On the surface, Lights and Sounds had all the makings of a big rock record. Yellowcard paired up with a trusted producer in Neal Avron, who also worked with the band on their breakthrough, Ocean Avenue. The album had an incredible lead single out of the gate with the aggressive title track, and was mixed by veteran Tom Lord-Alge. What left fans most perplexed by what their heard from Yellowcard was the near abandonment of the sound that made the band a household name with Ocean Avenue. Instead, Yellowcard leaned into a darker-tinged alternative rock approach to their music that led to a bit of confusion and lukewarm critical reviews of the material. Lights and Sounds would debut at number five on the Billboard 200 charts, and would eventually achieve Gold certification from the RIAA in March of 2006. My memories surrounding this particular album were the polarizing affect it had on Yellowcard’s trajectory as an artist, how it would lead to confusion in the band’s fanbase, and then the biggest of swings back in the right direction with the 2007 successor of Paper Walls. At the end of the recording process, lead guitarist Ben Harper would leave the band and would be replaced with the now-permanent member of Yellowcard, Ryan Mendez. This rollercoaster of emotions surrounding Lights and Sounds would’ve been enough to break the spirit and desire of most bands, but luckily for us, Yellowcard would take this detour in stride and rise once again.