Meaning in the Static

Meaning in the Static
Studio album by On the Last Day
Released	August 22, 2006
Recorded	Rainstorm Studios, Bellevue, Washington, USA
Genre	Rock Post-hardcore
Label	Victory Records
Producer	Steve "The Devil" Carter
On the Last Day chronology
Wars Like Whispers (EP) (2005) Meaning in the Static (2006) Make It Mean Something (2008)

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Meaning in the Static is the debut album by the band On the Last Day. It was released on August 22 of 2006.

Album Review

Seattle's On the Last Day come from the same local scene that spawned fellow Victory Records act Aiden. Not only are the two bands good friends from those early days, they both also look pretty similar in their dark garb, heavy eyeliner usage, and morose faces. So it may come as no shock that the bands also have a relatively similar sound — emphasis on relative, though, since On the Last Day are much more rooted in post-hardcore than their goth-melodic-screamo peers. The band's sonic assault is like an early, more uniform version of Boy Sets Fire; lead singer Geoffrey Walker at times even sounds disturbingly similar to Nathan Gray. These comparisons aside, there's not really much to say about On the Last Day or their Victory debut, Meaning in the Static. Though the pace stays pretty quick, somehow 11 songs in about 40 minutes becomes a bit tedious. There's nothing inherently bad about the music and the band actually comes off as way more likable than initial, superficial opinions may have suggested. The drums propel everything along fiercely as the vocals switch up from quasi-singing to grueling shrieking and requisite heavy breakdowns are thrown in when necessary; the production is also not overly slick, allowing the band's relative grit to shine through. Overall, it's a competent take on post-hardcore that comes in, does its thing, and leaves without really adding much along the way — there's just something missing in Meaning in the Static that ultimately makes it a decent but frustrating record. After all, indifference is not usually what bands aspire to leave their listeners feeling, right?

Album Features

UPC: 746105031623 Artist: On the Last Day Format: CD Release Year: 2006 Record Label: Victory Records (USA) Genre: Rock & Pop

Details

Playing Time: 43 min. Producer: Steve Carter Distributor: RED Distribution Recording Type: Studio Recording Mode: Stereo SPAR Code: n/a

Track listing

1. "Twelve C.C.'s" - 3:37
2. "Below One Hundred" - 3:58
3. "Leaving the Citadel" - 3:07
4. "The Rescue" - 4:04
5. "Meaning In the Static" - 3:09
6. "So Here Is Us, On the Raggedy Edge" - 3:38
7. "Missing Frames (Changeover)" - 3:14
8. "At the Breaking of the World" - 3:20
9. "Initial Deployment" - 3:09
10. "A Welcoming Haunting" - 4:09
11. "The Journey and The Balance" - 8:06