Review Summary: Whilst this album is a departure from the usual guitar based sound of 30 Seconds To Mars and by far not their best effort contrary to what Jared says, this is still a good 30 Seconds To Mars album and is definitely worth checking out no matter what person
The name 30 Seconds To Mars will mean different things to different people, to the Echelon, the family of 30 Seconds To Mars named after a song on their debut album, they can do nothing wrong and are enthusiastic for any material the band release, their is the idle fan who likes a few songs across their albums and will have a mild interest in their work then their will be those who feel that the band are arrogant and pompous because of front man Jared Leto. Depending on where your opinion of the band stands will form the opinion of their latest album, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS, spelt in all caps and featuring the largest departure of sound for the band than they have ever done on any of their previous releases and this is understandable because as Jared himself said "I will never write the same album twice". And with that we are introduced to a new version of the Mars trio and one that has ditched the stadium and alternative rock stylings of their last album, This Is War from 2009.
Now the albums are different in sound and style because they were formed under two different environments, 2009's This Is War was influenced by the $30 million dollar law suit they faced from their label Virgin Records and LLF+D was formed under a more relaxed environment were the band could focus on writing different material that would be a true reflection of themselves at the time without having to be sued at the same time. The album is broken down into four different sections, and begins with Love and from the start its evident that this is going to be an entirely different album to ones heard from the trio before. The album rightly begins with the aptly titled Birth, a song which demonstrates the change in the style of the songs written by Jared, Shannon and Tomo, a short vocal intro soon breaks into a bass heavy instrumental section and shows the direction the band is going to be taking on this album, with far less guitars and percussion and a heavier use of synthesizers than has ever been used by them. By contrast, Conquistador, the song that follows is severely different to Birth, starting with a strong guitar riff intro reminiscent of a Brit Rock riff, Jared's vocals on this album are far stronger than on previous albums and this can be heard here and is a very catchy song, one of my personal favorites from the album and finishes off with an introduction to the next section of the album, Lust.
This is were lead single Up In The Air is introduced and is well known by many now who have either heard it on the radio, television or on youtube when the lyric video was released and is the strongest track on the album and a correct choice to be lead single. Everything is present, great vocals, guitars, percussion and synths which all blend together in a very compatible way that will surprise those who believe that no such thing can happen and is a blend of old and new 30 Seconds To Mars and will have been the deciding song for many as to whether or not they listen to the album. City Of Angels is obviously Jared's love letter song to the city of Los Angeles as it mentions all famous land marks such as Beverly Hills, the Hollywood sign and is encapsulated in the lyric sung so passionately "I am home" its a very touching song and is one that is worth listening to and proves to be one of the many ambiguous songs that Jared is capable of writing. The Race incorporates strings into the songs for the first time and adds a new dynamic that is executed very well by the band and shows that if they can put their mind to it they can pull of any sound they want. This song has the most infectious lyrics on the albums, with repeated gang vocal chants of the race and woah oh's that accompany lyrics which speak of love and emotions and is the most clear representation of the lust section of the album.
When we reach the halfway point, the album takes on a slower pace and strips the songs down to the bare bones with the track End Of All Days, which only features a piano and Jared's vocals and his talents as a singer shine brightest here as well as his talents as a song writer. Its a touching track and one that thankfully adds a change of style to the album to allow the listener to catch their breath after the faster paced tracks that made up the first half of the album. This is followed by another half instrumental track entitled Pyres of Varanasi and makes use of Indian style vocals recorded by the band when the visited India and whilst it is a bass heavy instrumental again with minimal strings and a thumping drum beat to go with it, it's an artfully designed track and fun to listen and most importantly for an instrumental never gets boring or out stays its welcome. Bright Lights and Do Or Die are some of the lighter songs featured on the album and Do Or Die could be the next single from the album in my opinion as it is infectious, catchy and exciting to listen to and is one of the strongest songs that Jared has written for the album.
The final three tracks that round off the album are all unique in their own way, Convergence was written by Shannon Leto for a change instead of Jared and isn't a bad song for someone who rarely has input with the lyrical construction of songs on any 30 Seconds To Mars album, Northern Lights is another synth based song and maybe one of the weaker tracks on the album but for members of the Echelon still worth listening to but for the casual listener probably not, then we reach album closer Depuis Le Debut. Now this song begins with a single chord riff on a loop and features Jared with no percussion, rounding off the Faith and Dreams section of the album would almost be typical LLF+D fair as it features once again a bass heavy middle section that also features strings and minimal use of drums but when it reaches the closing ten seconds on the song uses a recording of a chime notes from what sounds like a babies mobile toy that is placed above their beds which is a strange way to close both the album and the song.
