Comments
Anberlin
New Surrender
The dirty little secret that music snobs will never admit is that, to be truly obnoxious, you must develop musical amnesia. You are to intentionally forget the bands you once enjoyed, because you’re not allowed to like them anymore, because those groups/genres are trendy, passé, and/or cliché, or simply because, as a certified musical know-it-all, the rules say that you’re supposed to outgrow certain types of music. The downside is that some good music is left behind in order to avoid being mocked by the truly holier-than-thou, meaning that you might forget how good some groups actually are. So strike this reviewer as pleasantly surprised and more than a bit nostalgic when he listened to New Surrender, the fourth album and first major label release for Anberlin. Having been a fan of this Florida-based band’s debut record (Blueprints for Black Markets) but not much after that, the shocker with this record is not how much the band has grown, furthered, and developed their sound (though they have certainly done so), but how much they have remained the same consistent band. Stephen Christian and the boys have a knack for crafting upbeat, catchy songs that can be instantly sung at the top of one’s voice, but this time, they’ve upped the rock quotient by adding a new guitarist to create some substantive, dual-guitar action. While there are tracks that are a bit more formulaic than they should be, with songs like the muscular "The Resistance," the pretty "Retrace," the driving, pulsing "Disappear," and the bright, poppy "Haight St.," New Surrender might just prove to be a tremendous step up for a talented band like Anberlin. [Universal Republic] Adam P. Newton
This album review was originally published in the September/October Issue (#133) of HM Magazine. Order the Print Version to read tons more reviews. You can order the Print Version of this issue online or find this issue on newsstands. You can NOW read this entire feature in the online edition of HM Magazine. If you're a subscriber, you get a free online/digital subscription with your print subscription. You can purchase a single online/digital edition (which includes access to back issues) for only $1.99. A one-year digital-only subscription can be had for only $6.
©2008 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved
Return to Album Reviews
