Victory Records
2004
Straylight Run
About This Album
Straylight Run features John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, formerly of Taking Back Sunday. On its self-titled Victory Records debut, the band incorporates some emo cues, such as grand choruses and dramatic, self-examining lyrics. However, the songwriting is more varied than many in that genre offer in the mid-2000s. Led by Nolan's expressive vocal presence, as well as the piano work of him and his sister, Michelle Nolan (who also handles harmonies and the occasional lead vocal), Straylight Run ranges from melancholy ballads, through mature pop, to the occasional decision to turn up the power chords. Given this tasteful, measured approach, it's no surprise that Straylight's toured with both Hot Rod Circuit and the New Amsterdams, the intimate side project of Get Up Kids' Matt Pryor. Opener "The Perfect Ending" strikes a deliberately contemplative note, its stripped-bare vocal and meaningful piano chording mood matching the hazy, forgotten memory quality of the album's accompanying photography. "Another Word for Desperate" and "Tension and Terror" are much livelier; with their shifting parts and interplay between piano, strings, and electric guitar; they're templates for making great emo in the 21st century.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,8,10 and 11)

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