The Classic Crime: The Silver Cord

Recently I have taken up a liking to an alternative rock band called The Classic Crime. So when I saw that they released a new album, I jumped at the opportunity to check it out. Their first album Albatross, was a mediocre rock album with a few good songs. So I didn't get my hopes up to high when the new one was released. Fortunately though I was mistaken, since in their sophomore album Matt's vocals are much more matured, they focused their attention more on creating a rock album, and used much deeper lyrics than their first album was.

The End

So when I got the album, I saw that the first song was not only about a minute and a half long, but it also had the ironic title of being called "The End", so I figured it must be one of those introductions that many albums have where it's simply instruments playing, much like a band might practice before a show. I was surprised however to find that this one had lyrics, and a meaning to it. The melody is very dark and almost scary to listen to. I can't figure out an accurate meaning to it, but I can say that the lyrics are also very dark. Over all it's a very odd song, especially for one that opens an album, I didn't particularly care for it, but I'm not going to let an undeveloped intro ruin the rating of the rest of the album. Rating-4/5

Just a Man

And what a surprise it was to go from a depressing, slow, dark song, to an upbeat and fast song. This is by far my favorite Classic Crime song due to its message, vocals, and melody. The melody is very fast, with an interesting sounding introduction that sets up perfectly for the lyrics. The meaning is about how today's culture shoves beauty, money, and products down peoples throats, and if you're not a specific weight or own certain products, then you're nobody in this world. One thing I liked was the perspective that the song was written, which is that of a businessman or CEO apologizing to the people and saying "I once held the key but now I have nothing You are so naive, I'm sorry for leading you along I'm just a man" he then goes on to say that he is not the person you should turn to, that "I'm not your saint, I'm not your savior" and that the real savior here is God, and no earthly thing will satisfy you. The mood, ironically, is almost that of happiness, which leaves me with some questions about the true meaning behind the song. Rating-5/5

Grave Digging

Now how wouldn't like a song that involves digging a grave? Well unfortunately the grave he's talking about in this song is his own. The melody is very hard rock sounding. With rough choruses and some shouting it truly does set a perfect mood. The lyrics at first sound rather strange, but that may be because they have a lot of symbolism. But if you look closely it's clear the song is about a man contemplating suicide, this is evident in lines like "I've been sitting in the suicide lane on Highway 99 Looking for a sign in the headlights" and "I've been to war with my mind But things will be different this time I won't be putting up a fight". And in fact almost every line in the song has some reference to suicide. The thing I find most interesting though is that you never really find out what the person decided to do, and the song ends abruptly with strange cheering sounds. The mood is once again hard to figure out, so if anyone has any ideas about it, let me know. Rating-4/5

The Way That You Are

Here's one of those songs that has a good meaning and good lyrics, but lacks much else. The melody is good, rock sounding in most parts, but doesn't have much to it that would make you remember it. The meaning however is very inspiring. The first verse talks about a boy that doesn't talk much, and has "friends" that aren't very good influences. It's the second verse though that caught my attention, this one is about a girl that was abused but doesn't talk about it, and gives herself away to find the love she wants, even though God already loves her and she doesn't need a boy to fill that part in her heart. I'm not sure what it is about The Classic Crime, but it seems like that don't find mood to be an important part, because this is yet another song that I can't figure out the mood. Rating-4/5

5805

This is one of those songs that just disappoints everyone. It's not that it's a bad song, I just feel it could have been composed much better than it was. The melody was the thing that turned me off this time. It was very unorganized and confusing with different sounds playing out of sync and at different times. The lyrics are still very good though, expressing how Matt wishes to go back to his teenage and college years and live life like it was back then, and hoping that one day he will be able to have the same joyful feeling he had then. There is however evidence of a mood in this song luckily, but it's very simple, just a very content and happy mood. Rating-3/5

