Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Phenomenal, February 21, 2007
Read all the professional reviews, and tell me if you can find one bad review about this CD. I have yet to find one. In fact, I challenge you to find one that does not rant and rave about this CD and how good it is.
I am an avid music listener and I have over 200 CDs. I knew "Cities" by Anberlin was going to be amazing (from all the hype about it and falling in love with a couple sample songs before the CD even came out). So I went to buy the CD on opening day. I'll just cut straight to the chase. After listening through the CD only about 1 and 1/2 times, the CD became an instant favorite. This happens VERY VERY rarely to me. In fact, I am pretty sure the same applies to most everyone.
"Cities" is a masterpiece. Want to know why? To put it shortly, The songs are incredibly melodic and addictive. The rhythm, guitar work and vocals on each song is mind-blowing. The production quality is downright professional.
If you're looking for all out rock (kinda like Anberlin's first CD), you won't find as much of it on here. You still will find plenty though. The amount of "all out rock" songs may be not as much as their previous albums, but the quality/edginess matches, if not surpasses them. "Godspeed" and "A Whisper and a Clamor" will no doubt get your adrenaline flowing with each listen. Others like "Adelaide," "Hello Alone," and a few others will top off your needs to rock out, and will also provide you a moment to bask in these songs' soothing lyrics and melody. One that sticks out the most to me, as it does to many other fans apparently, is "Dismantle Repair." It's a wonderfully written song that balances itself between the soft side and edgy side of Anberlin.
However, where I really think this album shines and makes such an outstanding contrast from their previous work is its providing the listener with incredibly written, softer, acoustic-driven songs. I fell in love with these songs the second I heard the first chord. There are many on the CD, and each one is beautiful and mesmorizing to say the least. And I think this is where Anberlin has shown their maturity/progression as a band in this album. "The Unwinding Cable Car" and "Inevitable" (Anberlin's romantic ballad for this CD) are definitely two of my favorites.
I saved the best for last. And so did Anberlin. "Fin," the last track on the regular edition album, is, personally, one of, if not the, prettiest and most amazing songs I have ever heard in my life. You don't need to take it from me though. Every review never fails to mention this song and describe it as "epic," "beautiful," etc. It's 8 and a half minutes long, and it will utterly captivate you. It starts out acoustically and is so harmonious that it will be enough to make you want to close your eyes and give full attention to the sound is making your ear drums feel like they just hit nirvana. The song progresses into melodic rock. After a while, you will start to hear a beautiful children's choir start to sing over the electric guitars, and there's a good chance that you will fade in and out of reality. Ok maybe not, but it can certainly happen. Just listen to the song yourself. Everything matches perfectly. The song fades out with Christian's vocals reaching the highest I have ever heard them.
I whole-heartedly agree with many of the reviews I've read when they say that this is very likely to become the best CD of 2007 in the rock/Christian/indie music scene. Heck, it's one of the best in my music collection.
Get the CD. No questions asked. (The special edition has 3 bonus tracks and is $10 at Best Buy on its opening week)
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Third Time's a Charm, February 20, 2007
If you enjoyed "Blueprints for the Black Market" and loved "Never Take Friendship Personal", "Cities" is the album that you've been waiting for. In a way, it's more of the same: the winning combo of "Never Take Friendship Personal" with the raw energy of "Blueprints[...]". So, if you enjoyed their previous two albums, you're certain to like this one. There is, however, an evident maturity throughout.
The time spent into making this album is obvious, as the production, quality and "feel" of the album is very near perfection. Musically, Anberlin kept faithful to their unique sound, while adding elements that ensure creative musicianship in this critic's mind - many, many vocal harmonies, for example; as well as use of other instruments like violins and, if my ears didn't decieve me, a Children's Choir (in the brilliant "(*Fin)"). Vocal overlays and vocal sound effects also add variety in this energetically beautiful production. There are also some more slower songs ( the first of which was seen in "Never Take[...]"), that are uncommonly original and equally alluring. Lyrically, this album is much more poetic than their previous releases, thus making it a bit more profound. From lost loves to finding salvation, Anberlin knows what they're doing and it most certainly shows. One song that I truly love that is missing from this album is "Haunting", the six minute masterpiece you got for free if you dowloaded the "Godspeed" single off of iTunes (you can still get it there, by the way).
