For a while, grunge had a stranglehold on mainstream American music. Aided by the shellshocking success of Nirvana's Nevermind, bands like Soundgarden, Bush, and Alice in Chains arose in the early 1990s, and in the blink of an eye, the era of boy bands was ushered in, and grunge was left out in the damp, cold city of Seattle where it came from. But that's the beautiful thing about music: it's all cyclical. Genres come in and out of popularity at an unpredictable rate. All it takes is one band to do things a little different and a little better than anything else before it, and people are immediately reminded of what made the genre so appealing in the first place. Case in point, Balance and Composure's Separation. Released in 2011, the album took the scene by storm, being heralded as the album Brand New's Daisy could have been by some. But of all the accomplishments Separation brought about, one of its most important was that it helped pave the way for bands like Daylight to get noticed. And proof of that is found in the band's new album, Jar.
Boasting an album cover that just looks like it was taken in 1994, Jar is everything you could ever love in a grunge album: loud, driving guitars, pounding drums, slightly monotone yet still emotional vocals, and all the headbanging your little heart could desire. The album begins with "Sponge," a track with a huge drum intro that flows into a big-time riff before the band kicks in full force. The crashing sounds make way for a more subdued sound as vocalist Taylor Madison brings his croon into the fray for the first time. The chorus of "Sponge" is slightly laid back, making the guitars provided by Madison and backing vocalist Jake Clarke stand out most. Madison and Clarke prove to be an impressive tandem, as the landscapes they construct show their creativity with each barren, dark, and moody track. Their work is most ready to be admired on tracks like "Life in a Jar," "Youngest Daughter," and "Knew."
To only highlight the guitars of Jar would be a disservice, however, to drummer Zack Robbins. Robbins shows command over his kit throughout the 12-track, 41-minute effort Daylight have put together, with each hit building upon the last to drive the Madison's lyrics deep into the listener's psyche. Robbins's cymbals take a pounding on Jar, as they crash harder and harder until the album-closer "Around the Railing" ends the assault Robbins started on "Sponge." Throw in the well-placed, well-executed bass lines provided by Joe Kane, and many of the songs on Jar feel like journeys, where the listener is brought through different scenes, all of which are thoughtfully and creatively constructed by all four of the band's members.
While Daylight have shown signs of budding stars, this is not an album without a few red flags. There is a definite argument to be made that Jar finds Daylight playing it safe, and using a lot of familiar elements that bands have successfully employed before. As you listen listen through the album, certain songs will bring back memories of what rock radio sounded like in the 90s (which you'll subliminally understand is both a good and a bad thing). With that in mind, it would have been nice to see the band take a few risks with their sound, as they prove time and again here that they have the talent to push the boundaries of this genre. The presence of the cliche slowed-down track "Hole in the Ground" towards the end of the album, an admittedly solid track, also drives home the major flaw of Jar that there are elements hear that you've simply already heard.
This is not an attempt to detract from what Daylight have accomplished here, though. Even "Hole in the Ground," one of the weaker tracks, has a subtle use of a string arrangement towards the end of the track that makes it all the more memorable. Each track has little intricate parts such as this, showing the vision of Daylight as a band that can do something special moving forward. Keep in mind, this is a very young band, and although they've had about a handful of EPs and splits before this, Jar is still their debut full-length album. And if this is the sign of things to come for Daylight, then we officially have a candidate for Balance and Composure's running mates in this grunge revival that's begun to sprout up. And that's a very, very good thing.
The Bottom Line: Jar isn't going to reinvent the wheels of grunge, but it will certainly give you a few chills, a ton of neck pain from headbanging way too hard to it, and a wonderfully crafted set of songs from one of the more promising bands in the scene.
Recommended if you Rock: Balance and Composure, Moving Mountains' Waves, Seattle, flannel shirts
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