And Tomorrow We Will Have Nothing...

Modern Day Saint rocks an aggressive and volatile brand of indie rock on their full-length debut ...And Tomorrow We Will Have Nothing. They're not doing anything entirely new, yet the Saint sound still manages to sidestep an easy label. It's more explosive than simple indie rock, but too grounded to be spastic art-rock; their delivery is too earnest to be hardcore, but too abrasive to be emo. Whatever it is they're doing, the Modern Day Saint are surely putting every ounce of themselves into it, and that in itself counts for something here. No one can question the sincerity driving the desperate cry of vocalist Daniel Lang-Gunn (whose voice occasionally drifts into a more emo Hot Water Music terrain, though it's not as distinct), while the rest of the guys supplement the guitars and drums with periodic piano, organ and string parts that surprisingly never seem forced or out of place. And even with the keyboards, Saint thankfully never resembles any type of new wave revival group. It's almost refreshing at how unafraid they are to freely implement instruments wherever they want, while never seeming confined to make sure they use them all the time. Despite the variety, however, some moments find the band still apparently searching for what exactly they want to do, as when the frenetic "Singing for Your Supper Ain't as Easy as It Sounds" (with its spiraling guitars, riveting vocal interplay and concluding handclaps) leads jarringly into the stripped-down emo of "On My Stereo" that tiptoes a line near faux-alt country. It almost sounds like they included a much-loved demo from their early days simply because they never got a chance to release it before. Regardless, this album is an unexpectedly enjoyable listen and, overall, a rather promising debut; and besides, how can you really knock a band that sounds so passionate about their music anyways?