Salt In the Snow

The Classic Crime is sometimes regarded as being a Christian band, but I don't find this to be true since not even all of their members are Christians, however this song has very apparent themes about God in it. The melody starts out very slow and smooth and comforting, and in the end turns into more of a rock sound with some raised vocals at the end, it reminds me very much of a more rock version of a Chris Tomlin or David Crowder Band song. In the song he talks about how he wants "shelter from the storm" and is asking God "are you listening?", he then sings about how he tried to go through life without God and do everything by himself, but in the end realizes that he cannot do this alone. The mood of the song is very uplifting, and hopeful, which is a theme not very common in many of the songs so far on the album. Rating-4/5

Abracadavers

When I first heard this song, I did not like it at all, but after a couple times listening to it, it started to grow on me, and it might not be my favorite song, but still not bad. The song starts out with very eerie whispering noises, which then turns into Matt's very loud, distinct voice. The overall melody is that of hard rock, with a little bit of an electronic sound to it. The meaning is hard to depict since the message is hidden in symbolism. But if you're a person like me, lyrical content about muscles, tendons, and organs must have some sort of meaning behind it. So when I dug deeper I soon saw it was really a song about how even though some of us are smarter, or richer, or more athletic than others, we are all human in the end and we all die. But also that some of us go through life and ignore how we are a design of God. This is seen in the line: "It seems we're beautifully made and designed. But it's a shame we can be so blind." The song reminds me of being in some sort of autopsy room after a famous person has died and they want to find the cause of death (It's apparent that the band agrees with me on that since the music video is just that) and this sets a perfect mood for the song, which is that of a dark and almost depressing realization that everyone dies in the end. Rating-3.5/5

R&R

Well every band has one, and The Classic Crime is no exception to the rule, that every band has at least one poor quality song. R&R's melody is that of annoyance and repetitiveness. And most slow songs, even though they may not have a perfect melody or mood set, they typically speaking have good lyrics at least, but R&R's lyrics are confusing, and seem very jumbled with no apparent theme or symbolism present. The mood is also missing in this song, but that should be to no surprise for a song that lacks both a beat and words. This was by far the worst song on the album. Rating 2/5

God and Drugs

I was never a fan of songs comparing God to a drug, since well, drugs are typically viewed as bad things to be addicted, not God. The song itself has also failed to impress me, and doesn't sound that much different from R&R. The melody starts out slow, but slowly builds up, and at its peak you can clearly hear Matt's vocals shout the chorus of the song. The meaning behind the song is that no matter how much you may not want God to be in your life, he is always there, and that He will always act on you, whether you want to believe it or not. The mood is yet again, non-existent. Rating-3/5

Medisin

Medisin is still, another song that sounds just like R&R or God and Drugs. Except this song is, in my opinion, the worst of the three, and the worst song on the album. The melody is very boring, and slow and does not have much substance to it. The meaning is almost exactly that of God and Drugs. And as for the melody, it should be as to no surprise to you when I say there isn't one. Rating-2.5

The Ascent

Well, I do not know if the band had this in mind, but The Ascent sounds like the beginning of another album, since this is yet another instrumental song, only this time they did it perfectly. As strange as it might sound, this is actually one of my favorite songs on the album. This is because it has great composer to it, a melody that slowly, and gracefully climbs from a simple soft sounding guitar, to adding various instruments and beats, and in the end truly getting a powerful emotional build up by the end. I do not feel the has any meaning to it, since well, there is no lyrics. However, I do think the mood describes in its own way, what the meaning behind the song is, and this something that's open for interpretation, and that I cannot describe what the mood is, since it is something that you must figure out for yourself. Rating-5/5

*The reason for why I thought The Ascent sounds like the intro to a new album, is because it marks the beginning of four top grade songs, and after three songs like R&R, God and Drugs, and Medisin, I had very little hope for the rest of the album, but luckily I was surprised.*

