Review Summary: With Cities, Anberlin manage to improve and mature their core pop punk sound while introducing a softer side and experimenting with effects and a variety of instruments. Cities shines bright as both a phenomenal and original release.
Anberlin made a huge leap into the modern day pop punk scene with their 2005 release
Never Take Friendship Personal. Its energetic, often times riff based pop punk tunes, extremely smooth toned singing and intelligently written lyrics lead to a fun and catchy yet dense and original sound. Needless to say it marked a very refreshing change of pace from the numerous Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco carbon copy acts and stood out very easily in its field. Enter 2007 and their newest release,
Cities. Present on
Cities are plenty of songs showing maturity while carrying on their trademark, core sound. However, the group further expands on this sound by adding some acoustically driven songs as well as some very interesting effects, instruments, and atmospheres. The result is not only improvement and growth, but also the beginning and the birth of a new style and identity. All of this contributes to one honest and incredible record in
Cities.
Right from the get go energy is apparent as the opening of
“Godspeed” can start a dance party in sheer seconds. Immediately listener’s can sense the growth the band has experienced as things are especially finely tuned and precise. Stephen Christian’s smooth vocals compliment the music perfectly as he really digs in for emotion during the chorus. The hook
“They lied / When they said the good die young” really gets trapped in ones head. But their music does not revolve around mere hooks as the perfectly placed guitar lead and timely bass fill will show. As expected, Godspeed introduces the record perfectly and builds up anticipation for what is to follow. What follows up is
“Adelaide”, another fairly fast paced and catchy number. Hats go off once more to Joe Milligan for delivering an ever so tasteful guitar lead which enhances the song wonderfully. Between the overall catchy atmosphere and very solid musicianship, quality is strong. Lyrics only contribute to this as plenty will be able to relate to the opening four lines.
“ You're repeating me lines that you think I wanna hear / But I don't wanna hear anymore / As if sorry is any consolation / For what it's worth, you're stringing me along” Stephen’s lyrics are influenced by real life situations, self flaws, and his overall observations of society. His general attitude of appealing as an everyday person really makes the lyrics come to life, as they can easily appeal to a variety of listeners. While the first two songs show the core Anberlin sound in a more matured state, plenty of the record wanders down a new path in turn establishing a new identity for the band.
The first tune to do so is
“The Unwinding Cable Car”. It is a dominantly acoustic track but still incorporates plenty of melody. Stephen’s singing perfectly fits the music here and really shines. His lyrics do the same as they are wonderfully crafted. The starts of both verses really stick out
“ You're motive and stable / You're like an unwinding cable car / Listening for voices but it's the choices that make us who we are” and
“ Backing away from the problem of pain / You never had a home / You've been misguided, you're hiding in shadows for so very long”. When the rest of the group comes in things flow very well as they maintain the tranquil atmosphere the song opened with. Overall it touches on something the group has not spent a whole lot of time on. Despite being a new sound, things work out phenomenally. The new found sound hitting a home run is no coincidence, as the group only improves upon it. One of the final tracks
“Inevitable” really struck an emotional peak with me. It opens with a single acoustic guitar melody before coming in with some of my favorite lyrics on the record. (pardon me for taking up space, but these lyrics have so much meaning to me and are just wonderfully written)
“ Do you remember when we were just kids
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss
Schoolyard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not
I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, is it over now
I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you'll ever have
I wanna be your last, first kiss
Amazing how life turns out the way that it does
We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love”
The overall mood of the song is just so unmistakably touching and emotional. The lyrics showcase so much honesty and are almost tear jerkers. As if that wasn’t enough, the drum and violin section at the end really brings in a grand feel to this song as it closes in an epic manner. Pardon the excessive use of third person but I haven’t heard a song that meant this much to me in a long, long time. Aside from that, it is something fresh and new for the band and they do it quite properly. It seems all too often a band tries something different and fails. Than again, Anberlin isn’t exactly the typical group as they succeed with flying colors with the acoustically driven tunes found sprinkled throughout the record.
Now if I said they stopped experimentation there I would be lying. Certain tracks have this groovy little edge to them due to some guitar effects and synthesizers. The result is almost like a synth is present. The result is also exceptional. The first showing of this style is on
“Whisper and A Clamor” which comes as a nice refreshing new sound early on in
Cities. While the guitar part makes a wonderful entrance in the intro, it perhaps works even more effectively throughout the verse. Its tone balances perfectly with Stephen’s almost dark sounding singing creating a very distinguishable and unique mood. The new element in the phaser filled guitar certainly contributes to a new feeling track but their strong points still stay at a peak, more specifically the lyrics.
“ Clap your hands all ye children / There's a clamor in your whispering / Clap your hands tonight / Hear what the silence screams.” Piano also makes an appearance as it marks a terrific outro to an all around incredible song. They once again exercise use of the effect in
“There Is No Mathematics”. If this isn’t a synthesizer here I advise you all to do some research and figure out what kind of effect pedal is making this sound. That aside, I find this title a bit misleading. There certainly is some wacky equation of mathematics present here as the group combines some clean guitar and snyth melodies, multiple passages, and diverse sounding sections. Ready for the catch? It all works together brilliantly and their cohesive sound becomes incredibly obvious. Things flow nearly flawlessly despite the usage of an unfamiliar instrument. Yet again the listener cannot help but to be enthralled as to how well the band has embraced change and used variety to enhance their overall sound and diversity.
When it comes to closing the record,
“(Fin)” works incredibly successful as it showcases plenty of the group’s new ideas. The first three minutes are made up of acoustic chords, an acoustic melody, and a very distinct and faint sounding distorted lead. When the rest of the group comes in a real epic feel fills the air. This is the type of thing plenty of acts attempt and very few succeed in doing so convincingly. Speaking of which, the group also manages to use a choir vocal passage, once more making it work wonderfully unlike some peers (cough underOATH…excuse me :clears throat:). The choir section might seem a little bit drawn out and excessively long but it still works so incredibly well with what the rest of the band is doing. The faintish lead persisting through the passage only pushes the grand atmosphere further. Despite clocking in at well over six minutes, (Fin) goes by in a flash as it really captures the group’s experimental elements and ends the record in an unbelievable fashion.
It is probably best to say now that very bluntly
Cities is a simply breathtaking record. While continuing to push their core sound forward with maturity, they really strike strong notes. But it is their daring efforts to frequently break from their typical formula and make strong usage of violin, piano/synth and acoustic guitars that really steals the show. It not only shows diversity but establishes a new identity for the band overall. To top it off, the members deliver solid performances on an individual level as the rhythms stay tight throughout, lead lines are tasteful, bass makes its presence felt, and vocals and lyrics are as strong and inspired as ever. To be honest I was expecting something good from Anberlin, but
Cities has completely surpassed the bar of my expectations. It is original, brilliant, and an overall spectacular album which captures their new sound perfectly and should only continue to further diversify the group from their genre. This is something new, something honest, something stylish, and something very refreshing. This is
Cities, and
Cities marks Anberlin’s best work to date.
Final Rating: 4.5/5
