed in New York, they admitted that there was a delay when it came to start writing songs for the album.[6] Key, however, did explain that they were writing "weird, obscure, not-too-mellow" tracks and working on notebooks that he compiled while the band was touring.[6] He also noted that he was able to write for a couple of hours and would receive over "15-20 ideas" that he could take out for the band, so once they all got together, they can start collaborating on the record.[6] Mosely, also in discussion of this, added that the reason it took them so long was because they were "scared to death" with the writing.[5] Mosely concluded that once the writing had begun, the process was easier on them.[5] It was also during this time that Key and Mosely began to turn their apartment into a studio, adding a drum kit, guitar amps, and even including a piano.[6] While Key and Mosely began the development of the songs, the rest of the members would occasionally fly to New York to check on the progress.[6][7]
In April 2005, the band met in Los Angeles and began working at the
Music
Musical style
With Lights and Sounds, Yellowcard broke away from their original
In an interview in August 2005, Key explained that the album was a "definite departure" and "more political" than what Ocean Avenue had contained.
Mackin also composed an entire string section and conducted an orchestra in the album. In an interview with Daily Nexus in June 2006, Mackin revealed that the conducting was the easy part and that the composing part was much harder.[17] In this interview, Mackin also commented, "composing was getting so frustrating since I wasn’t writing as fast as my mind was thinking, so going back I wanted to make sure that each of my arrangements for this album and the 12 different songs were completely different".[17]
Lyrical content
Lights and Sounds primarily focuses on the band coping with the success they were enduring when writing songs for the album. The album also goes with what Key described as when he was preoccupied with making Lights and Sounds. Key said that one of the common themes that were written in the album was the band's hatred in living in Los Angeles. Key said that the songs have "lost that adolescent bounciness -- they've come into adulthood a bit".[10] In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Key revealed that during the time he and Mosely spent in New York, he said it "brought out some darker places" in them and that it was "not in a 'now I'm going to start wearing eyeliner' kind of way, but emotionally darker."[18] In addition, many of the song's themes deal with Key's battle with drugs and alcohol.[2][19]
"Holly became this person on the record who appears in a lot of the songs, and at times you love her and at times you hate her. At times she's good to you and sometimes she's bad."[5]
Ryan Key in discussion of the Holly Wood character
While making the album, Yellowcard had also developed a character, Holly Wood, who served as a narrator and protagonist for the album's storyline.[5] The character is featured in the songs "Rough Landing, Holly" and "Holly Wood Died".[5] The band explained the meaning of the title track, which they said is based on a "whirlwind rocker about the pressures on the band members" and how they have changed as they have aged after the release of Ocean Avenue.[20] Key also commented that when he was preoccupied with making the album, there were distractions while in the process; he simply referred to the distractions as "lights and sounds", which ultimately resulted in the band naming the album just that. He also says that the main reason behind that was how it affected the band during that particular time.[21]
During discussion of the track listing in Lights and Sounds, Yellowcard revealed that "Two Weeks from Twenty" stretched the "limits" for them and explained that it was a "jazz-lounge anti-war song".[10] The band also explained that the song is a narrative of a young soldier named Jimmy, from New Jersey, who is killed in the Iraq war.[3][20] Other songs such as "Down on My Head", "City of Devils", and "Holly Wood Died", had a theme that spoke about bitterness and disillusionment.[22] "How I Go" is based on both lament of a father over the life that has flowed past him and the 2003 film, Big Fish.[20][22] Another song, "Words, Hands, Hearts", is written about the events that occurred during the September 11 attacks.[22]
Release and promotion
"We've simply grown apart, personally and creatively, which can happen in any relationship. This change is hard for all of us, but Ben will always be our brother."[23]
Violinist Sean Mackin on Ben Harper leaving Yellowcard
In August 2005, Yellowcard announced the songs, "
Between October and December 2005, Yellowcard went on a cross-country US tour with Acceptance and the Pink Spiders.[26] In November 2005, it was announced that guitarist Ben Harper had parted ways with the band.[23] Key explained that the band went through "a lot of the highest and lowest points" and that making an album "would be on the highest list, and losing a member would be on the lowest."[2] He also added, "It's really been a long journey together, you know, so obviously, parting ways with Ben was a really unpleasant experience. It was either go on without him, or don't go on at all. And, at the core, we decided that we had something too great to let go of, and that we had to kind of make a last resort and move on without him."[2] Harper was replaced by Ryan Mendez of Staring Back, who broke up upon Mendez leaving.[3][30][nb 1]
The music video for the title-track was featured on a
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (59/100)[47] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AbsolutePunk | (51%)[48] |
AllMusic | [49] |
Drowned in Sound | [50] |
Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[13] |
Melodic | [51] |
Now | |
PopMatters | [52] |
Rolling Stone | [53] |
Sputnikmusic | [54] |
The reviews for Lights and Sounds were mostly mixed upon release, particularly from mainstream media, but some critics have stated that the album had fallen well short of the standards of Ocean Avenue, the album's predecessor.[47] Kelefa Sanneh of the New York Times, in review of the album, wrote: "To listeners on either side of rock's latest generational divide, there's a big difference -- the difference of a decade -- between being a loser and being a twerp ... Lights and Sounds is Yellowcard's attempt to split that difference."[32] Sanneh reports that the song "Two Weeks from Twenty", one of the band's anti-war song, "sounds suspiciously like Green Day; the lyrics echo the plot of the video for Green Day's 'Wake Me Up When September Ends'."[32] Despite this, Sanneh goes on to say that Yellowcard is still "pretty good" at "writing sweeping, upbeat punk-rock love songs".[32] Ben Breier of Kent News wrote: "One thing is certain: The Yellowcard you grew to know and love circa Ocean Avenue is no longer with us. The band has vastly matured when compared to past records, but it comes at a price – members forgot what made them occasionally catchy and addictive in the first place. It's clearly the right direction for the band, but Yellowcard needs to further refine its new style before it can come up with something above average."[55] Mike Schiller of PopMatters, who was somewhat displeased with the album, wrote that the album does not "make up for the overabundance of flaccid mediocrity on display throughout most of the album".[52] Schiller went on to say, "Lights and Sounds may be Yellowcard’s attempt at a big, serious album, but the band doesn’t sound even remotely ready."[52] Nick Cowen from Drowned in Sound wrote: "Those who register for Pop-Punk 101 will receive Yellowcard’s Lights And Sounds as their first set-work; the Jacksonville quintet's new album would be the perfect teaching aid, as it's technically proficient while being boring and forgettable enough not to inspire the temptation to plagiarise."[50] Cowen concluded that the album "is a substandard, second-tier album with some strings thrown in for good measure. It's really not worth the money in your wallet – even if that wallet is attached to a very long chain."[50] Now magazine claimed that the band "may be in the right place, it's clear they're simply incapable of realizing this clumsy faux magnum opus."[47]
Despite the mixed reaction, many critics were fond of the album.
