Reviews

Anyone out there who has heard anything from Silverstein could probably make a pretty accurate guess to what Arrivals & Departures sounds like (a little ironic because I’m writing this in Los Angeles Airport).  As expected, it is another pop-rock, Hawthorne Heights-esque, screamo album.  However, Silverstein keeps their songs on track, which helps them out of the hole they dug themselves into (due to their genre selection).
 
I was upset to hear the growling within the first two seconds of “Sound of the Sun.”  It is very misleading, as the rest of the song is very straightforward.  “Bodies and Words” seems to be the same deal, except flipped.  The intro actually sounds pretty amateur, I was little shocked to hear it, but once the verse kicks in, they bring their signature Silverstein edge to the forefront.  I smiled a little bit.  This back-and-forth continues through the whole album.
 
The core of the album is rather lifeless and unmemorable. Well, until “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.”  This song is very interesting because it sounds like it’s from a different band, like an old-school Piebald or something.  Either way, it almost has a trance to it.  It’s a relaxing listen.  I’ll probably put this album back in my car just for this song.  The lyrics are not half bad either. 
 
While I’m on the topic of lyrics, let me mention that front man Shane Told will never be a scholarly lyricist.  All the lyrics on Arrivals & Departures very well could have been written by a 6th-grader.  Bob Saget would have a field day with this one.  What about production?  Producer, yep you guessed it, Mark Trombino did a bang-up job.  Everything is extremely tight, clean, and clear.  Pro Tooled to death as expected.
 
As the album comes to a close, I had difficulty for a final rating.  After all, a rating should be looked at subjectively.  It’s the content of the review that should be most significant.  Overall, Arrivals & Departures has ups and downs like Google’s stock price.  It’s a must have for any Silverstein fan, but it will not recruit any new listeners.  If you like “mainstream” edgy pop, if you like to watch tweens “mosh” at Warped, then this is right up your alley.
 
Sounds like: Hawthorne Heights
 
Stand out tracks: Sound of the Sun, If You Could See Into My Soul, Here Today Gone Tomorrow