Sing

Well like I have stated above, this marks the beginning of a four song dynasty of excellent songs that fill my requirements for all three "M's". Sing's melody starts out with heavy drum and guitar tones, and with echoing vocals that match the beat perfectly, there couldn't be much more I would ask out of the song. The meaning is another God related one, except this time he talks about "singing" to God, and how God will always hear him. This song also has one of my favorite verses, at least in terms of verses that talk about God, "My life's a painting I've done blind With each brushstroke you'll watch me blur every solid line Over this canvas I have stood with no one left beside me no one to decide if it's good". The mood of the song is that of hopefulness and fulfillment, knowing you found the thing that fills that empty part in your heart. Rating-5/5

Everything

If you recall, I mentioned before that I do not believe The Classic Crime is a Christian band, well this song is a perfect example of why. When I first heard this song I was very confused by it, but after a while I saw the meaning behind it, and even though I have nothing against songs dedicated to your wife or partner, I do not feel they belong on a "Christian" album, especially when they mention the physical aspects of that person. So I will not mark the band down for having a a very passionate song about the person that Matt loves the most in this world. The song itself is my favorite on the album, because melody has an excellent combination of guitar, drums, and vocals, and really sets up the perfect mood for it. The meaning is that of Matt missing his wife when he is on long trips with the band, and wanting to "Feel her soft skin" and that he can not wait till he sees her since he misses seeing her smile and feeling her kiss. The melody is very optimistic, and is one of those songs that's impossible to sing without having a smile on your face while doing it. So even though I'm not a big fan of soft and sweet love songs, this is definitely a classic. Rating-5/5

Closer Than We Think

The dynasty continues with Closer Than We Think, a soft toned, yet energetic song that speaks of being free from the world around you, and that you only need God in your life, and that "Your not alone", and that you can do anything you want when you put your heart into it. Rating-4.5/5

The Beginning (A Simple Seed)

Well, much like the opening song, the last song title has some irony too it, and this already gives me points in my book for creativeness. The melody of the song follows a common theme among last songs for albums, very slow at first, very loud and rock sounding in the end. The lyrics sound much like a continuation to Everything only I feel this song should have been first, because this song talks about the emotional and personal things he likes about his wife, not just the physical. The song doesn't have much of a mood too it, since I feel that the artist wants you to focus on the lyrics and think about the person you love most at the same time, and of course remember God in all of this, so I think in a way, this song wraps up everything that the album was about into one final farewell. Rating-5/5

Conclusion

Well I've managed to finish my second review, but the question still remains, should you buy The Silver Cord? Well it depends, if you enjoyed The Classic Crimes first album, you should love this one since it's simply a build up of more mature vocals, lyrics, and organization. If you've never heard of this band, than I feel you should at least check it out, but it is not an essential part of your CD collection. Overall Rating-4/5

Anberlin: New Surrender

Well I figured I would start out my reviews with my favorite band, Anberlin. This September Anberlin is planning on releasing a new album titled "New Surrender". However they have since posted all of their songs onto their Myspace for everyone to listen. Anberlin is one of those bands that many people call a "Christian band", so I suppose if you consider a band that has all Christian members, to be a "Christian band" then Anberlin would fit your category, but if your definition of a Christian band is a group that references God directly in most, if not all their songs, you would be mistaken to think Anberlin is one of them. Anberlin is a band that has all Christian members, and has many songs that have a Christian message, however most of their songs are up for interpretation and can be seen either as a relationship with a girl, a family member, or God. New Surrender is no exception to this, even though many songs have strong connections to Christianity and God, many still have connections to earthly relationships with people. Well now that I have finished giving you my little Anberlin review lesson, lets move on to the music.

