Anberlin album

Album   Released Publisher Rating
New Surrender 2008
Cities (CD/DVD) 2007 Tooth & Nail
Back to the topNew Surrender
Review by Jared Johnson, All Music Guide
Released:
September 30, 2008
Rating:
Styles:
Indie Rock
Alternative/Indie Rock
Emo
A new lineup member, a new producer, and a step up to a major label added up to Anberlin's best sense of direction yet, and therefore their strongest output in their brief but prolific career. The band collaborated for three months in the studio to craft their Universal Republic debut with producer Neal Avron, who has helmed projects for Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard, and New Found Glory. Being their fifth album in scarcely six years, spending so much time in the studio had its share of risks involved, particularly with new guitarist Christian McAlhaney, whose addition made three songwriters in the bunch, generally a recipe for "creative differences." It's pleasing, therefore, to see how well Anberlin define themselves on this record. Their sound on New Surrender isn't as much a diversion as it is a realization of their potential to finally seize the full emo spirit in all its glory, as if their high/low, intense-yet-laissez-faire approach to modern rock was simply warming up to this point, which is saying a lot given the quality of songs and the massive following they have carved out over the years. It's not unlike Mae's progression from the critically acclaimed The Everglow to Singularity, where it could be argued that diversity took a back seat to pinpointing their own sound. It worked for Mae, and it works here for Anberlin. [This version contains six bonus tracks, as well as a bonus disc of music videos and live performances.]
Track # Track Time Composer
1 The Resistance N/A N/A Ringtone
2 Breaking N/A Walker, Anberlin Ringtone
3 Blame Me! Blame Me! N/A N/A Ringtone
4 Retrace N/A Wilson, Anberlin Ringtone
5 Feel Good Drag N/A Christian, Anberlin Ringtone
6 Disappear N/A N/A Ringtone
7 Breathe N/A N/A Ringtone
8 Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights) N/A N/A Ringtone
9 Younglife N/A Walker, Anberlin Ringtone
10 Haight Street N/A N/A
11 Soft Skeletons N/A Allan, Anberlin Ringtone
12 Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum) N/A N/A Ringtone
13 Mother (*) N/A Danzig
14 Heavier Things Remain (*) N/A N/A
15 True Faith (*) N/A Hague, Hook, Morris, Sumner, Gilbert
16 Said and Done (*) N/A N/A
17 A Perfect Tourniquet (*) N/A N/A
18 Feel Good Drag (Acoustic) (*)(Version) N/A Christian, Anberlin
19 Anberlin Australia '09 (*) N/A N/A
20 Feel Good Drag (Music Video) (*)(Multimedia Track) N/A Anberlin
21 Breaking (Live at the Soundwave Festival) (Live)(*) N/A Walker, Anberlin
Back to the topCities (CD/DVD)
Review by Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Released:
February 20, 2007
Label:
Tooth & Nail
Rating:
Styles:
Indie Rock
Punk-Pop
Alternative/Indie Rock
Emo
Sticky sweet pop melodies, explosive pop-punk chord progressions, "sensitive guy" lyrics. Yep, this should all sound pretty darn familiar if you're a rock fan circa the early 21st century, as there's been an endless stream of bands (for years by this point) that meet all the prerequisites of the aforementioned checklist. And on their 2007 release, Cities, there are certain moments that you can definitely add Anberlin to this list. Thankfully, they don't specialize in that annoying frat-boy-esque shtick that some pop-punk bands do; instead, Anberlin can be quite an ambitious bunch that go the emo route. While songs such as the album-opening "Godspeed" sound like your average pop-punk band of the moment, tracks such as the acoustic guitar-driven "The Unwinding Cable Car" is emo at its most naked (and includes some pretty darn impressive vocal harmonies). But for the most part, the tunes sound like a hopeful trying to win over the judges in the latest episode of Rockstar, especially on such tracks as "Adelaide" and "Hello Alone." Nothing too groundbreaking here, but nothing cringe-worthy, either. [The 2007 edition includes three bonus tracks and an additional DVD.]
Track # Track Time Composer
1 (Début) 1:26 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
2 Godspeed 3:02 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
3 Adelaide 3:14 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer Ringtone
4 A Whisper & A Clamor 3:25 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
5 The Unwinding Cable Car 4:17 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer Ringtone
6 There Is No Mathematics to Love and Loss 3:11 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
7 Hello Alone 4:00 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer Ringtone
8 Alexithymia 3:23 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
9 Reclusion 3:31 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer Ringtone
10 Inevitable 3:47 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
11 Dismantle. Repair. 4:18 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer, Arnold
12 (*Fin) 8:56 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
13 Uncanny (*) 3:28 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
14 There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (*) 4:17 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
15 The Promise (*) 3:17 Christian, Young, Milligan, Rexroat, Strayer
16 Bonus Material (DVD)(*) N/A N/A
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