iSound

A musician’s life is a landscape filled with cheap, flashy distractions – is it possible to suffer through self-examination and actually find the benefits of it? Bayside don’t claim to have it any worse than anyone else; but they are conscious of their hardships and sins and the struggle for redemption. Working within lush sonic landscapes, the band makes documenting faithlessness seem like an exercise in beauty, with rich vocals soaring over rock-solid arrangements spiked with truly imaginative guitar solos. While Bayside’s Victory Records debut, “Sirens and Condolences” resided in the territory of bleak hopelessness and helpless fury, in their new self-titled album, rays of hope shine through. When Raneri sings, “I hate myself more than I ever let on, I’m burned out at 22,” on “Tortures Of The Damned,” the world is a dark place, but by the chorus he sings, “I’ve made mistakes but I’ll find my way,” revealing strength and resolve missing from their previous recordings. Bayside fo...