Saybia "No Sound From the Outside" (2015)

No Sound From the Outside
release date: Oct. 2, 2015
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Michael Patterson, Nicolas Jodoin, Saybia
label: Columbia Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "No Sound From the Outside" - 3. "Black Hole" - 4. "Hollow Is Your Promise" - 5. "One Minute Man" - 7. "It's About Time" - 8. "Down" - 11. "I'm Still Waiting"

4th studio album by Saybia released more than eight years since the predecessor Eyes on the Highway (Aug. 2007) and following the start of a succesful solo career of lead vocalist and songwriter Søren Huss. After the band's hiatus from late 2007 to Jul. 2010, the band played comeback concerts in the Summer of 2010 in the Netherlands, but it wasn't until 2014 that they announced a new album to be released early 2015. During the recording sessions, founding member, lead guitarist Sebastian Sandstrøm decided to call it a day and he was subsequently replaced by Kasper Rasmussen, which may explain the delay of the release.
I believe that many thought Saybia had come to an end after the 2007 album - and especially after Huss proved to experience major success as solo artist, and perhaps also after what some saw as an artistic slacken in the output from Saybia. Allegedly, Huss has stated that the band members didn't want to see their 2007 album as their final statement, which called for at least another attempt.
Stylistically, No Sound From the Outside still sounds very much like Saybia, but it appears as the band's most electrified studio release to date. Where the two predecessors have much in common, this one sticks out with a bolder alt. rock sound and style, which for a start makes a positive impression.
Musically, it may be in short of hit-material, although it succeeds by being no less than one of the band's most cohesive studio albums. It (obviously) still contains ballads, but they are shaped to a new formative sound and they don't point in various directions, and that's the album's biggest asset. Also, this is the first time you cannot argue that they sound like this or that - contemplating they copy this or that - yes, it's contemporary alt rock with various stylistic traits. Some compositions are shaped with inspiration from post-punk, others have progressive rock elements, and some reflect a more general soft rock approach, but altogether, they all sound like stemming from the same band just using whatever they find natural to colour its own original blend. At bottom line, I find they just sound as Saybia, which is a bit of an accomplishment.
The album didn't enter or peak at the top of charts but it reached the position as number #7 on the national albums chart list. Commercially, it may not be the great come-back album they sat out for, but musically, I find simply find it their second-best of all their albums, and who knows, perhaps in a few years, we'll all look back at this very album with a common confidence and state that it's actually their finest ever. It's a fine grower, and it contains several fine compositions.
Recommended.
[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

Saybia "Eyes on the Highway" (2007)

Eyes on the Highway
release date: Aug. 27, 2007
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Rune Nissen-Petersen, Saybia
label: EMI Music Denmark - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "On Her Behalf" - 2. "Eyes on the Highway" - 3. "Angel" - 4. "Godspeed Into the Future" - 7. "Pretender"

3rd studio album by Saybia, who has timed up with Danish producer Rune Nissen-Petersen, although, still blending melodic soft rock and pop / rock in a mix with acoustic ballads and more uptempo chorus-based rock tunes the style very much seems unchanged compared to These Are the Days from 2004.
Tracks #2-4 make up a collection of very strong compositions but the rest doesn't quite match this high level, but what's worse is that the band has been met by a declining interest from music fans, and despite being well-received by most critics, the album became the band's so far least successful release in terms of sold albums - only reaching 15.000 sold copies nationally, where it also peaked at number #2 on the national albums chart list. And it secured the band top-20 entries in Norway, Switzerland and in the Netherlands, where the band most likely experienced greater success than they did nationally.
Eyes on the Highway is by no means a bad album - it's just as unfocused and incoherent as its predecessor. The band members play with instrumental skills, but they still sound like they are too much inspired by others. You listen to one of their songs, and immediately ask yourself, what artist and song it sounds like 'cause it's really hard to point to the very essence of Saybia without mentioning 4-5 familiar names, which is kind of sad. Also, this band doesn't exactly release new albums every year - you have to wait some years, which should leave them time to make something coherent and original. And frankly, if you put together the band's last two albums, you actually have enough great songs to make two great but also very different albums, but instead we have two fine and yet much alike releases pointing in too many directions to call them great.
Tragically, the wife and daughter of Huss were involved in a traffic accident, Dec. 2007, in which the wife was killed and the daughter hospitalised with severe injuries. This of course came to have a significant impact on the band's further engagements. In late summer of 2008 Saybia officially announced to take a planned hiatus, although they played their scheduled Autumn concerts.
[ Gaffa.dk 3 / 6 stars ]

