Samiam- Astray

I have often wondered why Samiam only had nominal success in their career. I mean the band always put out good albums with catchy songs. Despite having cool music and a descent singer,  they never caught on like their bay area counter parts (Green Day, Rancid, Jawbreaker). True they did get some slight coverage on MTV and their website says they once played on the Jon Stewart show, but for as big of a sound as this band had, it leaves you to wonder why they couldn't hit the big time.

Samiam has a hard sound to define. When I first started listening to the band, I would have been quick to box them into the pop-punk genre, but as the years passed and the band developed so did their style. Sure, sometimes they do have the pop-punk influence, but they also embody everything from anthem rock to EMO (if that's still a legitimate term these days). For a short time the band quietly ceased to be after Astray. According to their updated website though, the band is in a musical limbo these days. 

The record itself  is filled with a number of great tracks that showcase the bands worth. The first song on the record, Sunshine, starts out with a soft guitar ditty that roars into a massive rock song encased by the throaty vocals of Jason Beebout. Mexico is another great song about a guy whose girlfriend is leaving for a girl roadtrip, but has a subtle feeling that she is in fact leaving him. My personal favorite is Dull, for the simple fact that it makes me painfully miss all the times I use to get together with close friends. the song is basically, about a guy who hasn't seen his friends since they all got together at a funeral of another friend. Here's a small portion of the lyrics:

I forgot how good it feels to be part of a spinning wheel supported and supported on and on forget the judgement and the games forget the shit talk and the shame you will only be young for so long I wish it could always be like this something I've been missing it's not too late to change what you've become the last time I saw everyone we buried our friend and his gun I think he'd be happy here right now.

don't be jaded I don't want to spend another long and lonely weekend by the phone without anyone to call I've had a lot of time to think and I'm so tired of thinking I know why he put that bullet in his skull because life can be so dull