Saves the Day

You know the holidays are approaching when the compilations and b-sides collections start appearing. This year it’s East Coast overload as Saves the Day and Sick of it All offer up recordings fans may not have heard or don’t have in one convenient package. Given their relatively short history, the STD 19-song collection is composed of their demos, an acoustic EP and assorted outtakes from 2000 to 2003 including a live track, two covers (the Clash and Descendents) and a track recorded by a pre-STD Sefler. Given that this Jersey band has undergone a significant transformation from hardcore wannabes to indie rock icons, this collection offers a convenient way to connect the dots. New York thrashers SOIA, meanwhile, have about an extra decade’s worth of history and material to draw from for their outtakes collection. Culled from 1992 to 2001, these 15 tracks also include covers of Misfits, Last Resort and Sham 69 songs in addition to the requisite live recordings. But the rarest of the lot is a House of Pain remix of "Just Look Around.” Both packages will more than adequately fill the "between albums” void for fans each band.