Anberlin - "Never Take Friendship Personal"
Year: 2005
Label: Tooth & Nail
Favorite songs: The Feel Good Drag; Stationary, Stationery; Paperthin Hymn; The Runaways; Aubrey, Start the Revolution, Dance, Dance, Christa Paffgen
Lyric sample: "Remind your parents we're tomorrow / Lead with morals and we'll follow / When they wake up they'll see / That youth fades and glory days deceive / What are you waiting for, let's move on this / Time is of essence like your kiss / So say you're in / With cards down and guns drawn this is it // If this isn't love / This is the closest I've ever been"
Anberlin is one of my favorite bands, so it seems only fitting that one of their records should get near the top. Originally this was a placeholder in my top 10 but I simply couldn't justify leaving it there. They are in my top 10 bands but no single record of theirs is really that calibre. In fact, they are all very much alike with a few alterations. Most great bands pioneer their own sound, a savvy synthesis of their influences. That's what makes them notable, makes them last. Others define their genres so completely that they become inextricable from them. Anberlin is a genre band. They have a certain sound that they pretty much keep to, but no one else can do that sound the way they can. And I happen to really like that sound, so color me a fan.
As far as choosing a defining record, Cities is really growing on me as their mature effort, and Blueprints has the wonderful "Readyfuels." Straddled in between is the boisterous sophomore effort, the awkwardly titled Never Take Friendship Personal. The name of the game here is catchy pop-punk tunes. That's really it. If you liked the Anberlin from their first record, this is mostly more of the same - it's just more infectious, upbeat and a bit more varied. It it maybe has a bit more midrange, which I like because it brings out the guitars. The winning ingredients - a distinctive male vocal with impossible range; an energetic, driving brand of emo-flavored rock; a sharp, cynical attitude that coats the lyrics and melodies in a danceable melancholy. There are some exultant tunes that glory in close friendship, like "Time and Confusion" and "Aubrey, Start the Revolution." There are some really dark, angry songs like "Never Take Friendship Personal" and "The Feel Good Drag." There are the radio-ready riffsters "Paperthin Hymn" and "The Runaways;" the pop pieces "Stationary, Stationery," and "A Day Late;" and the long progressive closer "Dance, Dance, Christa Paffgen." Then there's the soft song, "Symphony of Blase" that no one really cares about, and the sarcastically named instrumental "A Heavy Hearted Work of Staggering Genius."
Anberlin excels at big hooks that get you singing along, and so the songs that amplify this trait tend to be the strongest. One of the better moments is the decidedly dark "The Feel Good Drag." Like "Readyfuels" on the previous album, the lead guitarist gets one song to show off his chops, and this is the one. His solos are always fitting, tasteful and fun. Add to that some nice root movement during the bridge and a strong hook and you have yourself a hot rock single. "Paperthin Hymn" and "Runaways" play with some elements previously untapped. The former is a more reserved sounding track with a prominent riff and poetic lyrics, and the latter features some nice guitar work and even a bass solo. Maybe the biggest departure from the established norm is the final track, a 7 minute undertaking that would become the model for the likes of "*Fin" on Cities. There are not that many songs this long that I can enjoy listening to all the way through. "Dance, Dance, Christa Paffgen" admirably keeps my attention. It displays a well-defined sense of atmosphere and one of catchiest choruses on the record.
Shortly after Never Take Friendship Personal was released, I had ripped it from my brother and listened to it quite a few times on my MP3 player. Later on, I went to Family Christian Stores to look for some new music. I looked through quite a few options that I had hoped to get, but ended up buying my own copy of this album. It was just that much better than anything else I was contemplating. I felt no regrets about that decision, and it hasn't much worn out its welcome. In the case of this review, you should take it personal. My bias towards this album is not very objective. In fact, I readily acknowledge that by critical standards it's not nearly as good as many records that it sits above in placement. However, this is my list; and the style is one I wish I could find more of. Plus several songs on the record came at a good time in my life to kind of bring out my thoughts and feelings better than I myself could. These have become entwined with certain relationships such that corresponding emotions often arise with their playing. If I have a complaint, it's that it's too short. I play these CD's for myself as I'm writing the reviews, and it's rare that one ends before I'm through typing. This one just finished, so I'll stop too.
"Don't need no drugs / You're my chemical / Now I'm dependent / Swear I'm clinical." Get your Anberlin fix with this video for "Paperthin Hymn."
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