Saves the Day is dead. Long live Saves the Day.

Of course, with the departure of long-time lead guitarist Dave Soloway prior to the release of Daybreak in 2009, that may have been the moment that marked the final days of an early 2000s emo powerhouse. But even that album felt more like a body of work you could have expected from Chris Conley and company in the past.

The band’s newest self-titled release marks a well-documented departure from the days of Stay What You Are, In Reverie, and, hell, even Sound the Alarm. Whereas previous entries in the band’s catalogue have dealt with the anxious, even nerve-wracking realities of the young and socially awkward, Saves the Day instead starts off on a power-pop riff and hardly strays from it (not that anyone’s complaining.)

The first two tracks, “Remember” and “In the In Between,” set the tone for the rest of the LP. The fast-paced, poppy tunes are care-free ventures, something missing from Conley’s writing since In Reverie.

Oddly enough, Saves the Day sounds more like the bands that have fondly proclaimed that Can’t Slow Down, Through Being Cool and Stay What You Are inspired their own sounds. That sentiment becomes even more pronounced as the album plays on.

“Beyond All of Time” slows things down a bit before “Ain’t No Kind of Love” kicks the tempo back up a bit. Both tracks flow into each other nicely. And although neither stands out on its own, the songs reinforce the mood of the album.

“Lucky Number” plays much the same, fitting into the album nicely as a piece of the puzzle, but without offering much on its own merit.

The song “Xenophobic Left Hook” by title alone demonstrates that Conley hasn’t yet lost his lyrical style. But the sound that accompanies his vocals is drastically different than ever before and it can be directly attributed to the band’s ever-changing lineup.

“The Tide of Our Times” is one of the album’s truly outstanding tracks. It’s catchy. It’s fast. It’s less than two-and-a-half minutes long and it’s emblematic of everything Saves the Day does right in this album.

“Supernova” is, lyrically, the closest we might come to a traditional Conley track. The imagery and metaphors are wonderfully woven throughout the ballad.

“Verona” picks the pace back up, leading nicely into another of the album’s best tracks: “Ring Pop.” The pace is fast and the lyrics recall carefree days when a ring pop may have sufficed as a symbol of courtship. It’s the essence of what makes some of Conley’s best music, harkening to a past with the sentimentality ramped up to 11.

“Stand in the Stands” is, by far, the most up-beat and optimistic album closer Saves the Day has ever composed. Standing in stark contrast to even the band’s sunnier albums and closers like “Firefly” and “Tomorrow Too Late,” the track starts with a bouncy melody and doesn’t let up for the nearly four minutes it plays out.

Although Daybreak was the first album where Conley was the last of the band’s founding members left, it carried hints of Sound the Alarm and Under the Boards, primarily because of those three albums’ conceptual ties (They were designed as a trilogy that started with 2006’s Sound the Alarm).

If Conley’s way with words is what drew you to the band, this will be right up your alley. Saves the Day may not be the band you remember, but Conley’s presence maintains the only lyrical and moody consistency that we really need.

Saves the Day is released on Sept. 17. It’s available for pre-order on the iTunes Store.

Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling just inked a deal with Warner Bros. for a new film series set in the universe that brought us such things as Quidditch, Nearly Headless Nick and Draco Malfoy’s iconic, “My father will hear about this.”

The movies will focus on Newton Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The text is a fictitious textbook for most Hogwarts students and the man who penned the tome has only been mentioned in passing in the Harry Potter books and had a brief cameo — more of an Easter egg, actually — in the film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (His name can be seen on the Marauder’s Map in one scene.)

The Internet is already rife with speculation and buzz on just what the plot of the movie series will entail. Kotaku editors seem to think that Newt is, in fact, Buckbeak, the hippogriff who helped Sirius Black escape Hogwarts and impending doom in Prisoner of Azkaban.

Fantastic Beasts was actually published in 2001, along with Quidditch Through the Ages, as companion books to the Harry Potter series at the beginnings of the franchise’s popularity. We’ll have to wait for more details as Rowling releases them, but in the meantime, Potterheads are sitting pretty. Actually, they’re more like:

Editor’s Note: It should go without saying, but there are MAJOR spoilers ahead for the fifth-season episode of Breaking Bad, “To’hajilee.”

The guns are out and there’s no turning back.

With only three hours standing between us and the end of Breaking Bad as we know it, all the cards are on the table and there’s no telling who’s going to come out on top. By the end of tonight’s episode, “To’hajiilee,” Hank and Gomez are squaring off against Todd and his Nazi uncles as Jesse and Walt look on helplessly.

