Search - Days Like These :: Inventure

AbsolutePunk.net Review For: Days Like These - Inventure

Rohan Kohli | 12/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To be quite honest, I thought Days Like These' last album, Charity Burns Green, was a fairly bland, uninspiring, untextured rock album, but an album which showed flashes of excellence at times. It was easily apparent that the band was a veritable diamond in the rough, and that it would only be a matter of an album or two before Days Like These could realize their full potential and break it big. With Inventure, Days Like These has taken a bold step towards realizing that potential, and has delivered a hard-hitting, yet beautiful, heavily layered, catchy, space-tinged, absolutely huge-sounding modern rock album. Sound good? It is.



From the very beginning, frontman Angel Santiago's powerful, extremely confident, radio-ready vocals dominate the album, demanding your total, undivided attention. Some have commented that his vocals don't "fit in" with the music or won't be accepted this "scene," but I beg to differ: I wouldn't want this album any other way. Indeed, Santiago's vocals are slightly reminiscent of Brandon Boyd's (Incubus), and do have a mainstream/arena-rock vibe (as does the music in general), but honestly, if that turns you off, I implore you to at least give the band a chance and see that it works extremely well.



As I mentioned before, I thought that Charity Burns Green was fairly bland album (way too many extended passages with just straight up power chords), but things have certainly changed on Inventure; everything is well textured, and both the songs and the instrumentation (see "Bombs Away") have come together nicely. The evolution of a band has taken place. In the intro of "Help Wanted," stereo-delayed bass harmonics bounce back and forth over staccato strings, while in the second verse, playful guitars duel each other over the strings and a very syncopated, active bass line. The gorgeous "Somehow Saturn" (which, as many avid AP readers may know, is one of my absolute favorite songs this year), overloads my audio sensory system with all its layered guitars, and the very soulful, very Eagles-esque "Charmed" will have you dancing around your room before you can say "OMG this is really good!" "The Threat Of A Good Example," perhaps the catchiest track on the album, is best experienced with the volume at full blast; the unbridled energy in the chorus is stimulating.



With Inventure, Days Like These is poised to take over the modern rock world: one more album from these guys, and they should be absolutely huge. Given the right promotion, and heard by the "right" (read: industry's) ears, don't be alarmed to find Days Like These playing arenas with the music they've created. An Incubus, Days Like These tour? I could see it happening. I sincerely hope the band attains the success this album shows they are capable of; Inventure marks a huge step up for the band, and, frankly, I'm scared of what's to come from these guys.



--Rohan Kohli/AbsolutePunk.net"