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RELEASED: February 1st, 2005
PRODUCER: Aaron Sprinkle
LABEL: Tooth & Nail Records
BAND:
Stephen Christian
Deon Rexroat
Joseph Milligan
Christian McAlhaney
Nathan Young
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Infectious hooks, perfect pacing, unique vocals, clever lyrics
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Couple weaker songs, odd instrumental |
TRACKS:
1.Never Take Friendship Personal 2.Paperthin Hymn 3.Stationary Stationery 4.(the symphony of) blas�
5.A Day Late 6.the Runaways 7.Time & Confusion
8.the Feel Good Drag 9.Audrey, Start the Revolution 10.A Heavy Hearted Work of Staggering Genius 11. dance, dance Christa Paffgen |
OVERVIEW
With a name like Anberlin, a record deal on Tooth & Nail, an album title like “Never Take Friendship Personal”, and cover art that features a sculptured head cracked open, you might be forgiven for thinking that Anberlin is yet another band serving up a heap of the self-loathing eyeliner-crazy garbage groups like My Chemical Romance and AFI seem to peddle so well to suburban pre-adolescents these days. Truth is, Anberlin has virtually nothing to do with any of those bands OR that loathsome sound – Never Take Friendship Personal is a superbly crafted modern rock powerhouse, a bases-loaded outfield hit with more hooks crammed into the opening track than most bands manage on a whole record. I thought Anberlin’s 2003 effort “Blueprints for the Black Market” was a solid effort, yet most of the tracks lacked a real rock edge, a mistake that’s corrected in spades on this one. Throw in precision slabs of thick, tasteful bass, punk-infused drumming, and vocalist Stephen Christian’s unique new-wave-esque layered vocals, and this record succeeds brilliantly on just about every level.
SONGS
Right from the opening guitar riffs of the leadoff track, any Anberlin fan will notice a similarity to 2003’s “Readyfuels”, but in a much more refined, urgent package, and if the choppy guitar-work doesn’t get your head a-bobbing, then the rich, thick chorus harmonies and the galloping bridge certainly will. Don’t miss Ryan Clark’s (Demon Hunter) split-second guest vocals on this one. “Paperthin Hymn” gets even better with some seriously wrenching chorus melodies and lyrics, and “Stationary Stationary” throws a curveball in the form of an almost chipper major-key guitar & vocal team effort that clearly took notes on early Police records. “The Symphony of Blasé” is the album’s first ballad, and stands in stark contrast to “Stationary” with a seriously beautiful vocal melody and perfect, stark accompaniment. But fear not the album is taking a slower turn, cause it’s here that Anberlin really gets the rawk flowing – “A Day Late” bounces right along with clever guitar work that alternates between crunchy chords and shimmering arpeggios, and “The Runaways” reminds me of the heavier cuts on their debut, only better – don’t miss the how the clever bass work slinks around the verse riffs on this one. “Time and Confusion” is a bit heavy on whoa-oh’s and oh-yeahs, but still rocks hard despite the lovey-dove subject matter, and that brings us to perhaps the heaviest track on here, and boy it’s a doozy – “The Feel Good Drag” ‘s feedback-drenched opening quickly fades into a pile-driving chorus and one of Christian’s most varied vocal performances – the man’s voice soars, shreds, whispers, and does just about everything in between, too. Great guitar solo as well. “Audrey, Start the Revolution!” is another oddly-titled but head-nodding rocker, and “A Heavy Hearted Work of Staggering Genius” is little more than a somewhat forgettable prelude to the absolutely brilliant “Dance, Dance Christa Paffgen”, where Anberlin channels the emotional power of bands like The Cure and the Police with the raw rock edge they’ve been showcasing for the whole record in a flawlessly composed 7-minute power-pop smash.
CONCLUSION
Admittedly, I was a serious Anberlin fan before this record came out, but even I wasn’t ready for how much they would improve in a scant two years’ time. The songwriting on here is nothing short of excellent – just about every song is instantly memorable and incessantly catchy, the guitars crunch nimbly around the already-impressive vocal attack, and the rhythm section knows exactly how to enhance the effect of everyone involved. Overall, an highly impressive album that’ll have any fan of solid rock & roll nodding your head and singing along in seconds.
Review
by Matt Rewinski