The Resistance

In true Anberlin fashion, the first song on New Surrender is a very upbeat and fast song that's very similar to their music from Blueprints for the Black Market. As for the meaning, it's very clear that it's about a group of people that lack respect for their government and are only steps from a revolt. The line "You paper tigers" makes a reference to political leaders that appear on the outside as powerful people that want justice for everyone, but fall under pressure when the true time to stand up comes. The chorus is full of lines saying how they plan on overthrowing the disorganized government, and establishing an anarchy until a true, fair government is put into place. In the last section of the song, Stephen Christian sings "Ignite and watch us burn Til every embers turn, My God we'll feel inspired, When we set your walls to fire". What a better way to end an Anberlin song than by burning things and leading the way for the next generation? As for the mood of the song, I would have to say it has a serious tone, yet still is meant more for as a fun song when you need to get pumped up before a track meet or a football game. Now as for rating the song, I feel it has a good message, good mood, but the melody and vocals could be a bit better. Rating-4/5

Breaking

One thing I truly appreciate in a song is when a chorus is faster, and louder than the rest of the song, and Breaking is a perfect example of this. In my opinion this is a very well crafted song, with its changing melody throughout the song that changes from fast to slow to fit the lyrical content. The meaning of the song is another classic Anberlin theme, girls and breakups. It's apparent that the song is about a girl he had a prior relationship with, or wish he did, but in the end, hurt him and treated him with little respect like she did with all the guys before he came along. This can be evident in lines like "You've got breaking hearts all but down and you've done this, you've done this before", and "Do you collect the souls you've lost in the top of your dresser drawer". The mood of the song also fits perfectly with the lyrics, going from an almost disappointed feeling at the beginning, to a feeling of realization that life still goes on in the end. I feel this is probably one of, if not the best song off their new album. Rating- 5/5

Blame Me! Blame Me!

Much like how the worst part of a storm proceeds the eye, the worst song on this album proceeds the best. In my opinion this song is disoriented on all levels, the melody is random and rough compared to their other songs, the lyrics are a cliched love song, and the evidence of any mood is non-existent. The meaning of the song itself is, like I said, a love song. Possibly about a girl he's in a relationship with that only finds faults in him? I will have to skip the mood since it's so vague that I can not find one. Definitely not one of their best songs, but then again it does have a lot of competition. Rating-2.5/5

Retrace

In Retrace, Anberlin has managed to retrace their steps back onto the right path. This is an excellent example of a classic reminiscent themed song. The introduction has a very mellow, almost thought provoking melody to it that reminds me of walking on a deserted street at dusk thinking about my youth. The meaning of the song, from what I can gather, is about a guy that goes back to the town he grew up in, and everywhere he goes he remembers a girl he had a relationship with. He then goes on to say that he can not get her out of his mind. Things like photos, places, and even the time of year bring him back to the time when they were together. It's hard to tell if whether the girl he is talking about simply left him heartbroken, or also the possibility that she may have died when they were together, and he is finally facing his fear of remembering her. Rating-5/5

The Feel Good Drag

Now here comes the song that just clinches the whole album. This is the type of song that makes any rock band complete, the one everyone remembers from the album. Even though I prefer the original version of the song, (I felt the melody matched the lyrics much better) this version is still is a great song that I recommend any Anberlin fan listen to. The songs meaning is something Anberlin likes to use a lot, girls. Except this time he sings about how he gave into having a relationship with a girl, who was in a relationship with other guy. He then expresses how he regrets doing this, that she was his "Greatest failure" and that he wishes he never gave into her sin that she presented to him when her boyfriend was out of town. As for the mood, it's very clearly anger. I would even go as far to say that this is possibly Anberlin's most energetic and angry song, that has an almost violent theme to it. I don't have many negative things to say about this song, except that I wish they made the song a bit harder rock sounding, and I also wish they didn't take out Stephen's short scream during the bridge. I felt that scream really summarized how he felt during the whole song, and was finally able to express it, so for that I will rank it a bit lower than the other songs. Rating-4.5/5

