“I don’t know what happened” opens the song “Let Go,” co written with Ryan Tedder, and those are the exact words that came to mind when I listened to this album. Before I get to this review, Life Left to Go is a spectacular album! It was easily, one of the best albums of 2008, as well as one of the best modern pop/rock albums of the last decade, but the lyrical mess that is These Times breaks my heart.

The problem is not with the actual music, the band is solid here, and Doug Brown’s vocals are superb, but the lyrical content is not here. In that same opener, Brown claims in the chorus “I don’t want you to leave, cause I need you to stay here with me.” There is a lot of rhyming in the lyrics (See “Get Around This.”). The most confusing song on the record is “One Time,” I’m not totally sure what it’s about but it’s contradictory and tough to sit through.

There are a few shining gems on this album so worth a listen. The title track is some of the best pop writing of this young decade. “Crash” is a great modern rock song that will get you pumped up for anything. The last song on the album, “Life in the Pain,” is very introspective and deals with deep, deep issues.

It pains me to write this because I love this band so much, but this album is really sub par, lyrically. But, a toast to a band i still listen to and look up to.

Album Rating: Borrow It from a Friend

Listening Co-efficient: Passive Listen

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