They say all publicity is good publicity – and with the recent Drive Thru/Geffen/Vagrant ding-dong, Senses Fail has hardly stepped out of the limelight recently. If you believe the rumours, ‘Let It Enfold You’ was finished and in the can months ago – until Geffen came back and said there weren’t enough ‘singles’ on it. From here the details are a bit sketchy, but a band that started the year on Drive Thru, have managed to go to MCA and then Vagrant without releasing an album.
Senses Fail is a band that has been much maligned for many reasons. Some could argue they do absolutely nothing new musically, which is perhaps fair comment – after all, post-hardcore bands are now ten-a-penny. However, I really enjoyed their ‘From The Depths Of Dreams’ EP and was quite looking forward to this album to see how the band would take things on. The bottom line is that ‘Let It Enfold You’ carries on from where the EP left off. There are crunching guitar riffs and Buddy Nielsen’s vocals are as distinctive as ever. There’s nothing particularly original or inventive though, so don’t expect anything too groundbreaking.
Having said that, Senses Fail has managed to maintain their ability of penning songs with a killer hook. ‘Tie Her Down’ gets things off to a great start, while ‘You’re Cute When You Scream’ and ‘Bite To Break Skin’ are throwbacks to the EP. ‘Buried A Lie’ is destined to become a sure-fire radio hit, a track which is much slower than anything they’ve done previously and ‘Rum Is For Drinking, Not For Burning’ has a really strong guitar riff which carries the song through. Many detractors have launched their insults at the band’s lyrics and while there are still some pretty trite and childish lines on ‘Let It Enfold You’, there are also signs that Buddy Nielsen has grown up. There are references to Daoism and Charles Bukowski, as well as mythologist Joseph Campbell. Nothing new I hasten to add, but it’s better than the I-attacked-you-with-a-chainsaw style that made many cringe first time round.
While the songs tend to be strong, it is, of course, an emo cliché’s heaven. The guitars chug and the screams are all present and correct as with any predictable record. There are slightly slower songs to break the album up and the production is clean and polished – not a bad thing in my book but I know it really riles some folk. There are a couple of tracks which don’t really do much for me either – ‘Slow Dance’ meanders without making an impact and ‘Irony of Dying On Your Birthday’ has a horrible scream at the start. ‘NJ Falls Into The Atlantic’ is a keeper though.
To me there are plenty of ‘singles’ on here that would have kept Geffen happy, but their loss is probably Vagrant’s gain. But whatever happened behind the scenes, Senses Fail has come back with a record that may not be the most original, but has enough hooks and melodies to ensure this sells well. Was it worth the wait? Only time will tell – but ‘Let It Enfold You’ will certainly keep me quiet for a few weeks anyway…
www.sensesfail.com
Vagrant Records
Paul