Anberlin's latest album, Dark is the Way, Light is the Place is on iTunes for just $7.99 right now.
As I'm sitting here listening to clips, Linkin Park's most recent album, with its epic sound of sweeping darkness, comes to mind. The character of Stephen's vocals is very different from Chester's, of course. Stephen whines (beautifully, I might add.) Chester has a more angry ache.
The thing is, I think the difference in vocals also reflects the difference in content. LP's latest is all about the horrors of war; to contrast, Anberlin's music is still about "the internal anguish of dysfunctional relationships and loneliness". (Quoted from an engaging article on LP from Noisecreep…read it; apparently even Mike thought the questions were insightful. )
Frankly, I think Anberlin's quality suffers a little from the narrowness of their scope. We can't blame it on their respective ages -- as far as I can tell, the members of both LP and Anberlin are all in their early 30's. So why is Anberlin keeping politics, theme, and meaning out of their music, if they’re old enough to care now?
Please don't misunderstand me. I certainly think there's a place for songs about romantic heartbreak and success, and Anberlin is BRILLIANT at that. I can think of a lot of reasons to stick with what they’ve been doing. Catering to younger audiences, avoiding controversy, and the obvious “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” concept.
But after 5 CDs of this stuff, I'd like to see Anberlin try more universal themes.
To do them justice, “We Owe This to Ourselves” addresses a wider meaning: “If every man became a king / we could do more than just dream / Well I feel, I feel, the change is here”. According to the press release, “This … speaks not only to Anberlin’s view of romantic love, but also to the band’s belief that we’re accountable for our relationship with the world at large.” It’s so generic, though. Find an issue and pick a side, gentleman! Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!
Dark is the Way just doesn't seem to offer anything new. It does the same things well that Anberlin has already done. Don't they have anything to prove?
Ooooooh...what if Anberlin made a concept album? Please, universe, love me that much.
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