Still Searching


Still Searching is the second studio album by American post-hardcore band Senses Fail, released October 10, 2006 through Vagrant Records. A deluxe version of the record was released, containing a DVD with the making of the album. In the first month of sales the album sold 200,000 copies. It is the first album to feature guitarist Heath Saraceno, and the last to have original member Mike Glita, on bass. It is the band's highest charting album to date.

Background

The group's debut album Let It Enfold You was released in September 2004, and was a commercial success, going on to sell over 600,000 copies. In September 2005, guitarist Heath Saraceno, formerly of Midtown, joined the band, replacing Dave Miller. Between November and May 2006, the band wrote material and demoed songs for their next album. They would spend 8–10 hours a day writing. Around this time, vocalist Buddy Nielsen stopped taking antidepressants and started suffering from major anxiety attacks. In an effort to distract himself, the band went on tour. However, he would have panic attacks onstage. With no improvement in his condition, he was prescribed anxiety medication. Despite it helping his nerves, it left him unable to be excited. During this period, Nielsen began thinking about his goals and regrets, and determined to write material based on both.

Production

Still Searching was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York with producer Brian McTernan over six weeks from May 2006. McTernan, who also engineered the sessions, was assisted by Chris Laidlaw and Chris Hansen. During some occasions, Nielsen had to stop recording due to his anxiety attacks. According to guitarist Garrett Zablocki, despite them owning a number of guitars, only two were used for recording: a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom and a 1991 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
Nielsen said McTernan helped find the sonic depth they had been looking for: "We don’t want the songs to be flat planes; we want movement." He named "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" and "The Priest and the Matador" as two examples where McTernan "worked extremely hard to make them sound a certain way." Paul Leavitt and Saraceno did Pro Tools editing. Chris Lord-Alge mixed the recordings, with assistance from Keith Armstrong, at Resonate Music in Burbank, California. Ted Jensen then mastered the recordings at Sterling Sound. A 40-minute "making of" video of the album sessions was later released via Alternative Press.

Composition

Overview

Musically, the album has been described as emo, post-hardcore and screamo. The writing process was more of a group effort compared to Let It Enfold You with every member contributing something. The group initially wanted to moved away from the screaming metal-influenced sound of Let It Enfold You. However, after seeing the number of bands attempt to recreate Enfold You musically, the group decided to simply build upon that sound. The band came up with 30–40 song ideas, and 25–30 of those were complete. According to Saraceno, they ranged from cock rock to 1990s alternative rock to metal. The band demoed all of these and picked the ones they felt would make a cohesive record.
Discussing the title, Nielsen said: "I wrote a lot about my family … and the anger I had when I started to grow up.... I'm really still searching for some sort of happiness or resolution to the things I've gone through." The record is a concept album, detailing the story of a character's battles with faith, heartbreak and depression.
Nielsen improved his singing and screaming technique since their debut, the latter evolving into a deep growl, though the album features less screaming overall. Zablocki and Saraceno wanted to add another layer to their songs, and used digital audio workstations such as Reason 3.0, GarageBand and Pro Tools. These software programs were used to make samples and program additional instrumentation to develop the layers. Zablocki's playing was influenced by southern rock and blues acts he grew up on, namely Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band and Eric Clapton. He mentioned that having Saraceno in the group "definitely propelled" the number of lead parts featured in the songs. Nielsen also praised Saraceno, saying that he "really helped" mould a lot of the tracks, utilizing shredding.

Tracks

The opening track "The Rapture" beings with a space rock intro, before leading into "Boncrusher", which sees Nielsen discuss his alcoholism. "Sick or Sane ", which is the first track on the record to feature screaming, and "Shark Attack" both feature guitar solos. The first part of each solo would be played by Zablocki, and the remainder by Saraceno. "Can't Be Saved" talks about suicide and the need to end one's own life. It was musically recalled "Buried a Lie", a track from their debut. "Calling All Cars" was reminiscent of Taking Back Sunday, specifically the Where You Want to Be -era.
The title-track is about struggling with depression, anxiety, going through therapy, and being on-and-off medication. The track's music was a went through the different areas of the group's sound, ranging from heavy parts to melodic parts, and incorporating gang vocals. "To All the Crowded Rooms" sees Nielsen harmonizing with Saraceno during the chorus sections. "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" is an industrial-indebted track that opens with an electronic intro, which is then mimicked by the guitars. "Negative Space" is an interlude that repeats the same guitar line, eventually segueing into the closing track "The Priest and the Matador". Discussing the latter, Nielsen said the members were all fans of various instrumental acts and wanted to do their own take on a "beautiful, moving song."

