Anberlin - "Blueprints For the Black Market"
Year: 2003
Label: Tooth & Nail
Favorite songs: Readyfuels, Cold War Transmissions, Glass to the Arson, We Dreamt in Heist, Naive Orleans
Lyric sample: "This is a black market reformation / How does it feel to be under the gun / Last ones pull the trigger here on the run / You can hide the money, I'll mark an X / I'm above the law and you're the order / You make everything make sense // And I know Mexico is south of here / Beautiful this time of year / So let's jump the border while the coast is clear / Salvation waits at ocean shore / We won't have to lie no more / Don't you worry baby / I'll be right here"
In 2003, I had had just about enough of slow rock. All the Creed clones on the market had left me high and dry. Bands like Kutless had the distortion of rock and the beat is heavy but plodding. It's the musical equivalent of an elephant walking through a park. No more of this "quiet verses loaded with chorus effect while a guy puts too much vibrato in his voice and tries to sound emotional then turns on the distortion for the chorus" stuff. That formula has its place but I was sick of it. I needed something with some pep to grab my interest. That's where Anberlin came in. One day I heard "Readyfuels" on Radio U and I said to myself "now here is some good rock I can get into." Well, I don't know if I said those words exactly, but the edgy guitar tone, tight rhythm section, brisk pace and talented solo had my attention. It was rock with a beat! Remember when rock songs rocked from the beginning and kept rocking right through to the end? I do. And Anberlin helped me remember. Bless them.
As it turns out, "Readyfuels" quickly became one of my favorite songs of the decade. It's the best song on Anberlin's debut record, but it's by no means the only one worth listening to. It helps of course that Stephen Christian has a recognizable (not to mention very high) vocal and the band's music is fully of infectious melodies backed by well-plotted riffage. It's a little bit emo, a little bit punk, and a little bit rock and roll. Anberlin quickly became one of my favorite bands - not because of a varied style, but quite the opposite. They have basically one sound that I really like and they are the only ones who have it. This record hit at a very good time for me as well. I was a a senior in high school - a volatile time, and one in which I was predisposed for emotional, relationship-focused rock to be appealing. Songs like "Autobahn" and "Naive Orleans" carry a sense of longing that makes me pause and take notice. Then there are those songs that are just a lot fun. The staccato passages of "The Undeveloped Story" and "We Dreamt in Heist" provide memorable sing-a-long moments. In addition, the sometimes cryptic lyrics make for some interesting listening. I won't pretend to know exactly what all of them mean, though some are more overt than others. It's obvious "Foreign Language" is about the different ways men and women communicate, but the intriguing metaphors in the likes of "We Dreamt in Heist" may be off-putting to some. I actually prefer them. I have my own ideas of what certain lines can mean, and not having a spoon-fed explanation allows me to focus on the emotional resonance of individual phrases and movements.
Probably the album's weakest track is the cover of The Cure's "Love Song." I'm not sure why Anberlin seems to be obsessed with covering 80's tunes, but they certainly assimilate this song seamlessly into the track list. It doesn't stick out as a cover. This record is a little darker musically than its successor, but it manages to be a lot of fun as well. It has several good guitar solos and I'd like to see the band expand on this more in the future. I think they still have a lot of untapped potential.
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