The Constant (Story of the Year album)

The Constant is the fourth studio album by American rock band Story of the Year. It was released on February 16, 2010, through Epitaph Records, and like the band's previous record, was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette who has also produced albums by Alter Bridge, Chevelle, Escape the Fate, blessthefall, Fact, and A Change of Pace. This is the last studio album to feature bassist Adam Russell who left the band in 2014.[1]

The Constant
Studio album by Story of the Year
Released	February 16, 2010
Recorded	Mid 2009
Studio	Barbarosa
Genre	Post-hardcore, pop punk
Length	41:42
Label	Epitaph
Producer	Michael "Elvis" Baskette
Story of the Year chronology
The Black Swan (2008) The Constant (2010) Wolves (2017)

Production

The Constant was recorded at Studio Barbarosa in Bavon, Virginia, with producer Michael Baskette and engineer Dave Holdredge. Jef Mall did digital editing, while Casey White acted as studio assistant. Baskette and Holdredge mixed the recordings, which were then mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound.[2]

Composition

Frontman Dan Marsala explained that the album title symbolizes the band's work ethic and commitment to both themselves and their fans. "Music is the constant thing in life for us," he said. "When I go to bed I think about music and when I wake up it's the first thing on my mind. The Constant can mean anything; hopefully our band will go on forever and we want music to remain a constant thing in our lives no matter what." [3]

Release

The band uploaded a new song "To the Burial" to their Facebook page on October 23, 2009. The song was also released on the iTunes music store on November 27, 2009. On December 10, Russell and Phillips premiered "I'm Alive" from the album on the Point radio station. The band released "I'm Alive" as a single on January 1, 2010.[4] It was released to alternative radio on February 2.[5]

On August 9, 2010, the band announced that the next single off the record will be "The Dream Is Over". In late September and early October 2011, the band toured Australia as part of the Soundwave Counter-Revolution festival.[6]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	73%[8]
AllMusic	[9]
Exclaim!	Unfavorable[10]
Melodic	[11]
Ox-Fanzine	[12]
Punknews.org	[13]
Rock Hard	8/10[14]
Rock Sound	[15]
Sputnikmusic	3.5/5[16]
Ultimate Guitar	7/10[17]

The album debuted at #42 on the Billboard 200 charts with sales of 14,115.[18]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Dan Marsala and Adam Russell, all music composed by Story of the Year

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Children Sing"	4:07
2.	"The Ghost of You and I"	3:55
3.	"I'm Alive"	4:15
4.	"To the Burial"	3:48
5.	"The Dream Is Over"	3:52
6.	"Remember a Time"	4:05
7.	"Holding On to You"	3:43
8.	"Won Threw Ate"	3:44
9.	"Ten Years Down"	3:53
10.	"Time Goes On"	4:06
11.	"Eye for an Eye"	2:14
Total length:		41:42

Japanese edition bonus track[19]

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Your Unsung Friend"	4:19
Total length:		46:01

Digital download exclusive bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Your Unsung Friend"	4:19
13.	"Tonight We Fall"	3:47
Total length:		49:48

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[2]

Story of the Year Dan Marsala – lead vocals Ryan Phillips - guitar Philip Sneed – guitar, vocals, keys, synthesizers Adam Russell – bass Josh Wills – drums, percussion Additional musicians Dave Holdredge – strings, string arrangements Kalei Sneed – children's choir (track 1) Sydney Baskette – children's choir (track 1) Alexis Baskette – children's choir (track 1) The Bookworms – gang vocals

Production and design Michael "Elvis" Baskette – producer, mixing Dave Holdredge – mixing, engineer Jef Mall – digital editing Casey White – studio assistant Ted Jensen – mastering Nick Pirtchard – art, design, cover photo Tim Harman – band photo Josh Wills – subway photo

References

1. http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/story_of_the_year_part_ways_with_bassist_post_letter_to_fans_on_their_futur
2. The Constant (booklet). Story of the Year. Epitaph Records. 2010. HR788-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. I'm Alive Songfacts
4. "I'm Alive - Single by Story of the Year". iTunes. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
5. "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. January 26, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
6. Mann, Tom (August 26, 2011). "Soundwave Counter-Revolution mini-festival lineups". FasterLouder. Junkee Media. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
7. "Critic Reviews for The Constant". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
8. Beringer, Drew. "Story of the Year - The Constant". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
9. Heaney, Gregory. "Review: The Constant". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
10. Persaud, Travis (February 16, 2010). "Story of the Year The Constant". Exclaim!. Ian Danzig. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
11. Holmgren, Henrik (February 14, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Melodic. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
12. Schumann, David (April–May 2010). "Reviews: Story of the Year / The Constant". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved April 20, 2020.
13. Daley, Sloane (March 5, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Punknews.org. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
14. Schnädelbach, Buffo (March 17, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved April 20, 2020.
15. Thomas, Jen (February 15, 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant". Rock Sound. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
16. Davey Boy (15 February 2010). "Story of the Year - The Constant (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
17. UG Team (February 17, 2010). "The Constant review by Story of the Year". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
18. "dgsource.com". dgsource.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
19. "The Constant CD Album". Retrieved February 4, 2021.

External links

• The Constant at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
• The Constant at Metacritic