Release

Between mid-June and mid-August, the band performed on the Warped Tour. They performed two sets: one on the main stage and an acoustic set on the Vagrant stage. On July 25, Still Searching was announced for release in October. On August 4, the album's track listing and artwork were revealed. The artwork was created by James Rheem Davis. "Calling All Cars" was made available for streaming through AOL Radio on August 29. In early September, the band filmed a music video for the track with director Jay Martin. On September 11, "Shark Attack" was posted on the band's Myspace profile. The following day, "Calling All Cars" was released as a single with "Stretch Your Legs to Coffin Length" as the B-side. "Calling All Cars" was released to Modern rock radio stations on September 19. In September and October, the band performed a handful of club shows. On October 9, Still Searching was made available for streaming through the group's Myspace, before being released the following day through Vagrant Records.
Some copies of the album came with a making-of DVD. Best Buy and Target both had versions with their own exclusive bonus tracks. Wayne Pighini, Vagrant's head of marketing, said these companies were the two major retailers for the band, and the two that were the most successful with Let It Enfold You. Also on October 10, the "Calling All Cars" music video was released through AOL. In October and November, the group went on the international edition of the Taste of Chaos tour, visiting New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Europe. In November and December, the band went on tour with Saosin, Bleeding Through, Drive By and I Am the Avalanche. On January 7, 2007, the band filmed a music video for "Can't Be Saved" at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, California. In January and February, the band went on a US tour with Saosin, Alexisonfire, The Sleeping and Set Your Goals. Following this, they went on a brief headlining UK tour with The Sleeping. From mid-February to early April, the band went on the Taste of Chaos tour.
"Can't Be Saved" was released as a single on February 26. On March 1, the band held a contest for a fan to write the storyline for a music video for "The Priest and the Matador". In April, the band performed in the UK as part of the Give it a Name festival. In early May, the band filmed a music video for "The Priest and the Matador". On May 18, the "Can't Be Saved" music video premiered through AOL. In June, the band headlined the Zumiez Couch Tour in the US, and went on tour with From Autumn to Ashes. In early October, "The Priest and the Matador" music video was released. The band do not appear in the video, except for Nielsen who is arguing with a woman. Nielsen In October and November, the band went on a co-headlining tour of the US with New Found Glory. They were supported by Set Your Goals and The Receiving End of Sirens. A deluxe edition of Still Searching was released on November 13. It featured six bonus tracks and a DVD with behind-the-scenes tour footage.

Reception and legacy

The album was generally well received. AllMusic praised the improvement of the album over its predecessor; "The focus here is more on tense emo rock with a hard pop edge than scream-bloody-murder screamo -- since there is less emphasis on screaming -- yet the music remains wholly Senses Fail." AbsolutePunk writer Drew Beringer commented on the album's improved lyrics and musicianship, and concluding by saying "Still Searching is quite the improvement, and while it leaves some to be desired, it shows that Senses Fail are on the right path to fully discovering themselves". Mammothpress.com reviewed the album and gave it, stating "The band has improved in almost every way. The lyrics are better, the vocals are better, the screaming feels like it has a purpose now and the music sounds like an almost completely different band."
Still Searching charted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 after selling over 49,000 copies in its first week. The songs "Can't Be Saved", "The Priest and the Matador", "Shark Attack", and "Calling All Cars" are featured on the band's greatest hits album , released in May 2012. In August of that year, Still Searching was released on vinyl. In March and April 2017, the group celebrated 15 years as a band with a tour where they played Still Searching in its entirety.

Track listing

All songs written by Senses Fail, all lyrics written by Buddy Nielsen.

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.
Senses Fail
Production