Life In Surveillance,
So They Say
If So They Say wanted to distance themselves from 'emo' they've certainly managed to do it with 'Life In Surveillance'. If their last album on Fearless was more poppy and predictable, although still pretty good, this record prays at the church of rock. It's a lot heavier in terms of lyrical content and in riffs and sounds refreshingly different, if a little unexpectedly. You could argue moving from the production of Matt Squire to Matt Hyde has helped to bulk their sound up, but for whatever reason the change hasn't done the band any harm.
'Life In Surveillance' isn't a record you can pick up on one listen. It's a different beast to their last album. Whereas that one concentrated on the soaring vocal melodies, the guitars on album number 2 are de-tuned and darker, with the vocals and choruses a little less distinct. Ultimately, this makes the album a little trickier to get into. But once the penny drops, it does so in style. 'Nuclear Sunrise' reminds me a little of Velvet Revolver actually, although many of the other songs aren't quite as 'rock', although there are elements of more traditional rock bands throughout. 'I Won't Tell' and 'Wake Me Up' are more than solid too.
Full marks for So They Say for ditching the trend and doing something a little different. 'Life In Surveillance' is more grown up all round and while it may confuse some of the band's younger fans, ultimately this is every bit as good as their enjoyable last record.
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