Talent is translating a powerful full-band album into an equally potent acoustic full-length. Yellowcard, the back-from-hiatus quintet, somewhat surprised fans in October 2011 with an acoustic rerelease of their new album When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes. For the most part, the band didn’t allow any of the tracks to lose their passion and intensity, despite lacking Parsons’s full-kit rhythms and Mendez’s electrified leads. The sublime vocal and violin performance that Key and Mackin bring to the new release brings a unique intensity to each song. 

What bothers some is Yellowcard’s constant full-band intensity, but with this acoustic rerelease, the band displays dynamism at its best. The opener, “The Sound of You and Me,” showcases a full-bodied richness –deliciousness that can only be achieved with an acoustic orchestra of strings, guitars, shakers, and a raw vocal performance. The grittiness of the instrumental intro and distorted pick slides may be missing, but, if anything, the beauty of this track is enhanced because of its toned-down nature. 

The beloved “For You, And Your Denial” continues an emotional layering of acoustic leads and violin. Key’s angsty lyrics hit just as hard, the poetry in fact able to travel through the unplugged session in a more intimate way. Key’s voice and Mackin’s violin seep into every eardrum crease. The harmonies are crystallized. The emphasis of each strum and glide of the bow is pristine. No energy (or love) is lost, here. Speaking of love, the “With You Around” showcases what Yellowcard can do best: grab the heart of any soul in love and make her want to “run underneath the California sun” with the boy of her dreams. The upbeat, acoustic octaves that persist throughout the song fit perfectly with its Saves The Day reference. 

“Hang You Up” shows the way electric tracks can translate pretty directly into an acoustic context, while “Life of Leaving Home” exposes rhythmic nuances that are actually lost in the full-band version of the track. “Hide” is one of the only tracks that is drastically altered to fit a ballad-like picture frame. Although the soaring vocals and violin leads are beautiful, the key change down and slowed pace detracts from the original hookiness and power pop-punkishness of the original track. What was a radio hit is now a bit of a snorer.

“Sing for Me” is a breath of fresh air despite its slowed pace. There’s a heart-wrenching sentimentality, seeing as though the theme isn’t merely about being in love “underneath the California sun.” Unfortunately the pairing of lyrical and musical intensity falls short in the album’s final track “Be The Young.” As compared to its plugged-counterpart, there’s a loss of purpose. More importantly, though, in the general scheme of how each instrument works with one another on the acoustic album, “Be The Young” is lacking. As an individual track, it can’t compete with the first half of the album in theme or musicality.

Yellowcard took a big risk taking such a dynamic album like When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes and translating it in an acoustic context. Any gaps that could have arisen in this process were completely eliminated. What’s so surprising and refreshing is the energy each band member was able to maintain in this unplugged setting. Whether the album is listened to in its own right or in comparison with its preceding twin full-length, there’s really no disappointment to be had. 

★★★★☆

*This review was composed by Cydney Hedgpeth