Days Like These – Inventure

There’s one thing I’ve decided after listening to Inventure over and over again, and that’s that I should go and give Charity Burns Green another chance. Because while I remember enjoying Days Like These‘s debut album, It wasn’t anything that really stayed with me. And that, in turn, made Inventure such a big surprise for me; because even though I don’t really know what I was expecting to get from the album, what I did get was not even in my peripheral vision.

At a quick glance, Inventure is your basic corporate radio rock album, that, with the right push and right single could go on to sell millions only to be forgotten in a year. But at a deeper look, its clear to anyone that Days Light These have crafted an album much better than that. Everything little thing in the album works together, there’s not one waster moment, and it is much more mature than before. Angel Santiago’s vocals have grown over and beyond anything that he did on Charity Burns Green as they are much bolder, stronger, melodic and just better. But it’s not only Santiago’s vocals which have made this CD so memorable, it is in fact Chris Applegate’s slightly polished keyboards. The keyboards, which were practically nonexistent on their debut, have really taken a life of their own on here. Just one listen to the awe-inspiring Generation RX or solemn closer 99 Cent Dreams and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

But don’t worry, Inventure isn’t trying to be another Muse with atmospheric ballads, far from it; if anything those songs just help to further amplify the raw energy behind the rest of the tracks. After all, one of the most outstanding tracks on the album is the ska/punk/rock Caution in the vein of Crowned King which sees the band use a solid horn section courtesy of the unlikely pairing with Fat Wreck‘s Mad Caddies.

Days Like These saw the threat of the sophomore slump staring at them in the eye, and simply kicked it’s ass. They went from writing a pretty forgettable debut with Charity Burns Green to writing a solid, 50 minute, rock album without one moment of rest. And while it may not fit perfectly in the Lobster Records catalogue as it sits quite a distance away from the supposed “punk rock” sound, Inventure will definitely please anyone who knows a song can be written well even if it has more then three chords.