In 2011, the pop-punk revival took place, with This Time Next Year's Drop Out of Life calling fans' memories back to the time when New Found Glory ruled the summer, while Transit's Listen & Forgive (number one on Keep Calm's "Best Albums of 2011" list!) saw the band take a turn towards the early days of emo with less aggression than Keep This to Yourself had, but much more meaning. In 2012, with both bands touring extensively to support said albums, Guitarist/vocalists Brad Wiseman and Tim Landers (of TTNY and Transit, respectively) found some down time together to put out their side-project's debut full-length release Every Day I Tell Myself I'm Going to be a Better Person. With two respected up-and-coming bands, the backing of new powerhouse label Rise Records, and what may end up being one of the longest album titles of the year (or more?), there's certainly enough buzz going around about Misser. After listening to all thirteen tracks, it becomes clear that the band deliver one of the most powerful albums of the year.
Acoustic opener "Permanently" starts off like a night after drinking. "Feels like I'm permanently hung over," Wiseman and Landers sing, and the song slowly goes along, trying to find its bearings. "Permanently" makes way for "Time Capsules," which kick-starts the album, and Every Day establishes itself as an album that can go in any direction at any point. "Time Capsules" transitions in and out of quiet and loud moments, with a great chorus tucked into it all. "Bridges" finds Landers opening the track, singing "Been burning bridges faster than paper," as Wiseman comes in after to complete the line. Much of Every Day finds both men switching between lead vocals (a la Four Year Strong), which makes sense, as they are both the more course, aggressive voice in their respective main bands. However, what makes the album so surprising vocally is when Wiseman and Landers harmonize, which is pulled off wonderfully, thanks to the range Landers began to show on Listen & Forgive. As "Time Capsules" ends with Wiseman and Landers switching the parts they sang in the beginning, "Weightless" begins raucously, and continues the same pace as one of the faster songs on the album. Lyrically, Misser provide a great mood throughout Every Day, looking back at what's happened up to this point, and beginning to question what's going on around them. "I'm Really Starting to Hope the World Ends in 2012" begins to show the frustration with the cookie-cutter pop "music" out there today (a line like "I'm so sick of the songs on the radio"), and they also take aim at the state of television as well ("I'm so sick of the stupid f****** TV shows"). Full of jabs at the entertainment industry, the song comes out as a bit of a campfire sign along for anyone feeling angsty.
"Reconnect This" is another fast(er) song, which begins the second half of the album with a much quicker punch than the first half. However, that pace quickly slows, making way for "Stay Asleep," a nostalgic look at a relationship falling apart, which stands out as one of the most emotionally charged songs on the album. Landers and Wiseman trade lines in each verse before harmonizing the song's chorus. If a more heart-wrenching song has been written this year, I haven't heard it yet.
"Bad News" picks up the pace that significantly dropped off after "Stay Asleep," while "She Didn't Turn Out to be that Cool" discusses the pitfalls of a long-distance relationship, namely the lack of emotion relayed over text messages or the Internet. "Can I come over?" Landers and Wiseman sing, "I'm too tired of phone lines and computer screens." "I'm Sick?" is the album's only true hiccup, with lyrics that should have been written by a bunch of teenagers, not two dudes who have released a combined five full-lengths before this one. "Sanity" provides one last acoustic-driven song, and "The Waits" follows the same themes of "She Didn't Turn Out to be the Cool," with both Landers and Wiseman both singing "I hope like Hell you mean it when you say that I'm worth the wait."
"She Didn't Turn Out to be that Cool" also has the album's best one-liner: "I can't waste any more time wasting time." On Every Day I Tell Myself I'm Going to be a Better Person, Landers and Wiseman don't waste any time, words, or anything else, and the result is one of the most honest, heartfelt albums of the year. With so many side-projects coming in and out of existence, Misser proves on Every Day that they have enough talent and sincerity to be one of the projects people will want to have round for a long time.
The Bottom Line: If you're a fan of This Time Next Year or Transit, there's plenty from both bands you'll recognize and enjoy from Misser. You may want to have some tissues handy, though, because Misser sure know how to tug and those heart strings. While Every Day I Tell Myself I'm Going to be a Better Person is certainly a great motto to have, it may also be one of the best albums of 2012.
Recommended if you rock: Transit's Listen & Forgive and This Time Next Year's Drop Out of Life(duh), Into It. Over It.'s Proper, what Four Year Strong would have sounded like if In Some Way, Shape, or Form was good.
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