Disappear

I have very little insight on this song, simply because it's an OK, nothing special song. In my opinion it is neither great, nor bad, it's in between. I felt the melody was typical for one of their songs, mixing a rock sound with a little bit of an electronic sound. However it was the vocals that made the difference between good and great, I felt Stephen Christian shouted at the worst possible times during the song and made it sound like an amateur Underoath song. The meaning is a bit confusing, but is also open for interpretation. When I first heard it, I thought of a teenage or college couple that are spending time with each other, after all their other friends deserted them. Later though, I read a post from an Anberlin fan saying they think it's about how homeless people are treated unfairly and often looked down upon, and after reading the lyrics over, this idea makes much more sense than mine did. Rating-3/5

Breathe

It's that time now for Anberlin to have their first real slow song on the album. When it comes to slow songs, it's hard to impress me, since slow songs rely heavily on lyrical content, and being able to form the perfect mood with them. As far as Breathe goes, I once again find it to be a moderate song, not excellent, but not poor either. The melody of the song is well, slow as you would have probably guessed. The meaning of the song is also rather vague, but if you look closer you'll see he is talking about an internal battle with himself, and having his own "Civil War". My guess is that this change was brought upon him because of God, since one line is "I can finally breathe. Suddenly alive. I can finally move. 'Cause I realize.", however, I suppose the song could be about that of a girl, since many Anberlin songs are. The mood is also very vague, and simple, like most slow songs it has an almost sad mood too it. Overall I feel Anberlin could have done better, since they've had meaningful songs like The Unwinding Cable Car and Inevitable. Rating-3/5

Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)

This song is a perfect example of judging a song too early. After hearing the odd sounding introduction, I did not expect much better out of the rest of the song. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had been wrong, and the song was in fact of very good quality and substance. The melody is probably the only thing that could have been better in this song, like I said previously, it was a bit odd, and kept changing throughout the song. The thing I liked most about Burn Our Brighter is both the lyrics, and the vocals of the song. I felt Christian did an excellent job of overlapping his voice during the chorus to really express the lyrics in an accurate way. I also give praise to the song for its meaning, which is about a man asking for redemption for his past mistakes, and saying how he wants to "Live, I wanna live inspired Die, I wanna die for something higher than myself Live and die for anyone else The more I live I see this life's not about me". So in other words, he wants to try and live a selfless life, and leave some kind of legacy that people will remember him by. The mood of the song is that of happiness, and a feeling of relief. This can be seen by the quick, smooth vocals throughout the song that give it an almost soft quality to it. Rating-4.5/5

Younglife

Younglife is one of those catchy, get up and go songs that's just overall fun. Not that there is anything wrong with happy songs, but they tend to lack much meaning to them and have very repetitive melodies, and this song isn't much of an exception. The melody is fast, quick, and catchy with the very apparent sound of an acoustic guitar in the background. The meaning is remembering the good times of your childhood or teenage years, yet the lyrics are repeated at least four times throughout the song. The mood is once more that of happy, and uplifting, it's intended to remember the good things about the past, not the bad. Rating-3/5

Haight St.

What's this? Another feel good song by Anberlin? Must be a record. Thankfully though, they managed to get this one right and fix all the mistakes they made in Younglife. The melody in Haight St. is, once again, fast and catchy, like most feel good songs are. The thing that sets this apart from Younglife though is the use of a more electric guitar, giving it more of a rock sound, which Anberlin is very skilled at pulling off. The meaning is another Anberlin classic, girls, and escaping from the world. He sings about taking a drive with his girl, and having a night to themselves, away from the world and everyone in it. I don't think I need to explain the mood again, since it's exactly the same as the two songs above. The one thing I do not like about this song though is that they still left the repetitive lyrics that they had in Younglife. Rating-4/5

