So Divided tracks don't work united
Published Nov. 28, 2006
AYWKUBTTOD: It's possibly the longest and most tedious acronym ever. It's just as hard to say as it is to type. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, the band with the longest and most stereotypical of all indie band names has released a new album, So Divided, it's a lot kinder on the ears than the name.
On this new album, the band has expanded its concept of music, opting to either consciously or unconsciously refer back to its classic rock predecessors and ultimately finding a new core of sound that was often lacking in previous music.
On "Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory," as sounds akin to the vocal styles and piano lines of Styx and Queen pour from the speakers, that expansion is introduced and elaborated, driving home the point that the band will not be confined to the typical contemporary rock lines.
To begin the album, in a style identical to its previous album, Worlds Apart, the band uses a brief instrumental and external sound-based hook to get its audience involved. "Intro: A Song of Fire and Wine" begins with a catchy, slow-paced guitar line that starts with nothing and gradually escalates until it spills over into the next track, playing among the clapping of an unidentified audience.
The musical themes in the end of "Stand in Silence" are remarkably similar to "It Was There That I Saw You" off Source Tags & Codes and can almost be mistaken as the same song. Now, here is the question: Is the band paying tribute to itself, or is it just short on guitar riffs?
On the negative side, on a number of occasions it's clear that ...Trail of Dead just doesn't know when to end a song. The anthem-like "Wasted State of Mind" is stretched thin at times and at a running time of about five and a half minutes, is an easy track to skip.
That isn't to say that there are not exceptions to the rule. The gorgeous "Sunken Dreams," at a solid five minutes, remains fresh throughout and serves as a great closer to the album.
Individually, the tracks on the album are great to listen to, but when put together, they somehow manage to be less than spectacular. The extremely pop-like and bouncy "Eight Days of Hell" simply cannot match up with the slow moving hymn-like qualities of the previous track. Still the production transitions are always flawless and make opposites fit together.
The constant expansion of an aural repertoire and references to styles beyond their own makes So Divided a bold and complex injection of sound.
As a side note, if you have the resources to buy this album, make sure you take a gander at the inner workings of the booklet. It's worth a look.
Artist: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead
Album: So Divided
Genre: Indie Rock
Record Label: Interscope Records
Release Date: Nov. 14
Most Listenworthy Track: 'Sunken Dreams'
Reviewer's Rating: 3.5 out of 5Ms
