Life is Not a Waiting Room
I won’t lie. I was, and still am a HUGE fan of the last release by Senses Fail, which was Still Searching. It was an album that told a story throughout about a troubled kid who ended up struggling with a loveless family, drugs, depression, therapy and a feeling of not knowing what else to do but end it all in a very dramatic fashion. I can’t help it. I love it when an album can tell a story. It’s almost like reading a novel.
Life is Not a Waiting Room isn’t a concept album like the last, although I think that it can be said that almost all of the songs serve as little short stories. You have “Four Years” which tells the tale of alcoholism and calling it quits in a relationship. “Family Tradition” asks the question of where the hell did father ever go? “Blackout” is about a guy who once again uses alcohol so he doesn’t dream and can erase memories of a loved one; he even ponders the question of getting back together with her again—but that’s the whisky talking.
I guess if you had to put them in a category, Senses Fail can be considered Emo. I really don’t like to listen to much that is considered “Emo,” but with these guys the music and raw emotion feels legit. There is real pain and issues that are buried deeply. Demons that must be dealt with. When you listen to these guys, they do feel like they have something articulate to say, rather than repeating, “Life sucks, nobody loves me.” The songs are very well crafted, cleverly written, and they’re catchy as hell.
Did Life is Not a Waiting Room require multiple listens to fully appreciate it? Yes, it did. Not that that’s a bad thing. I liked it immediately, but it required me to listen to it over and over again to get the full impact. While it may not be a concept album, the songs to me serve like little short stories. There is not one wasted song. I could list favorites, but then I’d just be listing the entire album. So, how about we avoid that altogether and just say the whole goddamned album is fucking sweet, shall we? (Although, I must say that “Map the Streets” and “Blackout” keep repeating on my iPod, if that tells you anything.)
These guys won’t appeal to everybody, but I highly recommend checking them out. Even if you think they may not be something you’d like. Give them a try. It’s really refreshing to hear tightly crafted songs that actually have something to say. Life is Not a Waiting Room definitely makes my list of being one of the best albums to come out of 2008.
