Bayside is yet another one of those sound-alike emo bands on Victory Records, but fortunately, they do a lot less screaming than most of their counterparts. I have to say that Bayside isn't the most original outfit to join the ranks of the Emo - tsunami, but they do have a knack for writing enough hooks into their music to keep you from getting sick of it by the second time you give it a spin (unlike so many of the other also ran bands in the genre). "Devotion and Desire," for example packs a powerful chorus hook - complete with high-pitched vocals and pleading screams. The lyrics include, "I know the spark inside your eyes was just a match, I used to set myself on fire!" These may be your typical emo-screamo lyrics, but you can't help but like the song itself. "Blame it on Bad Luck" has a jumpy, upbeat almost-rockabilly beat with a catchy chorus, and "We'll be Okay," has a good guitar lick in there. On the softer songs, "Don't Call me Peanut," has a nice acoustic guitar-and-piano feel, and "Dear Tragedy," is emotional and lyrically brilliant. Most of the other songs just kind of run together in the typical emo fashion, but some of them such as, "They Looked Like Strong Hands," are too catchy to dismiss as Emo - filler. Some of the songs gave me the same guilty pleasure I get when I find I like certain Good Charlotte song because of it's poppy catchiness. Anyway, if you're a fan of Taking Back Sunday, Story of the Year and any of those other poppy emo bands, you'll like Bayside. Being a sucker for catchy songs regardless of the genre, I have to confess to liking them a bit myself.