Stephanie Snyder
Staff Writer
From “Midget Tossing” to “Ocean Avenue” all the way to their 2012 release of “Southern Air,” Yellowcard is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to producing albums. On Tuesday, October 7, Yellowcard released their ninth album titled, “Lift a Sail.” For avid fans this should be a time to rejoice and make space on their shelves for the pastel colored album, but the reviews are flying all over social media with negative vibes.
Some are calling it “mediocre” and a “let down.” These are coming from fans that followed them from the very beginning, but I think that’s where fans are going wrong. It’s not my intention to call them out, but it’s been about 17 years that Yellowcard has been around. Just like our society has changed, the band has changed too. Nothing stays the same over time. People and things move in the direction of the times and are affected by life’s ever-changing momentum. To expect a band to stay the same over the course of 17 years is like telling Apple they can’t make the iPhone 3, 4, 5, or 6. There are going to be changes, advancements, and that’s something that we have to get used to and understand.
Their long-time drummer, Longineu W. Parsons III left the band and they had to revamp their plan for the new album. They recruited Anberlin’s drummer Nate Young to join them in the creation of “Lift a Sail.”
Yellowcard has gone through a lot of changes over the last few years. “Lift a Sail” is a lot less pop punk than you may have remembered from the tone of “Ocean Avenue.” The album opens with the song “Convocation” which sets the tone for the rest of the track list. Sean Mackin’s use of the violin, and the mix of the rest of the band, creates a somber feeling as if you’re preparing for something extraordinary to happen. As you move from song to song you’re introduced to a new sound that Yellowcard has never produced before. It’s mellow. It’s emotional. It’s less pop punk. Sure, it may not be the same band from the late 90s but looking at the album standing alone, they produced a pretty great work of art.
A lot of the lyrics speak to life and the most difficult years the band went through. The album spoke to the tragic moment that hit Key’s wife and the years that they spent working through her accident. Key’s wife and past professional snowboarder, Alyona Alekhina was on a practice run in California and she ended up breaking her back. The doctor’s diagnosis was that she would never walk again and this put a major emotional strain on the couple. Key’s lyrics in the “Lift a Sail” album tell the story of their ups and downs.
Without a doubt, I would say this was an extremely difficult album to put together with the reality Key and Alekhina were facing. They went through this journey with the rest of the band and to be able to put out an honest album like this one takes guts. Their sound changed and Yellowcard had to have known they would get some backlash for their new direction. If I were them I’d ignore the hate because in the end the music is about the band. Sure, you should please your fans, but fans are fans because they enjoy what the band likes to produce. In my opinion, if you’re a fan of a band that’s something you should understand: change.
My Rating: 9/10