Commercial performance
Lights and Sounds debuted at number five on the
When asked about the disappointment of sales that Lights and Sounds received, Sean Mackin said:
I think that the band went on ... maybe not a tangent, but we had a goal in mind, and at the end of the recording process, we were so proud of how artistic we were. And I think we showed too much. I think maybe we were a little too jaded and a little too dark, and I think that the lack of hope and faith that we put on this record made us a little less sparkly and light to people. But I think that it's all part of our evolution. We all went a bit too far.[1]
Mackin also insisted that the band did not see the album as a mistake, but more of a "learning experience",[1] so that it would not happen again whey they work on their next project.
Two singles were released from Lights and Sounds. The first, "
Track listing
All lyrics by
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Three Flights Up" (Instrumental) |
| 1:23 | |
2. | "Lights and Sounds" | 3:28 | ||
3. | "Down on My Head" |
| 3:32 | |
4. | "Sure Thing Falling" | 3:42 | ||
5. | "City of Devils" | 4:23 | ||
6. | "Rough Landing, Holly" | 3:33 | ||
7. | "Two Weeks from Twenty" |
|
| 4:18 |
8. | "Waiting Game" | 4:15 | ||
9. | "Martin Sheen or JFK" | 3:47 | ||
10. | "Space Travel" |
| 3:47 | |
11. | "Grey" | 3:00 | ||
12. | "Words, Hands, Hearts" | 4:24 | ||
13. | "How I Go" |
| 4:32 | |
14. | "Holly Wood Died" | 4:39 | ||
Total length: | 52:43 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Three Flights Down" | 4:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Down on My Head (Acoustic)" | 3:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Three Flights Down" | 4:42 |
16. | "Gifts and Curses" | 5:05 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Making of the album" | |
2. | "Making of Lights and Sounds music video" | |
3. | "Lights and Sounds" (Music video) | |
4. | "Lights and Sounds" (Live) | |
5. | "Rough Landing, Holly" (Live[nb 2]) |
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.[9]
Yellowcard
Production and design
|
Additional musicians
|
Charts
Album
|
Singles
|
Certifications
Country | Certification | Sales |
---|---|---|
Canada
|
Gold[73] | 50,000 |
United States | Gold [74] | 500,000 |
Notes and references
Footnotes
Citations
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- ^ a b c d e Tomlinson, Sarah (January 27, 2006). "After highs and lows, Yellowcard grows up". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Goldberg, Michael Alan (January 27, 2006). "Digging deeper". The Boston Phoenix. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
- ^ Montgomery, James (June 14, 2005). "Don't You Forget About Yellowcard: Band To Return This Fall". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Montgomery, James (August 9, 2005). "Yellowcard Move To New York, Write LP About Hating Los Angeles". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Montgomery, James (February 3, 2005). "Yellowcard Feverishly Working On New Album ... Starting Tomorrow". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c Montgomery, James (May 1, 2005). "Yellowcard Finally Have A Concept For Their Non-Concept Album". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
- ^ "US rockers Yellowcard preview new album". Eastern Daily Press. Archant. March 10, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
- ^ a b c Lights and Sounds (booklet). Yellocard. Parlophone. 2006. 0946 3 54143 2 5.
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- ^ "Yellowcard — Bio". Yellowcard. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
- ^ Larocque, Mike (September 22, 2005). "What are you, Yellow?". Vue Weekly. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ a b Beaujour, Tom (January 27, 2006). "Lights and Sounds Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 81. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
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- ^ a b Montgomery, James (December 19, 2005). "Yellowcard Singer's Duet With Dixie Chick Winning Points With Parents". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
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- ^ a b Vandor, Mollie (June 28, 2006). "Lighting Up". Daily Nexus. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
- ^ a b Ford, Tracey (September 13, 2005). "Yellowcard Make "Sounds"". Rolling Stone.
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- ^ "Ex-Yellowcard guitarist Ben Harper joins Amber Pacific". Alternative Press. July 24, 2006. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
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External links
- Lights and Sounds at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
- Interview at RoomThirteen