Customer Reviews

Felt (Dig)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Fans of Anberlin or Copeland have probably been waiting a while for this album to come out... if that's the case you're probably predestined to enjoy this album. Essentially it takes Anberlin front-man Stephen Christian's unique and flexible voice and pairs it with Aaron Marshe from Copeland's unique eery-but-sweet production sensibilities. If you're expecting the manic energy of an Anberlin album you'd best look elsewhere, as the 11 tracks here are as cool and mellow as can be. (The most high tempo song is Steps in a Dance, with its infectious drum loops and squeaky-clean guitar riffs)

Christian gets to exercise a softer side of his voice that you don't normally get to hear on an Anberlin album and he's well suited to it. The lyrics too are much more intimate and small-scale than the epic fist-pumping anthems he usually writes, but it works well. Marshe's production isn't really flexing any new muscles, but he's great at taking simple songs and pumping them full of symphonic personality, which he does here to great effect, and fans of Copeland's signature sound will get exactly what they're craving. It's to his credit that each song on the album stays fresh and unique, despite their simple verse-chorus-verse progressions.

If you're looking for something overtly experimental or innovative you may be dissapointed - most of the tracks are simple by nature. But what you do get is a collection of soothing lullaby-like tracks with a nice tag-team of Christian's magnificent vocals, and Marshe's sugary sweet dream-like soundscapes. To fans of either songwriter, this record comes highly recommended. To those uninitiated, it may convince you to check out their other work as well.

Stephen Christian is, among most, considered to be a lyrical mastermind. His main project, Anberlin, is his most well-known. But not too many people have heard of his new side-project, Anchor & Braille... which was exactly his plan. Many of the songs Christian wrote were not in the same style as Anberlin, and he felt that some of the lyrics were a bit too personal to be sharing with such a large audience. So he devised Anchor & Braille with the help of Copeland's lead singer, Aaron Marsh, who produced, engineered, and mixed the debut, which Christian titled Felt.

Those who are familiar with Christian's genius know that any new material by him is to be highly anticipated. And the fact that this debut has been worked on for almost four years now is
just one more reason why it should be considered a big deal. But anyone looking for the fun, pop-rock style of Anberlin will probably be disappointed, and maybe a bit surprised at the genre. It's mainly acoustic and very laid back. Such is evident with the first track, "Rust (The Short Story of Mary Agnosia)." Stephen uses his falsetto vocals in places, oftentimes reflecting Marsh's singing style. But his voice perfectly displays the ever-so-sad lyrics to follow along. The acoustic guitar, electric keyboard, some violin, and drums all come together to form a style drastically different from what Anberlin fans are used to. Although I must say that while some of the drums in the song seem out of place with the slower style, they help to keep things a little bit more upbeat than they could have been without. It seems somewhat awkward at first, but after a while it shouldn't be difficult to get used to.

The following track and first iTunes single, "Like Steps in a Dance," is a very beautiful song, with lyrics to match. The drums here are, partially, what give the song its character, and fit just fine. Christian uses his fantastic voice to go with his lyrical talent in an expert manner, again using his falsetto in a lot of the chorus. The song is one of the most outstanding tracks on the album. An electric guitar solo in "Blur" is executed perfectly, keeping the tone set by the first two songs. There is not a moment where the music does not strike as beautiful, except maybe shortly at the end of "Introspect," where the guitar just seems a bit haphazard--but entirely acceptable for a song ending and nowhere in between. Also, at the beginning of "Wedding/Funeral" the music seems to stutter for a bit before taking off. I find this slightly irritating, but nevertheless it assures that things never become too dry.

Christian and Marsh manage to keep things diverse, but not so much that there is any unexpected turn. Things stay true to the style throughout, but they mix up things enough to where there aren't any sound-alikes. A crunchy, static-filled guitar solo in track nine (which has a rather lengthy title) goes against the traditional sound found in the majority of the album, which I would say is the only point where they stray from the original concept.

Something that gives a lot of the songs their calm feel is the violin. I found myself drawn to that more than anything else. In places it's eerie--others it could almost put you to sleep with its peacefulness. It's at its most beautiful in "Summer Tongues." The piano throughout is, also, flawless.

"Sleep. When We Die." is another outstanding song, featuring vocals by Marsh in the bridge, accompanied by a sax or trumpet or some other wind instrument, and an electronic drum beat. Those who've heard Punk the Clock, Vol. 3 will recognize the song as formerly labeled, "Still Sleeping," with a few different sounds in places. Marsh also does some vocals on the following song, "Forget Love, I Just Want You To Make Sense To Me Tonight," the lengthy title I spoke of earlier.

Anberlin fans might be attracted to the song, "Sing Out." I found it slightly reminiscent of Anberlin's sound, while keeping it acoustic. It's a bit more upbeat and catchy than the rest of the music, and it's a rather nice addition. Fans of the "Feel Good Drag" acoustic version should give it a listen. And the final track is yet on more beautiful reminder of why Stephen Christian is so lyrically and musically talented.

From originality to the diversity to the unbelievable mind behind it, Anchor & Braille has managed a debut that will most certainly be remembered among Anberlin fans. While it may not satisfy those looking for another fun album this summer, it's certainly something you could find yourself chilling to. Felt is highly recommended to anyone who's into good music in general. I'll definitely be listening to it for a while.

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If you're a fan of Anberlin, then you should already be acquainted with Stephen Christian's vocals...yet at the same time, we find Stephen singing softer acoustic music for the most part...if you're like me and enjoy the acoustic versions of Anberlin singles, you'll be at home with this album. Definitely one of the best records of 2009-2010 (I've been on it for about a month...totally missed it when it dropped). I have a feeling this is going to get slept on...Anberlin isn't super duper popular, and this side project hasn't blown out of the gates as far as notoriety goes...still, definitely worth your time. This is a emotional project that deals with love and marriage for the most part...

