Reviews

One of the hardest things to do as a musician is to begin and end an album well. Hell, it can be a bitch just trying to begin and end a song well, let alone a whole record! If there’s one thing I can say about Anberlin’s third release, Cities, it’s that they got the beginning and ending right. The rest, though, is where it gets a little hazy. Stephen Christian and Co. have returned with a record that is fantastic in some parts and a frustrating underachievement in others.
 
The album begins with of those “ambient” intro tracks that can be ohh so annoying but, in the case of Cities, the track actually acts as a great catalyst for the tour de force that is the first song, “Godspeed.” This song contains everything about Anberlin that I love; powerful, driving guitars and drums, amazing vocal work by Christian, and a catchy as hell chorus. And make no mistake about it, the vocals are what make this record. Christian has one of the most easily recognizable voices in rock today and his tone and delivery help set this band apart from many of its contemporaries. Second track, “Adelaide,” delivers another addictive chorus which will run circles in your head until late spring if you’re not careful. The final track, “Fin,” also plays its part well as a set closer, complete with a children’s choir and a fantastic build up and fade to finish the record off.
 
The downfalls, though, lie in two major factors, both guitar driven; the underutilization of melodic lead parts to help counter and balance Christian’s melodies and the poor use of acoustic guitar. Luckily, Christian’s powerful voice is able to save all of these tracks from being a waste of time but he can’t be relied on completely; at some point, the rest of the band must be held accountable. For instance, the acoustic bridge in “A Whisper & a Clamour,” feels awkward, as does the track which follows, the almost completely acoustic, “The Unwinding Cable Car.” I’m all for the band expanding their sound and it’s not as if I don’t like the fact that these songs put Christian even more at the forefront but this is a band, right? You simply can not expect your singer to carry all the weight all the time. “Hello Alone,” would be an awesome tune if the opening guitar riff didn’t sound like it was lifted straight from Oasis’ “Morning Glory.” These are the kind of complaints that seem to just keep popping up when I listen to Cities.
 
In the end, your enjoyment of Anberlin’s third release will probably be based on your appreciation for Stephen Christian’s voice and vocals. The music has its moments but tends to simply act as a stage for Stephen to perform on. I had incredibly high hopes for this album and, in some ways, it delivers but a lot of parts on this record are weak. It’s a good thing these guys have such a unique and interesting singer because they would have never made it this far without him.