Taking Back Sunday Beyond The Drama

07/27/09 12:08pm

by Sheena Lyonnais (CHARTattack)

At a time when Taking Back Sunday just want to focus on their fourth studio album, New Again, the band continue to be plagued by the drama surrounding the messy 2007 departure of guitarist Fred Mascherino.

Although he has since been replaced by Matt Fazzi (previously of Facing New York), it seems the media and fans are more interested in the spectacle than the new music. That's a shame considering New Again is a promising album that shows a new life for the decade-old band.

"New Again came out the way it did because that's what we wanted to do at the time," said guitarist Eddie Reyes before a show in Toronto that was cancelled when vocalist Adam Lazzara was hospitalized due to a virus. "We knew some people would be upset, we knew some people would be happy. That's just how it is."

Mascherino left the band primarily due to bashing heads with Lazzara. His departure resulted in a fair share of banter between the two when Mascherino said in an interview with Long Island's Newsday that TBS was "more about cooking food than making music," but it also served as inspiration for one of the new tracks, "Capital M-E."

Like much of the new material, the song is a more personal venture for Lazzara boasting sly lyrics such as, "The nicest man I ever met was more malicious than malcontent" and "You slither away like the snake that you are."

This vulnerability and angst makes New Again. While Lazzara typically remains vague on previous releases, this album directly reflects on his life since 2006's Louder Now.

Over the three years, Lazzara battled his addictions, called off an engagement to Eisley's Chauntelle DuPree, moved to a dry town, met a new girl, fell in love, got married and had a baby.

Tracks like "Everything Must Go" comment directly on the chaotic split with DuPree. It's a song that radiates on the record. It's a softer track on an album that is otherwise more rock-driven than previous emo-rock releases, a direction that happened genuinely for the band.

"I think it was pretty organic," Reyes said. "I don't think we went in there thinking we were going to write this kind of record, it just happened naturally.

"I personally think its one of the most aggressive records we've ever written. I'm very excited about it because I'm more into the heavier side and I feel it's more on the heaver side. I don't understand the different vibe, because with all our records we just go in and write them and don't think about it."

While Lazzara was sorting his life out, the other members were also taking time to regain their focus after years of touring and recording. Drummer Mark O'Connell got married, Reyes hung out with his children and family and bassist Matt Rubano recorded music for the revived children's show the Electric Company.

"It was really, really nice to go and meet up with all the guys and be like, 'what do you got?' and just throw it out there," O'Connell said.

"There's always going to be a little bickering, but it was so nice to finally be like we can breathe and create and we can have fun and we can chill and laugh and take breaks and joke around.

"I think we really got to know each other again as friends," he continued. "We made that a big point to really enjoy each other's company and personalities instead of just picking on everyone's different defects, so it was awesome to have that. The whole vibe of the band now, the whole vibe of the album, is just being each other's friend and creating music and having a good time."

When it comes down to it, New Again shows Taking Back Sunday can defy odds and controversy. They faced similar issues over the departure of previous members Jesse Lacey (Brand New) and John Nolan (Straylight Run), neither of which stopped them from producing the infectious melodies and hooks of previous albums.

If anything, it's a testament to their strength as a band and their ability to continually redefine themselves despite obstacles.

"I don't understand. I think there are far whinier bands out there that attract more drama," Reyes said. "I think we have also been one of the biggest underdogs in this genre that we've been around in a lot longer than other bands have. Almost like we've been doing this way longer than other people have and yet we're still the underdogs."

Underdogs or not, New Again represents a fresh outlook for Taking Back Sunday and proves their ability to remain relevant. As for those people more interested in the controversy than the talent, Reyes sums it up perfectly:

"Save the drama for your mama," he said.