Well, I wasn't expecting it this quickly. The trend in this digitised era is for bands to wait at least 2 years between releases, leaving fans drooling for more. Not the case with Anberlin, though. New Surrender is released on the back of the band's critically acclaimed 2007 record, Cities. Many fans raised questions over Anberlin's decision to move over to Universal Republic Records and ditch the producer of their last 3 albums, Aaron Sprinkle, for Neal Avron, who's credentials include Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy (Yuck!). The fears were that the signature Anberlin sound would become lost in the muddled chaos that is mainstream rock music. However, while implementing a poppy edge to their music, New Surrender still possesses all the Anberlin characteristics: massive guitars, synthesisers, and soaring vocals. Does it live up to Cities, though?
Track Listing:
- The Resistance
- Breaking
- Blame Me! Blame Me!
- Retrace
- Feel Good Drag
- Disappear
- Breathe
- Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)
- Younglife
- Haight St.
- Soft Skeletons
- Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum)
New Surrender forgoes the use of a debut track, as was used in Cities, choosing to dive straight into the guitar-driven composition that is The Resistance. Ambitious and powerful, it is arguably as good an opening track as on any of the Anberlin albums, if not the best. Christian's vocals reach to the skies, infused with passion and raw anger. The next track, Breaking, is sort of a conglomerate of the songs Adelaide and A Whisper and A Clamour from Cities. Bouncy and poppy like Adelaide, but possessing the vast stadium rock sound of Clamour, it is quite likely to be used as the second single. Once again, Christian's voice does not fail, tender and powerful at the same time. The lyrics are also poignant, offering some consolation to the broken-hearted: "You make breaking hearts look so easy, seems like you've done this before". Blame Me! Blame Me! ups the ante with a fun dance-rock beat, sure to get listeners upbeat. Another highlight of this album, sure to impress.
The first single off the album (and some might argue that it was inappropriately chosen) is Feel Good Drag, re-recorded from the band's 2005 release, Never Take Friendship Personal. The band chose this song as the single because they felt that it did not get the attention it deserved originally. (Probably because that album was slightly monotonous, but let that remain a discussion for another time). And I must agree, the re-recorded version possesses much more power and aggression, largely due to the improvements in Christian's voice. Even with the omission of the screaming part in the bridge, Christian manages to make the song more of a hardcore sing-a-long, air guitar style tune. Not a bad technique for a single, I must say. It will be extremely surprising if this single does not at least do moderately well on the Alternative Rock charts.
The rest of the album is very introspective, both in terms of lyrics and musicality. Breathe brings back reminiscent thoughts of a Joshua Tree – style U2, and is sure to be a big hit with fans. Soft Skeletons is no doubt one of the darkest songs Anberlin has every written, Christian at his most vulnerable as he croons about a girl caught in the hold of drugs. Younglife and Haight Street are the two weakest songs on the album, and could even be considered filler. However, by today's standards they are still decent songs, certainly not bad like some of the stuff on the radio. (Lady GaGa, anyone?) However, the magnum opus of this album has to be the epic ending song, Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum). Translating literally as "Evil from a wretched sight (Good out of Evil)", it is apocalyptic, bombastic, grand and..... well, epic. Littered with Biblical references to the apocalypse, this is sure to provoke study from the curious intellectuals out there. A sample of the lyrics is as follows : "Before the red priest took his last breath, he told me child now don't forget, the sky will turn dark very soon, your days are numbered when there's blood on the moon". Dark and brooding, the song is enveloped (for the first two verses, at least) by an eerie atmospheric guitar effect, a testimony to the skill of Avron in production (much as I hate to admit it) and Milligan on his guitar. As the song enters the 2nd chorus, though, the band kicks into top gear, creating a powerful arena sound that adds to the epic feeling. One of the great Anberlin songs, and one I would ask you to listen to if you were to listen to one track on this album. Bonum will never live up to the closing track from Cities, *fin, as that was one of the masterpieces of 21st century alternative rock. However, it does not seem apparent that Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum) tries to go that way. It forges its own path, and the same could be said of the whole album.
The band remains as tight and as musically proficient as ever before, with new guitarist Christian McAlhaney slotting perfectly into his role as partner to lead guitarist Joseph Milligan. Rexroat is the quiet achiever on his bass, pounding out those bass lines without being flamboyant or flashy. Meanwhile, Nathan Young has tweaked his impressive drumming style, hitting the skins with muscle and aggression, while adding to the atmosphere on more emotional songs. As has been mentioned, Stephen Christian's voice is one of the most unique in the market today, and he utilises it brilliantly to complement Anberlin's style. One thing noticeable about Anberlin is the way that they work as a unit. Sure, there are guitar solos, but these do not glorify Milligan or McAlhaney, but present more opportunities for the rest of the band to work together. No one member towers over the other in their songs, and everyone is content to play as one, rather than individually. The term "A champion team will beat a team of champions" comes to mind, no?
Poppy? A bit. Poignant? Yes. Brilliantly constructed? Yes. Anberlin were never going to make another Cities (I can imagine the disappointed grunts, but that's the truth). What it has done is construct its most sonically diverse record yet, and this is not a bad thing at all. In my opinion, this album is every bit as good as Cities, if not the same stylistically. It will not create such a splash, on account of the fact that expectations are sky high (as they should be) and the fact that they have joined Universal Republic. I prefer to look at this as good, because then more people will hear the genius that is Anberlin. Listen to New Surrender. You will not regret it.
4.5/5
