Vertical Horizon - Save Me From Myself

[jvandyck87]

www.myspace.com/verticalhorizon

This song sounds like an alternative track. I think it has a better shot here than at Hot AC honestly. It's pretty dark and decently heavy. As atlantaboy said in the Hot AC thread, this song is most comparable to "We Are" which only charted at alternative, and was my favorite single of theirs. This song is fucking awesome.

[tortuga]

They are one hit wondereres.

[jvandyck87]

What about "You're A God" and "Best I Ever Had?" I'd say they're one album wonders.

[pen]

May 15, 2009 20:41:01 GMT -5 jvandyck87 said:

What about "You're A God" and "Best I Ever Had?" I'd say they're one album wonders.

That's a good wheeze, since they've only had two major label albums. And the second one was barely promoted. A damn shame. They did a better job promoting it by themselves two years later with "Forever" than their label did with "I'm Still Here" prior to release.

Anyway, I'm glad this album is finally coming out. It's a good set of songs. I hope it fares well for them. It's a shame that out of all the pop rock bands of the late 90s and early 00s, these guys got the short end of the stick.

[Pipa]

If this wasn't Vertical Horizon, I think Alternative could give it a chance. It sounds more like something Live would do anyways.

[American Idiot]

I just recently downloaded this album and it's pretty good, but unfortunately I don't think they have much of a shot at Alternative anymore like quite a few bands that were big in the 90s but are probably too light to do well on the format today. Picpak, you're exactly right. If this were a new band that never had anything released to radio before, this might get some decent airplay besides on the Hot AC format. It kinda sucks because I think about half of their new album has tracks that could be qualified like that.

[jvandyck87]

Wait...this album is already out? Where are you guys downloading it?

And that bridge riff sounds like something from a nu-metal song, definitely heavier than almost anything I've ever heard on Hot AC, so if rock doesn't accept it, this song doesn't really have a home elsewhere, which makes me sad.

[pen]

May 16, 2009 3:44:00 GMT -5 jvandyck87 said:

Wait...this album is already out? Where are you guys downloading it?

And that bridge riff sounds like something from a nu-metal song, definitely heavier than almost anything I've ever heard on Hot AC, so if rock doesn't accept it, this song doesn't really have a home elsewhere, which makes me sad.

It's everywhere, man. It leaked sometime late last year in 128kbps format and then releaked a couple months ago in VBR format.

[atlantaboy]

Likin' that there are more quality tracks from this CD...but just wonderin if a band that lost its Alternative creds has even gotten them back a couple CDs later (tryin to think of example but can't think of any, goin back into the early 90s...)

Def. hafta listen to whole CD cause really hopin they at least have a decent Hot AC track on there

And yeah not sure what the deal was with I'm Still Here but the label majorly messed up with under-promotion - that thing could've easily hit Top 10 Hot AC and prob. cracked Top 40 CHR...When I lived in Charlotte we were the only CHR in the country playin it, and it got great callout (in Charlotte)

[jvandyck87]

The closest example I can come up with is a current one. And that is with Dave Matthews Band. But DMB definitely didn't lose their alternative base as badly as VH has. Another example would be All-American Rejects, not that they got their alternative cred back, but somehow "Gives You Hell" peaked close to the top 20 after three straight mega pop singles from the last album failed to break the top 40 if I remember correctly.

[Crushcrushchris]

Am I the only one that actually preferred All Is Said and Done?

[Ron57]

Wow, this leaked incredibly early.

I like the song, though.

[atlantaboy]

^Yeah just downloaded the CD and it's actually pretty decent...IMO they should send Save Me From Myself to Alternative and then Carrying On and Lucky One to Hot AC

[My Life Is A Stereo]

I really don't think there's any reason that Alternative wouldn't play this. I don't think Vertical Horizon ever really got labelled out of the box anyways and this song easily fits on to today's alt stations.

[Ron57]

Been listening to this a lot, I'm really into the spooky sort of feel to it. It sounds familiar, but brand new. I like it a lot.

[pen]

Three of the tracks on the album were written with Neil Peart of Rush, but damned if I could tell you which ones.

[Nicholas2.0]

May 19, 2009 15:36:10 GMT -5 pen said:

Three of the tracks on the album were written with Neil Peart of Rush.

Hm. That's very interesting.

[atlantaboy]

May 19, 2009 15:28:24 GMT -5 Ron57 said:

Been listening to this a lot, I'm really into the spooky sort of feel to it. It sounds familiar, but brand new. I like it a lot.

Yeah same...it is really growin on me - and likin the fact that Scannell is goin back to that "spooky" effect durin the verses that IMO made the EYW CD so unique

[lockebox]

"Burning the Days" debuted at #158 on the top 200 . Lack of promotion and an early leak didn't help matters. Did this song actually go to alternative? Could do something you never know.

[jvandyck87]

I'm pretty sure not a single alternative station has played this song ever. While I expected that most current VH love would come from Hot AC, I would have thought that a couple of the alternative stations that had "We Are" and "Everything You Want" in power rotation back in the day might play this a few times just for the nostalgia factor. Guess not.

It's also by far the best song on the album in my opinion. I was very disappointed. The only songs that come remotely close to it are "All Is Said And Done" and "Welcome To The Bottom." Otherwise, it's a fairly boring album after two listens.

[pen]

It's a much softer album than previous ones, I think.

[The Party Captain]

Oct 1, 2009 16:07:38 GMT -5 lockebox said:

"Burning the Days" debuted at #158 on the top 200 . Lack of promotion and an early leak didn't help matters. Did this song actually go to alternative? Could do something you never know.

I think the 6 years between albums hurt more than anything. Anyone holding out for them with Go has forgotten them by now.

Coming up #158 is rough, and here is why. The big pop artists are not selling CDs anymore. Ursa Major by 3eb pulled up a debut at 3 despite having lower sales than Out Of The Vein. Sister Hazel just had the biggest debut of their career. Collective Soul is pulling in amazingly solid debuts. DMB owned the charts this year.

Bands with cult followings are ruling the charts now more than ever.