Saybia "These Are the Days" (2004)

These Are the Days
release date: Sep. 14, 2004
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Andreas Ahlenius, Saybia
label: EMI-Medley - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Brilliant Sky" - 2. "Bend the Rules" - 3. "I Surrender" (4 / 5) - 4. "Guardian Angel" - 6. "Soul United" - *11. [untitled]
*unlisted song with a running time at 17:22

2nd studio album by Saybia released 2½ years after the acclaimed debut is like that produced by Saybia and Swedish producer Andreas Ahlenius. The album marks a slight change of style by being lesser crafted as a mere rock album - there's a bolder use of acoustic instrumentation with piano, acoustic guitar and strings as opposed to electric guitars and keyboards, although, the first two compositions take off in an orchestrated electrified production.
Following an acclaimed debut, These Are the Days didn't quite meet the expectations, despite also topping the national chart list, and it also appears as pointing in at least two different directions. It starts off with britpop electrified energy and then slows down with singer / songwriter material, and then it all ends with a strong progressive rock anthem, which makes you wonder where they will go after this. Even after years and dozens of full listenings, it really feels very unresolved when it clings out after close to 60 mins.
Saybia still sounds like Coldplay and Keane, but I also hear inspiration from Radiohead and Mew, which isn't entirely something bad - I just end up asking myself what Saybia is all about 'cause I can't decide whether it's the first power track, the beautiful soft pop / rock ballad, "I Surrender", or the post rock-inspired end-composition that marks the true highlight of this album. Not that any particular track necessarily needs to sum up the album's strengths, but it just exemplifies how impossible it is to point to that personal trait of what Saybia is, and I think that's not only the album's biggest weakness but also Saybia's. Having said that, I do think it's a mighty fine collection of worthy pop / rock material, which should not be forgotten and which also stands quite strongly against artists like Keane and Coldplay, imho.
[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

Saybia "The Second You Sleep" (2002)

The Second You Sleep [debut]
release date: Jan. 21, 2002
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Andreas Ahlenius, Saybia
label: EMI-Medley - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "7 Demons" - 2. "Fools Corner" - 3. "The Second You Sleep" (4 / 5) - 4. "Snake Tounged Beast" - 5. "Joy" - 6. "Still Falling" - 7. "The Day After Tomorrow" - 8. "In Spite Of" - 9. "Empty Stairs" - 11. "The One for You"

Studio album debut by Danish quintet Saybia released on Medley Records (since 1992 bought by EMI Records and continued in Denmark as EMI-Medley). Saybia consists of primary songwriter and lead vocalist Søren Huss, lead guitarist Sebastian Sandstrøm, bassist Jeppe Langebek Knudsen, keyboardist Jess Jensen and drummer Palle Sørensen.
The band plays soft rock and pop / rock with obvious jangle pop and chamber pop influences.
The Second You Sleep is filed as the first Danish debut album to top the national chart list and at the Danish Music Awards 2003 Saybia won the prizes for Best Danish Album, Best Danish Band, and Søren Huss was handed the prize for Best Danish Vocalist.
Yes, the national hype around this band was tremendous, but they deserve all the acclaim. It truly is a great and surprisingly solid collection of songs for a debut. The style is not the most original one clearly building on britpop acts like Coldplay, Sleeper, Manic Street Preachers and Travis, but the production and the execution - the instrumental and vocal performances on these 11 songs lack nothing in comparison with their much more renowned British colleagues.
The album was never really a favourite of mine. I think, I tired too much of the musical exposure and also found it a bit too much on the softer side of rock to my liking - but my only regret was that I found it too close to music already made; however, there's no doubt that this is altogether a quite an impressive Danish debut where especially Søren Huss shines brightly as vocalist.
[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, SputnikMusic 3,5 / 5 stars ]