I Surrender Records is a label that was started by Rob Hitt of the seminal pop punk band Midtown. If you don’t know them I suggest you go and look them up. They will change your life. With Rob being a part of Midtown you know his label is going to be good. Some artists that are or have been on this label are Four Year Strong, Valencia, I am the Avalanche, Promise of Redemption and Vinne Caruana. Earlier this year I Surrender celebrated their ten year anniversary. So to celebrate this, the label decided to get 4 front men from four bands that helped shaped the scene to record a solo song. Those front men are Adam Lazzara from Taking Back Sunday, Anthony Raneri from Bayside, Chris Conley from Saves The Day and Vinnie Caruana from I Am The Avalanche. The plan is to make this a series, if this release is any indication this can become something great. My only request is that Rob talk to Gabe, the former front man of Midtown to record a song.
First up is the always awesome Adam Lazzara. As for as I know he is the only one of the four that has not recorded or toured solo. SO to hear him by himself is a treat. The name of the song that he contributes is “Because it Works”. It is a guitar driven song that would fit on a Mumford and Sons album if they wrote good songs. The sound that he goes for is very nice. It is good to hear Adam’s vocal showcased here. I know he is a front man but he has always been the best thing about Taking Back Sunday. And here we see why.
Next up is Anthony Raneri. He is no stranger to solo work. He released a solo EP a few years back that was purely amazing and he plays solo shows when Bayside isn’t on the road. His song, “String Me Alone” has one of the truest lines I have heard in awhile, “because I’ve always been lonely at least now I’m lonely with you”. That is something I feel a lot of people can relate to. The other thing about this track is that it fits perfectly with his solo album. I actually had to check to see if it was on his EP.
Chris Conley from Saves the Day’s contribution is called “Diamonds and White Gold”. Once you get past his vocals on this track it really isn’t a bad song. Chris sticks to what has made his band popular in certain circles: boy/girl dynamics. The only difference here is it is an acoustic guitar. Which doesn’t mean anything. This song would fit easily on a Saves the Day album.
They saved the best for last. Vinnie Caruana delivers a home run of a song. He does this the way it should be done. There are no traces of his bad on this song. This song can stand alone or in this case on Vinnie’s solo album that was released earlier this year. Which I gave 4/5. This song has an Irish Folk sound to it. I love that. And he does it so well. “Sick down to my heart” is one of those songs that should be heard by the masses but it isn’t and never will be.
Overall this is good release. It is a good start to what hopefully will become a series. That excites me. Think about the artists that can contribute to this. The possibilities are endless. And that is just from the NY/NJ/Philly area. Just think if they went outside of that. I for one look forward to see what happens next.
Score: 3.5/5
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