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February 13, 2005
. . . and you will know us by the trail of dead :: worlds apart
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You'll never see Borrowed Tunes mark down a record in this space for being too prog-rock - we like successful prog-rock records as much as any other sort. It's just that there aren't very many of them; it's difficult to balance the necessary complexity and bombast with the focus and approachability necessary to hold our ears. This Trail Of Dead release comes very close, but ultimately short - probably because it takes a relatively safe road between the two. Prog-lite, if you will.
Some of the "serious" webzines [PopMatters, Stylus, and Pitchfork], who heaped praise on the Trail Of Dead's previous long-player - Pitchfork bestowed the rare (and irrationally exuberant) 10.0 - seem to have been deeply disappointed, even personally let down by this change in direction. It doesn't seem that grave to me. They generally overpraised the last disc, setting themselves up.
The more popular press is giving this a kinder ride, but without a lot of insight. Rob Sheffield, who can be worth reading, hedges his bets in this review for Rolling Stone. "A heroic monster of an album."
Ultimately, like many prog works, almost every song here has many moments worth listening to and equal stretches of frustration. The lyrics are full of cheap punk anger and vague sentiment. Conrad Keely isn't a good enough singer to stand the (misguidedly) cleaned-up production of this attempted breakthrough. Musically, it's the spectrum of 90s indie and alt-rock motifs in a grand parade. Yet I'm oddly compelled by the scope, and I've mostly enjoyed listening to it.
I'm proud of them for using the official march-of-the-prog-soldiers rhythm for "A Classic Arts Showcase", and for beginning the album with a song titled "Ode To Isis". They've got the fundamentals down.
So, back to the thoughts at the top: if you're a prog dabbler, this is worth a spin. Musical reactionaries need not bother.
Will You Smile Again (mp3)
Let It Dive (mp3)
Posted by John at February 13, 2005 07:11 PM
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