Cities CD

The third studio album from Florida's Anberlin is a sprawling modern rock masterpiece, charged with energetic hooks and pulse-pounding rhythms. Cities includes "Godspeed," "Hello Alone," "Inevitable," and more.

Following a lengthy tour in support of its breakthrough second album Never Take Friendship Personal, Anberlin returned to the studio to emerge with Cities—an album that, for lack of a better term, just sounds big. With tighter playing and stronger writing, Cities displays Anberlin’s growth as a band, as the songwriting team of singer Stephen Christian and guitarist Joseph Milligan lead the Florida quintet to focus on not just creating a collection of rocking songs (which they do), but creating a solid album.

It quickly kicks into gear with the frantic anthem “Godspeed,” followed by the upbeat and radio-ready “Adelaide.” As one would expect from Anberlin, Cities is packed with plenty of numbers that bring the rock, such as “A Whisper and a Clamor” and “Alexithymia.” This doesn’t mean that the band has to hide behind amps at full gain, though—the ballad “The Unwinding Cable Car” displays Anberlin’s skill in stripping its material down to a couple of acoustic guitars with minimal drum and bass to produce one of the strongest songs on the record.

There is a fine art to creating closing tracks, and Anberlin manages to pull this off pretty well by saving some of its best songs for last. The heavy, yet slightly downbeat “Dismantle Repair” fades nicely into the appropriately-titled “Fin,” which begins with mostly acoustics, then transitions into the entire band playing at full volume, before finally adding in a full children’s choir; the result of which is near-epic. If the grandeur of “Fin” could be captured earlier throughout the album, it might be what Cities needs to not just be a good album, but to be a great album.

Lyrically, Cities seems to move from enthusiasm in taking on the world (“they lied when they said the good die young”) to disappointment and loneliness (“is anybody out there?”), followed by a bittersweet nostalgia that leads to hopeful possibility (“things are going to change now for the better”), suggesting the sense of struggle that comes with growing older and going forward in life. Cities, if anything, evokes a hope for the future.

ANDREW SCATES- CCMMagazine.com

Average Rating:

5 of 5 Reviews Showing:

Reviewed by Levi (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), October 15, 2008

This is the best CD I have ever heard! Their unique sounds cannot be found anywere else and I would give it six stars, but their newest one looks even better. I will get old before this CD does.

Reviewed by jim (peabody, ma), May 10, 2007

one of the best albums of the year so far. excellent blend of driving rock, subtle electronics. and wow, "Unwinding Cable Car" just gives me chills. don't miss it!

Reviewed by Ben (Tucson AZ), April 06, 2007

I am I new fan of Anberlin and I must say They really have impressed me. I pick up Cities just to see what it was like and it is now one of my favorite cds. The guitar was good, but I enjoy the interesting harmonies. Th effects on the songs are good, but the lyrics are also a big part of the album. There are some very powerful messages. Godspeed, Unwinding Cable Car, and Dismantle Repair are my favorites, but they all are very good. Hats off to Anberlin on this one.

Reviewed by Jonathan (Deerfield, IL), March 19, 2007

Before I listened to this CD I was warned by a friend that this CD was too much like their past hit "Never Take Friendship Personal." I was very pleased with the progression Anberlin has made. They were a great band from the start (Blueprints for the Blackmarket), but they have improved with each CD release. If you liked any previous Anberlin CDs you'll love "Cities." My favorite song on the CD is "A Whisper & A Clamor" which has a good massage and a catchy tune that is so hard to get out of my head. Props to Anberlin for a good CD worth buying and playing over and over and over again...

Reviewed by Anonymously Me (...,...), February 28, 2007

This a good improvement over Anberlin's last album. It shows that they have grown as a band--with tighter lyrics and a newer sound. This has my seal of approval. "Godspeed" will probably be the most well-known song on the tracklist, but quieter songs like "Unwinding Cable Car" [one of my favorites] are not to be overlooked. Lyrically, some of the songs touch on darker subjects, but this album still seems to have a "there's always a silver lining" attitude to it. To the members of Anberlin: Good job, guys!

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