Things would have been boxed up and wrapped in a neat little package had Jesse not experienced a moment of Prince Hamlet-esque paranoia at the climax of “Rabbid Dog.” If he just walked up to Walt, started a dialogue and played along with Hank’s plan, who knows where we’d be right now? At the very least we wouldn’t be in the middle of the desert in a firefight. Jesse Pinkman had an opportunity to put this whole thing to rest and instead opted for the more cinematic end. But just as Claudius wasn’t really repenting when Hamlet comes upon him in the Shakespeare classic, Walt didn’t have a bodyguard while he waited for Jesse in the middle of the plaza.

Now, with the thought of a rogue Jesse waging a war on Walt’s mind like a fly in a superlab, he releases the real rabid dog hinted at in last week’s episode title. He calls the Nazis, who, as it turns out, need a bit of help improving the product for their Czech clients. Once again, all that stands between Walter and his freedom is one more cook. But this time, instead of cash, instead of stability for his family once he’s gone, Walt’s last cook is an exchange for somebody’s life. And, whereas the last time Walt reluctantly agreed to cook it was to save two lives — his and Jesse’s — this time it’s simply to end one. That’s what’s truly heart-wrenching about the last half of this episode of Breaking Bad.

Even as late as the final minutes of last week’s episode, Walt was doing what he could in order to save Jesse Pinkman’s life. Like it or not, Walt was the one person who cared about Jesse. Hell, he still does, insisting to Uncle Jack that Jesse’s execution be painless. It’s that dedication to Jesse that’s gotten Walt into the most severe predicaments he’s experienced throughout the series, from the murder of two rival dealers to the delivery of $5 million to sever ties with Pinkman once and for all. And why? As he tells Uncle Jack, “Jesse is like family” to him. And to Walter White, there’s nothing more important than family, not even breakfast, as his son might have you believe.

All of that culminates in the final minutes of this week’s episode. We’re out in the middle of the desert with two DEA agents on one side and a group of armed Nazis on the other. And, of course, Hank’s got Jesse’s conversation with Walt on the way to the reservation recorded. The question is: Will he survive long enough to use it to his advantage? Somebody’s leaving that standoff in a body bag, and I’m willing to wager there will be casualties on both sides.

With that, we’re left with three hours. At the most, three more hours and we’ll know just where Walt’s going on his 52nd birthday with that M-60.

Stray observations

– We all know what Todd was thinking the moment he took a sip of Lydia’s tea: “It’s almost like we kissed today!” Too bad he’ll probably never get much closer to Ms. Quayle.

– Jesse is incredibly fired up about Walt poisoning Brock — it’s all he ever brings up when he goes on a tirade and Walt’s listening. But will he ever find out about Jane?

– We’ve come a long way since the days when Walt’s accomplices wanted to spice the product up with chili powder. But now it’s food coloring. Nothing comes close to a true Heisenberg cook, it seems.

– The last time Walt stood out in this desert with a gun in his hand, he was in his underwear filming a confession. Tonight for a few minutes we saw him just as vulnerable as he was in the pilot. Full circle, right?

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is getting a total HD makeover next month, and with good reason. The 10th installment in the Zelda series is among the most beautifully directed games to ever grace a console and it features some of the best music of any Nintendo title. Heck, the game is even serving as a test for the team producing the as-of-yet announced Wii U Zelda title, as series director Eiji Aonuma told Wired. In fact, that’s why we’re getting a Wii U remake for the game. Folks at Nintendo loved the portions of the game the Zelda team re-created so much that they figured, “Why not?” Thank goodness they did, because The Wind Waker is probably the best Zelda game that’s ever been made (It might even be the best game ever made, period.) Here’s why:

Toon Link is probably the most expressive video game character. Ever.

Who knows what’s going on in that head of his? Courtesy of guide2games.org.

Just look at those eyes.

One of Wind Waker team’s goals in creating this version of the legendary hero was to make him more reactive than any who came before him. The immediate result was those incredibly expressive eyes. Take, for example, Link’s wandering eyes in Dragon Roost Cavern — they drift toward elements such as weak walls and hanging branches to tell the player that there’s probably something important over yonder, like maybe a bomb-able wall or a grappling hook anchor point. Or what about when he’s hurled unceremoniously into Forsaken Fortress via catapult? This little guy’s expressions pretty much make the game.

Those rope controls

Yep. Swinging from lamps on a wooden ship is a great idea. Courtesy of strategywiki.org.

