When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes
Encyclopedia
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes is the seventh studio album
released by American rock
band Yellowcard
on March 22, 2011 under Hopeless Records
. The album has received strong critical acclaim. The album's title comes from a text message sent to a girl by lead singer Ryan Key
.
, who had previously been in a small project with Reeve Oliver
vocalist/guitarist Sean O'Donnell (who was chosen as Pete Mosely's replacement after he declined to return) called "Big If", confirmed that some of Big If's songs were going to be reworked by Yellowcard
and included on the new album.
On August 3, 2010, the band announced that they were going into the studio in September with Neal Avron to record the new album. While in the studio, they revived "Yellowcard Sessions" (Yellowcard's YouTube updates), and recorded studio updates that were shown originally on Rock Sound magazine's website.
On November 8, 2010, Yellowcard finished recording their seventh studio album. On November 13, 2010, the new album title was announced to be When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes at a show at the Glass House in Pomona, California
, where they also played "For You and Your Denial," the first song to be played from the album. Ryan Key confirmed that there would not be a title track.
On December 9, 2010, the artwork for the album was posted on the official site of the band. On January 5, 2011, the band revealed the album's tracklist. The first single to be released from the album was "For You, and Your Denial
", which was released January 18, 2011, on iTunes
.
The band also stated that there will be 2 full-band bonus tracks not featured on the main track list, one of which ("Promises") was released with the album on iTunes, and the other one being a re-done version of the Big If song "Empty Street" that has yet to be released.
On February 22, 2011, the music video for "For You and Your Denial" debuted on MTV2
and MTVU
. The same day, the track "Hang You Up" was released as the second single off the album.
On October 24, 2011, Yellowcard released an Acoustic version of When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes. It will feature all 10 of the album tracks, with special guest vocalist Cassadee Pope
from Hey Monday
featured on the acoustic version of "Hang You Up."
On October 25, 2011, the music video for "Sing For Me" debuted on MTV2.
, in his review giving the album 4 out of 5 stars, explained, "The record bleeds with the best that Yellowcard have done thus far, yet in a fresh context, bursting with newfound energy after a short hiatus that, in hindsight, was certainly needed." Even Allmusic reviewer Gregory Heaney, who gave the album one of its lowest critical ratings at 3 out of 5 stars, had only positive words to say, remarking on the band's progression away from catchy violin-driven melodies and toward music focused on the songwriting's impact.
Artwork
Additional musicians
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
released by American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Yellowcard
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American pop punk/alternative rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre...
on March 22, 2011 under Hopeless Records
Hopeless Records
Hopeless Records is an independent record label located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. The label was started in 1993 by Louis Posen and financed by a group of private investors. Hopeless's artists are generally considered punk rock, pop punk, post-hardcore, or alternative rock, but some...
. The album has received strong critical acclaim. The album's title comes from a text message sent to a girl by lead singer Ryan Key
Ryan Key
Ryan Key is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the American pop punk band Yellowcard, and one of the two lead singers in his side project Big If.-Early life:...
.
Background
Following the band's reformation after their hiatus (from 2008–2010), they immediately began working on their new album. Ryan KeyRyan Key
Ryan Key is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the American pop punk band Yellowcard, and one of the two lead singers in his side project Big If.-Early life:...
, who had previously been in a small project with Reeve Oliver
Reeve Oliver
Reeve Oliver is an American pop rock band formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. They have released two albums and several EPs and have toured with larger acts such as The Vandals, Yellowcard, and Switchfoot...
vocalist/guitarist Sean O'Donnell (who was chosen as Pete Mosely's replacement after he declined to return) called "Big If", confirmed that some of Big If's songs were going to be reworked by Yellowcard
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American pop punk/alternative rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre...
and included on the new album.
On August 3, 2010, the band announced that they were going into the studio in September with Neal Avron to record the new album. While in the studio, they revived "Yellowcard Sessions" (Yellowcard's YouTube updates), and recorded studio updates that were shown originally on Rock Sound magazine's website.
