Daybreaker - The Northbound Train

Hey, something original to review today, as opposed to what I reviewed yesterday! Daybreaker are from Boston, MA and kind of sound like The Gaslight Anthem and Fall Out Boy fucked and had a punk baby somehow, despite both bands not really being punk, and The Gaslight Anthem not really being good. The point is:  genetics are weird and not my forte.

Their album 'The Northbound Train' has a very folky, classic feel to it with the guitar work, and I really like it in this case. The potato-in-throat type vocals by guitarist/singer Dan Rose complement the music very well and it all blends together nicely to produce something we've been missing out on. There's just the right amount of occasional gruff to Dan's vocals that appear exactly when they seem like they should, and it probably serves as an example to teach dudes like that singer from Rise Against how to actually sing a punk song with real emotion.

From the first track with its folky guitars, catchy chorus, woah-ohs, brocore lyrics, and nice guitar solo...to the last song with its more Shinobu/American Football feel in the guitars, catchy chorus, and not much else. The album spans from beginning to end sounding pretty great, with songs you'll probably listen to many more times than once. Especially with the songs "Lanterns", "Now Or Never", and "The Way Up North". Yeah, I mentioned all but two tracks as the best songs, because I'm weird like that. The other two are still good, but they don't stick out as much.

So basically if you like The Gaslight Anthem (why?), you'll like Daybreaker. But don't worry! If you're normal like me, you will probably also think this is a really awesome album! I promise. It's good. You can get it from Pure Noise's merch site, or you can stream it for free on their punknews profile or bandcamp! It's up to you, dudes and dudettes.

-Idle