...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: January 20, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Trance Syndicate
• ASIN: B000004B8W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #158,524 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead first surfaced on the Trance Syndicate label in early 1998 with this self-titled flash-storm of detuned guitars that recalls the ragged freeform dynamic of Sonic Youth and the guitar-mangling excess of the Who, but which has a tendency to slip into borderline prog Dungeons & Dragons fantasy. It was, unsurprisingly, a hit with the few critics who actually got to hear it, but Trance Syndicate's bankruptcy stalled its progress. Trail of Dead's cult reputation quickly grew, leading to this reissue. Fans of 1999's Madonna might be surprised; tucked around the righteous punk-rock rallying calls, there are forays such as "Novena Without Faith" that reveal a far more experimental side to Trail of Dead's oeuvre. As baptisms of fire go, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead ranks up there with the best of them. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hang on to your seats, it's the Trail of Dead!, December 28, 2000

By	Michael Heminger "pantherboy" (Pardeeville, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was a substitute teacher about 10 years ago and had the pleasure (?) of taking a 'special' class of hyperactive kids to an assembly on Valentines Day, AFTER they'd gotten amped on candy.

AYWKUBTTOD are just like those kids - the world of music is their playground, and once onstage they just CAN'T KEEP STILL. At the first live show I saw (before this lovely gem was released) they broke a snare drum on the first song, and were shocked when another local band lent them a drum (bands in their native Austin know better). I remember drummer/guitarist/singer #2, Jason, walking offstage in mid-set and twirling around on the floor on one arm, as if to stir up the crowd like a human blender. These guys have a lot of energy to release, and usually take it out on their arsenal of equipment that knows it lives on borrowed time.

Sonically, this band makes an undeniable nod to the great Sonic Youth era where beautiful noisescapes were barely contained within 'song' frameworks. The Trail of Dead boys have done their homework, and offer a storybook of consistently mesmerizing works of sheer power and pensive grace.

In the album's opener, they get their manifesto right out there, ("This is a riot, right??") as if to warn the timid to hang on dearly. Then "Novena Without Faith" proves just how many gears of the rock machine these guys have mastered with a mellow, yet driving, dreamy quality. Check out the sound byte enclosed here of "Fake Fake Eyes" to hear how much territory they can seamlessly cover in 30 seconds.

Their albums can be addicting for the sheer force of the moods they create, particularly in "Gargoyle Waiting" which sounds like one of them took up residence atop a cathedral in December. The album draws to a close with a sneaky bang on "Ounce of Prevention", creeping in on a one-note wail and building into a frenzied wall of teen angst.

High-quality rock fury and craft that has not been touched since Sonic Youth decided to be a cutesy art band.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take It All At Once, February 20, 2005

By	Marc Redshaw (Peoria, IL USA) - See all my reviews

I'll have to admit that the first time I tried to give this album a listen, I was anything but impressed. The first song ("Richter Scale Madness) seems to just be a badly produced homage to punk, and the second song ("Novena Without Faith") sounds like it was ripped right out of Sonic Youth's "Bad Moon Rising." I think I took it out of my CD player sometime in the middle of track number three.
I got home later that night and popped it in, again. And again, I was unimpressed. I spaced out for a while, and then all of a sudden I was hit by the sonic explosion of "Prince With A Thousand Enemies." My mouth was hanging open, I remember thinking something along the lines of "what in the hell just happened?" I listened to that song around twenty times in a row before I finally let it continue on to "Ounce of Prevention." And it happened again, pure sonic terror. The dissonant opening and the punk hued drums, the shouted vocals, the terror, the terror.
The whole deal about this album is definitely in how it builds. This isn't one that you buy for a few songs because everything is made so much more by the listening to of the whole.
I suggest this and any other ...Trail of Dead (save maybe "Worlds Apart") for anyone who heard Sonic Youth's "Sister" or "Daydream Nation" and was only left craving more. A truly jarring listen.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of a truly great rock band..., February 4, 2005

By	Jonathan Bowerbank "Filmmaker/student" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

People have complained about the production value of this album. That when played it sounds real quiet as if music is being played in the other room or something. All you have to do is turn it up louder than you would with most CD's, it appears there's just a problem in the digital levels of the CD.

That aside, this album is just awesome, it rocks, it's seminal Trail of Dead. If you love their newer albums, you'll love this album just as much. No matter what other idiots might think, this band is one of the most original sounding rock groups out there and with their great musical knowledge, talent and skills as artists I doubt that will change.

See them live and hear these songs played again as if they were brand new, you'll have a whole new opinion of the band.