Soft Skeletons

When I first heard this song, I thought it was the saddest, most depressing Anberlin song they have written. The melody is that of a slower rock on, the guitar is very evident and I think is a good way to set the mood, the vocals are however not as great I as would like, but still a another quality song. The meaning was the thing that really caught my attention. It's about Stephen Christian talking to a girl that was abused, either sexually or physically, and has since turned to drugs to decrease the pain, and he tells her to "When the light starts to burn And the pain returns I just wish that I could heal the hurt you feel tonight There's life in your veins These needles are chains Don’t you doubt". This is a perfect example of an Anberlin song that has very deep, meaningful lyrics to them. And as for the mood, well, that should be obvious, depressing and sad. Rating-4/5

Miserable Visu (Ex Malo Bonum)

So we've reached the last song, the song that is usually just thrown on the album without much prior thought, the song that's rejected and no one remembers. But this is far from the truth when it comes to Anberlin, and they sure do know how to go out with a bang on all of their albums. Besides, who couldn't love a song with a Latin title and have absolutely no idea what the song is about? Well as for the melody, it changes from being slow, and rather droning, to having a rock sound with overlapping vocals in the end. As for the meaning, it's full of symbolism and confusion that if you want to truly understand it, you will have to dig deep for it. From what I've uncovered it's an apocalyptic song about the end of time on Earth, when Jesus comes back down, when they talk about the man from the see, they refer to the false prophet that will preform many miracles. The line "A man is coming in thirteen one" refers to Revelations 13:1, most of the song is based around this verse. Surprisingly, I can not pick out any specific mood to this song, possibly because there is no need for one? I think that the lyrics explain all that needs to be said, there is no mood required here since you should be focused more on the lyrics than anything else. Rating-5/5

Well we've come to the end of the album, which logically would be the end of the review also, but before I let you decide if you want to waste your gas money to go to FYE and pick up this album, let me leave you with one final note. Even though I feel Cities was a better, if you're a big Anberlin fan, this album will by no means disappoint. So I hope I was able to provide some words of wisdom to you and help swing you're decision about whether or not to purchase New Surrender.

The Three M's

Before I begin my reviews on artists and albums, I would briefly like to explain the basis that I form my opinions on for music, something I like to call "the three M's". The first "M" is for Melody. This means that the beat of the song is smooth and flows in correspondence with everything else, in my opinion this is the most important element in a song, since the sound of the song itself is nearly always the thing that captures a listener. The next "M" is for Meaning. I also find the meaning of a song to be very important as well, because a song without a meaning is like a book without a plot. You will probably notice that I spend much time explaining the meaning behind a song, or at least what I think it means. This is simply because when I listen to a song, I want to be able to experience it in full, the way the artist intended, not just as white noise in the background to block out your parents telling you to finish your chores. The final "M" stands for Mood. I feel that mood is a combination of both the meaning, and melody of the song, the final kick that sends a song over the edge to really give the listener the full experience of the song. One thing I do not like is when artists can not match a correct melody to the lyrics, which in turn throws off the mood, leaving the listener confused about the song. In other words, all three of these elements are needed, in my opinion to make a good song, take out any one of them, and the other two do not function properly, and in the end you have just another sappy love song, or a cliched breakup song in a world already full of too many bands.

Début

A little while ago I saw a bumper sticker that said "Music=Life". I could not agree more with that statement, at least until I saw another, similar sticker a couple days later. This time however the sticker said "God=Life". I began wondering about the two most important things in my life, God, and music. At the same time I wanted to express my newly found hobby in some way. Be able to share my insight on God and music with others. I contemplated about getting a blog, but frankly, I always thought "bloggers" were people that sat in Starbucks with their laptops, sipping a French vanilla espresso, while commenting about animal cruelty in the South Africa. In the end though it was my brother, who also posts blogs on this site, that ultimately convinced me to start my own posts. I do not profess to be great at English, and for many, my posts may be boring and lifeless. But if you're like me and enjoy listening to music, or learning about God, I will try my best to write reviews on albums, artists, maybe even a book or a movie from time to time. And of course every once in a while I will attempt to take a crack at theology. So who knows, maybe one day I'll make a bumper sticker that says "God+Music=Life".