On November 8, 2010, Yellowcard finished recording their seventh studio album. On November 13, 2010, the new album title was announced to be When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes at a show at the Glass House in Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, where they also played "For You and Your Denial," the first song to be played from the album. Ryan Key confirmed that there would not be a title track.
On December 9, 2010, the artwork for the album was posted on the official site of the band. On January 5, 2011, the band revealed the album's tracklist. The first single to be released from the album was "For You, and Your Denial
For You, and Your Denial
"For You, and Your Denial" is the first single from Yellowcard's seventh album When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, released to iTunes on January 18, 2011...
", which was released January 18, 2011, on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
The band also stated that there will be 2 full-band bonus tracks not featured on the main track list, one of which ("Promises") was released with the album on iTunes, and the other one being a re-done version of the Big If song "Empty Street" that has yet to be released.
On February 22, 2011, the music video for "For You and Your Denial" debuted on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
and MTVU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
. The same day, the track "Hang You Up" was released as the second single off the album.
On October 24, 2011, Yellowcard released an Acoustic version of When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes. It will feature all 10 of the album tracks, with special guest vocalist Cassadee Pope
Cassadee Pope
Cassadee Blake Pope is an American singer-songwriter and musician and the lead vocalist of the pop punk band Hey Monday. With the band she has released a studio album, Hold On Tight and two extended plays.-Biography:...
from Hey Monday
Hey Monday
Hey Monday is an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album Hold on Tight in 2008 which produced notable singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with their 2010 EP Beneath It All, which achieved moderate...
featured on the acoustic version of "Hang You Up."
On October 25, 2011, the music video for "Sing For Me" debuted on MTV2.
Critical reception
Reception to When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes was mainly positive. AbsolutePunk reviewer Thomas Nassiff summarized the reunion album as "a holistic recap of the band's career that still shows good progression" and "one very important thing: Yellowcard is back, and they're back for good". Jared Ponton of SputnikmusicSputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
, in his review giving the album 4 out of 5 stars, explained, "The record bleeds with the best that Yellowcard have done thus far, yet in a fresh context, bursting with newfound energy after a short hiatus that, in hindsight, was certainly needed." Even Allmusic reviewer Gregory Heaney, who gave the album one of its lowest critical ratings at 3 out of 5 stars, had only positive words to say, remarking on the band's progression away from catchy violin-driven melodies and toward music focused on the songwriting's impact.
Track listing
Bonus tracks
- "Sing for Me" (acoustic) – 3:48 (iTunes Exclusive)
- "Promises" – 3:40 (iTunes pre-order only Exclusive)
Personnel
Yellowcard- Ryan KeyRyan KeyRyan Key is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the American pop punk band Yellowcard, and one of the two lead singers in his side project Big If.-Early life:...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Sean MackinSean Mackin (musician)Sean Mackin is an American rock musician. He is best known as the violinist and backing vocalist for the American pop punk band Yellowcard and is now one of the two remaining full-time members of the band from its original line-up, along with bandmate Longineu W. Parsons III.-Early life:Mackin was...
– violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Ryan Mendez – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Sean O'Donnell – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Longineu W. Parsons IIILongineu W. Parsons IIILongineu W. "LP" Parsons III is a French-born American rock musician. He is best known for being the drummer for the American pop punk band Yellowcard and is now one of the two remaining full-time members of the band from its original line-up along with bandmate Sean Mackin.-Early life:Longineu...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Artwork
- Brian Manley – album design, cover photos
Additional musicians
- Rodney Wirtz – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Christine Choi – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Production
- Neal Avron – producer
- Erich Talaba – engineer, Pro ToolsPro ToolsPro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
- Morgan Stratton – assistant engineer
- Mike Fasano – drum technician
- Brian Abell – guitar technician
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Nicolas Fournier – mixing assistant
- Kamila Kuplowska – storage consultant
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
41 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
84 |
| UK Rock Albums UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
19 |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Albums | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Albums Billboard Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
2 |
| Dutch Best Albums top 20(rock) | 2 |