Overall, this is a must-have for all Anberlin fans and a great start-up album if you're not. If you found their previous releases mild and average, that's probably what you'll think of this one. No matter where you stand, however, this awesome band has made a fantastic record (both in content and production) worthy of a good listen or two.
Enjoy!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cities = Amazing, March 10, 2008
For every individual who listens to music, there is also that one "iffy" band. It could be a band that has released solid yet not spectacular albums, or has released a few great songs and a few mediocre songs; basically, it's a band that has grabbed your attention but cannot seem to hold on to it. One band that has fit this description for me is Anberlin. Sure, their first two albums have some great tracks, but they also have contained tracks I could care less for. They've also been a band that couldn't seem to figure what they wanted to sound like. Some tracks they would be very intense while other tracks were as poppy as can be. Because of this, Anberlin was a band that I was very lukewarm towards. Until I heard Cities. With their third album, the Florida quintet has shattered everything I used to think about the band. Produced by Aaron Sprinkle, Cities display a vast improvement in every aspect. The drums hit harder, the guitars sound tighter, and Stephen Christian's vocals soar higher than every before. In other words, the overall sound of Anberlin is bigger than ever.
The first thing I immediately noticed was Nathan Young's improved drumming. Whether it's Sprinkle's doing or just an improvement with age (or a combination of both), it is vastly better and adds so much to the overall sound of Anberlin. The musicianship from guitarist's Joseph Milligan and Nathan Strayer and bassist Deon Rexroat is tighter than ever, adding more depth from what they played on 2005's Never Take Friendship Personal. But most impressive of all is the improvement of Christian's vocals. I don't know how he did it, but his voice commands your full attention in each song, whether it's his powerful or gentle delivery. When discussing the best voices in the scene, Stephen Christian HAS to be brought up. He is, in my opinion, the best singer currently in the scene.
Musically, the band eliminates almost all their pop sensibility while remaining immensely catchy. There aren't any songs that'll be so sugary that it'll rot your teeth. Rather the album displays a moodier vibe throughout, as displayed in the "(Debut)" track. They also hit harder than ever before on the rip-roaring first single, "Godspeed," as Young relentlessly pounds on the skins. The synth makes a few appearances on some tracks, adding another element to tracks like "Adelaide" (which is one of the catchiest choruses' Anberlin has ever written) and "Reclusion," an industrial rocker played at break-neck speed. "Hello Alone" features superb drumming again from Young and Milligan and Strayer guitars bring on an assault to your ears. "Alexithymia" begins slow and gentle, but the guitars on the outro needle in and out along with soothing background "ooohs." "Dismantle Repair" is bound to be a fan favorite, as the band balances when to be loud and when to be quiet very well.
While a lot of the songs are high on adrenaline and are meant to played loud, there are still a handful of slower songs that Anberlin excel in. "The Unwinding Cable Car" is a beautiful track that shows how versatile Christian's voice is, while "Inevitable" is the romantic ballad of the album, featuring the line "I want to be your last first kiss/for all time." But the highlight of Cities comes in the form of the six and a half minute album closer, "(*Fin)." The acoustic guitar is mesmerizing as Christian calmly sings his passionate lyrics. But the song really reaches its peak when all the instruments kick in, along with a children's choir, to give "Fin" an emphatic and epic ending. Not only is the best song Anberlin has written, but it is also one of the best songs you'll hear in 2007.
To describe Cities as the maturation of Anberlin would be an incorrect assessment. They have always been mature; rather this is the progression of their sound. They have taken what they've produced on previous albums and taken it to the next level. Could this be the best album Tooth & Nail releases all year? Damn right, it could. Should major labels be knocking on Anberlin's door after this release? Damn right, they should. Fans of the band will be knocked to the floor after hearing this, and Cities should be able to gain some new fans as well. It sure as hell converted me.
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