Lights and Sounds

Infobox Album
Name = Lights and Sounds
Type = Album
Artist = Yellowcard


Released = January 24, 2006
Recorded = March - September 2005
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 52:42
Label = Capitol
Producer = Neal Avron
Reviews =
*AbsolutePunk.net (51%) [http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=109436 link]
* [http://www.themusiczine.com/album.php?id=29 TheMusicZine] Rating|3.5|5
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4sjb7i56g7xr All Music Guide] Rating|3.5|5
*"Entertainment Weekly" [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1150945,00.html link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/yellowcard/albums/album/9162337/review/9176422/lights_and_sounds link]
Last album = "Ocean Avenue"
(2003)
This album = "Lights and Sounds"
(2006)
Next album = "Paper Walls"
(2007)

"Lights and Sounds" is Yellowcard's fifth album, but their second released on a major label and their third to include singer/guitarist Ryan Key. It is also the long-awaited follow-up to Yellowcard's multi-platinum 2003 studio release "Ocean Avenue". It was originally to be released in fall 2005 (see 2005 in music) and was finally released on January 24, 2006 (see 2006 in music). A special edition of the album issued simultaneously contained a bonus DVD with documentaries, the music video to the title track and live performances

Although it reached #5 on the Billboard 200, Yellowcard's "Lights And Sounds" with sales of just over 1 million worldwide, failed to match the 2.5 million sales of their previous album, "Ocean Avenue".

The lead single "Lights And Sounds" reached #4 on the modern rock charts. Capitol intended to boost sales of the album by selecting the second single; however, the follow-up single "Rough Landing, Holly" failed to reach the Top 20 of the rock charts.

Track listing

(all songs written by Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Peter Mosely, and Longineu Parsons except where noted otherwise)
#Three Flights Up (Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Peter Mosely) – 1:23
#Lights and Sounds – 3:28
#Down on My Head (Ryan Key and Peter Mosely) – 3:32
#Sure Thing Falling – 3:42
#City of Devils – 4:23
#Rough Landing, Holly – 3:33
#Two Weeks From Twenty (Ryan Key and Peter Mosely) – 4:18
#Waiting Game – 4:15
#Martin Sheen or JFK – 3:47
#Space Travel (Ryan Key and Peter Mosely) – 3:47
#Grey – 3:00
#Words, Hands, Hearts – 4:24
#How I Go (Ryan Key and Peter Mosely) – 4:32
#Holly Wood Died – 4:39

Bonus Tracks

* "Three Flights Down" - 4:42 (Japan & iTunes)
* "Down On My Head" (Acoustic) - 3:25 (Wal-Mart only)

Music style

With "Lights and Sounds", Yellowcard broke away from their original pop punk sound. The album is somewhat of a concept album, made to reflect what Ryan Key was feeling at the time. He stated that, "Ocean Avenue was about finding your place in the world and Lights and Sounds is about realizing that you’ve gotten lost." [ [http://yellowcardrock.com/bio.aspx Yellowcard - Bio] ] Many of the songs are based on the band's negative feelings toward Los Angeles and therefore have a slower, sadder feel to them. Yellowcard's original pop punk style was basically thrown away with Lights and Sounds, and the band settled for a new sound which was much more alternative rock. The violin was also pushed into the background and is not heard nearly as much on this album as on "Ocean Avenue". The new sound obviously did alienate and surprise a large part of Yellowcard's fanbase, as it sold over 90,000 copies in its first week and dropped in sales and on the charts very quickly afterward.

Chart performance

"Lights and Sounds" became the Yellowcard album with the highest first week sales, and also achieved the highest chart position in the U.S. of any Yellowcard album. It sold over 90,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #5. Their previous record, "Ocean Avenue", failed to debut within the Top 50 in the U.S. and sold 11,000 copies in its first week. The album also peaked at #4 on the Canadian Top Album Chart, making it Yellowcard's highest debut in Canada. "Lights and Sounds" debuted at #6 in Australia and #11 in New Zealand.

Trivia

*"City of Devils" and "Lights And Sounds" were featured in episodes of "One Tree Hill".
*"Lights and Sounds", the lead single of the album, has been featured in the video games "Burnout Revenge" and "Burnout Legends."
*"Lights and Sounds" was the final song composed for the album, as remarked by Ryan Key in interviews.
*"Rough Landing, Holly" is featured in the video game "Flatout 2."
*In "Sure Thing Falling", the lyric "I've been up late writing books/ all about heroes and crooks" is a homage to Jimmy Buffett and his song "Son of a Son of a Sailor", which has the line "I've read dozens of books/ about heroes and crooks". Key listened to Buffett extensively during his childhood while growing up on the water.
*"Waiting Game" is in reference to an article Ryan Key read in a woman's cosmetic magazine about a family that survived a tsunami.
*"How I Go" is based on the movie "Big Fish"

References