There’s nothing quite like learning the ropes aboard Tetra’s ship at the beginning of the game. Few experiences in the Zelda franchise’s history can top the thrill of finally swinging from lamp to lamp flawlessly (Forget the fact that you’re putting all of your weight on a rope with a lit torch dangling on it. That’s totally not going to fall and kill everyone on board the wooden ship.) And the fact that Toon Link doesn’t even use his legs to help hoist himself up ropes as he climbs solidifies his place as the most badass Nintendo character ever created. The kid must be a pro on that pull-up bar.

Sailing the high seas never gets old

Bomb a Bokoblin stronghold or continue the main quest? It’s like Grand Theft Auto: Hyrule out here. Courtesy of nintendoeverything.com.

It’s a total coincidence that The Wind Waker came out the same summer as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl — you know you sailed from island to island, boasting to non-playable characters that this was the day they almost caught the Hero of Winds. But sailing the vast expanses of the Great Sea wasn’t all fun and games. Whenever the skies darkened and a torrential downpour began, you knew it was time to break out that cannon and brace yourself for a fight with a Big Octo. And how much fun was it to raid Bokoblin outposts and submarines? Bonus points if you picked them off from your boat with the Hero’s Bow.

That final battle

Remember how you felt the morning after Taco Tuesday at Taylor’s? Yeah, it probably wasn’t as bad as this. Courtesy of gamingmemoirs.co.uk.

Wind Waker gets a lot of flack for its cel-shaded art direction. Early critiques of the game by the well-informed and totally not over-reactive Internet masses derided the look as childish. But the final battle atop Ganon’s Tower proved quite the contrary with what’s probably the most gruesome finale to a Zelda game to date. After sufficiently weakening the boss, Link jumps through the air and plants the Master Sword directly into the King of Evil’s forehead. Ganon’s body then petrifies, the sword stuck firmly in his head. What happened at the end of Ocarina of Time, the most popular entry in the series? The final boss coughs up blurry, 64-bit green blood. So much better, right?

The callbacks to older Zelda titles are just awesome

Saving the world gets a bit lonely sometimes. Courtesy of neogaf.

Nearly every Zelda game recycles elements of the titles that came before it: The Triforce. Three symbols of virtue. The Master Sword. But it’s Wind Waker that does the best job of repurposing those elements and paying homage to what’s probably the second best game in the series: A Link to the Past. The art direction makes Wind Waker look like a 3D re-imagining of the Super Nintendo classic and the music is absolutely astounding, from the 10-second melody introducing Princess Zelda halfway through the game to the updated version of the Hyrule Castle theme from Link to the Past. Even the game’s take on the Kakariko Village theme is the most inventive in the series. What’s that? You don’t remember hearing it? Probably because it’s the Windfall Island theme. Listen closely and you’ll hear it. Trust me.

The game is beyond beautiful, even 10 years and two console generations later

That moment when you realize your boat’s on the other side of the island. Courtesy of gengame.net.

The Gamecube’s 3D Zelda game is one of the little purple box’s few games that still look good on an HDTV. Again, the art direction is what helps here, sufficiently masking that console generation’s technical limitations by utilizing graphics that are simple and elegant. And it’s the little things, such as the floating fireflies in the Forest Haven and the hopping mailboxes, that really bring the game to life. Beyond the game’s gorgeous environment, the character design also lends itself to some of the most heart-wrenching moments in series history. Admit it: You teared up when Link’s grandma serves up that first bottle of Elixir Soup.

And the music. Oh, that music.

Seriously.

From the title screen to the end credits, Wind Waker has some of the best music in the Zelda series. The soundtrack’s Irish influences are evident and there’s nothing better than swashbuckling on the Great Sea while the theme plays in the background. Even the YouTube fan covers of the game’s soundtrack are astounding. So, what are you waiting for? Get off your computer, phone, tablet — whatever you’re reading this on — and get your Wind Waker on.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD comes out for the Wii U on Sept. 20 in the Nintendo eShop, Oct. 4 as a retail release.

GoDucks, the Oregon athletic department’s marketing arm, just released the official pre-game video that will play at Autzen Stadium prior to kickoff. It’s a highlight reel that features big plays from games past and present. Kickoff for the Oregon season opener against Nicholls State is set for 1 p.m.

The Ducks and the Colonels face off at 1 p.m. today at Autzen Stadium, but the party’s been going all morning. Here are just a few social media reactions from folks jazzed — some more than others — for the Oregon vs. Nicholls State game.