Album Review: Common Courtesy by A Day To Remember
ADTR released their latest album, Common Courtesy, on October 8th.
By: Paul Huether
Common Courtesy
A Day To Remember
Release Date: 8 October, 2013
After releasing the single “Violence (Enough is Enough)” over nine months ago, A Day to Remember (ADTR) released their latest album, Common Courtesy, earlier this week. At first glance, anyone who has listened to ADTR in the past will notice that this album cover is much less detailed than previous albums. One thing’s for sure though – the content of this album is just as great as any previous album.
The simplicity of the album isn’t the only thing I noticed upon first listening: the first song, “City of Ocala” is a tribute to their hometown, Ocala, Florida. This song perfectly sets the tone for the album. The song has a great balance of both hard and soft vocals, the style that the band is ultimately famous for. The song goes through memories of the city when the members were all much younger and how things have changed.
Another song worth mentioning is “Best Of Me” because it reminds me so much of their last album, What Separates Me From You. Vocalist, Jeremy McKinnon, sings about someone getting the “best” of him, and he shares a really great message seen often in ADTR songs: not letting anyone get you down or get in your way. The song also expresses a lack of trust in people, another common theme in ADTR songs. The best part about these song themes is that so many listeners can relate to them. You listen to a song like “Best Of Me” and you immediately feel as though there is someone else out there who has gone through what you have, and it’s what makes their music worth listening to.
The song “I’m Already Gone” represents an unpopular style for ADTR; it is acoustic and pretty slow compared to most of their songs. Nonetheless, the song makes for great, peaceful listening. I enjoy their slower songs because they provide a nice break for their usual sound. These songs stand out on their album and set this band apart from others. A band that can have predominantly rough vocals on a song, a hybrid of rough and soft vocals, and an acoustic song all on one album is the ultimate band to beat.
All in all, this album is impressive. It’s similar to their old music, which is nice because band’s are often met with criticism for changing their musical style. Every song has relevant messages that listeners can all relate to and it’s an album that will keep you entertained from start to finish. The album is available online only on their website for now, but is expected to reach iTunes and Spotify in the coming week.
Tracklist:
1. City of Ocala
2. Right Back At It Again
3. Sometimes You’re The Hammer, Sometimes You’re The Nail
4. Dead & Buried
5. Best of Me
6. I’m Already Gone
7. Violence (Enough Is Enough)
8. Life @ 11
9. I Surrender
10. Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way
11. End Of Me
12. The Document Speaks For Itself
13. I Remember
RIYL: All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Of Mice and Men, The Devil Wears Prada, Escape the Fate
Album Highlights: “City of Ocala”, “I’m Already Gone”, “Life @ 11”, “Best of Me”, and “I Remember”