Rust (The Short Story of Mary Agnosia) - 4/5 Fairly good opener. Almost a declaration of the state of the youth today in the world, with a sidebar of yearning for something more...

Steps In A Dance - 4/5 Not sure why this was chosen as the only single...not my favorite song on the record, but very good. A light love song that's uptempo...interesting phrasing and playing with words in this one...

Blur - 5/5 After this song, the album starts getting really good. This song talks about blurring lines between love and sin (specificially in the course of a relationship), and the confusion that it causes one to do so...really thought provoking lyrics.

Inretrospect - 5/5 Coming off of the last song, regrets about bad choices made in a relationship...very chill...his vocals come out strongly...

Summer Tongues 10/5 The best song on the record hands down...what a sweet love song! The lush melodies of his vocals and the strings make a sweet combination...this should've been a single, but even so, it's one you should check out for sure.

Calm, Calm, Calm Yourself 5/5 Second best song on the album...has a very classical feel to it almost...with an odd vocal arrangement. A pretty awesome love song that's sweet and honest at the same time. Feels like something for marriage.

Wedding/Funeral 4.5/5 The meaning of this isn't totally clear to me, seems like a marriage that has gone wrong...interesting arrangement, particularly the haphazard static filled intro...good to hear experimentation

Forget Love I Just Want You To Make Sense To Me Tonight 4.5/5 - This one is mildly humorous to me I think, maybe because of the melody and the play on words the song title/chorus contains...interesting love song, that's eggig for clarity in a marriage relationship..

Sing Out 3/5 - This song is okay. Sounds like a stripped down song that Stephen Christian pulled together fairly quickly. I must say though, it sounds the most like an normal acoustic Anberlin track (aside from maybe the subject matter, which is again about love).

Sleep When We Die and Sheet Music will have to grow on me as I keep listening to the album. Sleep When We Die was a bit too blah, Sheet Music was too intimate and drawn out for my taste. Still an awesome album...it's in heavy rotation right now, particularly tracks 3-6. Go listen to the samples and check it out!

In retrospect all I have to say is that this record is ridiculous, and by ridiculous, i mean AMAZING. Stephen Christian strays from his usual sound, which is apparent in his other band, 'Anberlin', and he shows us a much softer (and more likeable in my opinion) sound. The album was produced, mixed, and engineered by one of my role models, Aaron Marsh, frontman of the band Copeland. If you have ever listened to Copeland you will notice very distinct similarities between the sounds on this record and the sounds from all of Copeland's records. I love the way Aaron produced this record, it sounds AMAZING. And, if i'm not mistaken, I believe Aaron played bass on the record and a few strings/piano parts and even added vocals, and Copeland's drummer, Jonathan Bucklew, supplied the whole album with his very talented drumming. Here is a song by song breakdown of 'Felt':

Rust- This is the album opener, and I would have to say that this is probably the 'weirdest' track on the record. Stephen swoons about how everybody is like a machine and were just "rusting to breathe". I think the hard piano in the chorus and delicate falsettos add to the songs brilliance.

Like Steps In a Dance- This song is probably the most "radio friendly" song on the album. It starts of quietly with nice synthetic beats and drops into soft guitar strumming and piano with simple but pleasing chord progressions. The chorus is RIDICULOUSLY catchy, and i LOVE the lyrics in this song. An Example: "Hear me out with just your hands/tell me you're intrigued/please use future tense when talking to me". It's a little strange, but that's why I love it!

Blur- The verses in this song are what really hooked me...not to say that the chorus isn't great, but it seems like after such a great melody in the verse that the chorus was a little bit of a letdown. The bass in this song is ingenious, and the keys are mesmerizing.

Inretrospect- This is a really great song all around. With all of the strings and everything, it reminds me alot of Copeland's 'I'm a Sucker For a Kind Word' of their album 'Eat, Sleep, Repeat". Aaron Marsh's production style is predominantly displayed, as Stephen sings about past times, wondering if it was 'heaven or hell'

Summer Tounges- This song is my absolute favorite off of the entire album. The bass is sickkkk...and the the horns in the chorus are incredible. The melody is dazzling and just soo freakin catchy! To really appreciate this song (and pretty much all of the others) you gotta have a really good system because the bass in this song is INCREDIBLE. i think that's my favorite thing about this song. lol

Calm, Calm, Calm Yourself- This is a really great song that really comes to life during the second verse. It ends with an abundance of strings and horns that harmonize wonderfully with the melody.

Weddin/Funeral- The verses in this song are great, but The chorus is awesome too. The bass in this song is fat as well, and it really brings the song to life.

Sleep, When We Die- I have to say this is my least favorite song on the album. It does have a neat part in it though, towards the end it starts bumpin to some heavy beats with a female singing.

Forget Love, I Just Want You To Make Sense to Me Tonight- The piano at the beginning of this song is something I can't get out of my head because it's so nice. Again, we see simple chord progressions, but the tone of the piano sounds so lush and and blends so well with the thick little beat it accompanies. Marsh lends his vocals in what I think is the best part of the song. This song has some fat bass also.

Sing Out- I think Stephen's voice shines the most on this song, and I also think this is the song with the best melody. The verses are very nostalgic, and just when you think the whole song will be acoustic, the drums kick in and living things up a bit.

Sheet Music/Sheet Music- The thing I like most about this song is the chorus, Christian's "baby"'s, and Marsh's "ahhahhahh"'s blend and harmonize in such a way that it creates a dream like soundscape for the listener. A great way to end an AMAZING album

I would DEF. recommend this album to anyone looking for chill music made by VERY talented people, and especially for fans of Copeland.