Some new members, same old sound

It's funny to call this a sophomore album to Tell All Your Friends; for the reason that Taking Back Sunday is an almost completely new band what with the adding and dropping of members. If you've kept up with the group, you know that there's been drama -- the sort most bands would not recover from, let alone produce another disc following. But the follow-up, Where You Want to Be, sounds like there was never a line-up switch, and the only real improvement is a sense of storyline and structure to the songs.\nThe CD was recently featured on MTV's "The Leak," highlighted by commercials featuring the single, "A Decade Under the Influence." It's a catchy song that holds true to the band's sound of screamed choruses and verses over soft music topped off by spoken vocals. Every song is written the same and sounds the same. The only exception is "New American Classic," in which violins and an acoustic guitar are added for a softer feel. Sadly, the song is boring and doesn't fit with the rest of the album.\nThe aforementioned drama obviously served as inspiration for Where You Want to Be. If you loved or hated Taking Back Sunday previously, this release will not change your mind either way. The band sounds like all its genre contemporaries and will never live up to its influences.