Review // "Gaffa" - September 2004

Last year’s debut The Second You Sleep won Saybia a lot of fans in this country. The melancholic and melodious songs tugged at a broad rock audience’s heartstrings, but Saybia also met critic. A loud minority branded them as yet another Danish rock band succeeding on imitating more talented ideals from outside the country. “Calculated whimping rock” the refrain said – “Coldplay and Radiohed all over again”.
These are the days might very well be the deathblow to that critic. Saybia is still very inspired by British pop/rock, but they have extended their palette – with classic ballad tradition in one end and dusty American rock in the other. Lead singer Søren Huss more croons than whimpers, and the guitar play sounds equally as American prairie as British cellar room. Self pity is often replaced by passion now, for example on the Rufus Wainwright sounding Stranded. And at the same time Saybia is rocking cooler than before, especially on the fine Flags.
It will be exciting to see if Saybia’s big audience will follow them with the more complex These Are The Days. It is sure that there hasn’t been any resting on the laurels here. The album is filled with ambitions, most obvious in the 17 minutes long – and seven too long – Untitled. But you can still miss the moments, when Saybia’s songs towers final over the fine and get definitely excellent.