Review Summary: Retrace the steps we took on that lost summer night...
Chapter IV: Where Do We Begin?
If there’s any album in Anberlin’s discography that gets overlooked too often, it’s definitely
New Surrender. It seems to get a lot of flack for being a few steps back from their magnum opus
Cities, lacking the emotional spark and passion of the band’s best record. After all, that album gave us “(*Fin)” and “Godspeed”, songs that will go down as some of the band’s greatest works they ever made. Let’s face it – Anberlin were never going to top
Cities, no matter how hard they tried. The perfect flow and emotional output of that album was tremendously precise, with just enough passion to feel relatable. It was a record that just managed to get everything right, and the end result was more than extraordinary.
Had
New Surrender been released at any other point in Anberlin’s discography, it would have been heralded as one of the best albums they had made. Whether it’s the jittery “Blame Me! Blame Me!” or the heavy, riff-driven “Soft Skeletons”, the same energy and emotion so flawlessly showcased on
Cities is still present. There’s so much beauty in the depths of Stephen Christian’s vocal performances, and “Haight St.” is a prime example of his talents. As he cries, “We’re old enough to know but too young to care”, shaking off all the worries in life just to focus on love and its rewards, the amalgamation of the youthful spirit found on their debut and the maturity of
Cities results in one of the album’s highlights. The 8-bit-like synths found on the track’s intro are a nice unique touch to an already stellar tune.
Even though
Cities was the pinnacle of Anberlin’s maturation from their early pop-punk style days,
New Surrender picks up right where its predecessor left off by continuing to strive for more musical progression. “The Resistance” features rather aggressive vocals by Christian, and Joseph Milligan’s powerful, heavy riff only helps it. Although the remake of “Feel Good Drag” does add a bit more sheen to the rough original, it still remains one of Anberlin’s hardest tracks to date, with its instantly memorable introduction and absolutely breathtaking instrumental section. Sure, there may not be a scream in the bridge, but other than that, the differences are so few and far between that it’s hard to understand a strong preference for either version. Whether it be the aforementioned synths at the beginning of “Haight St.” or the stomp-clap-stomp beat of “Younglife”,
New Surrender sees Anberlin trying new cues and reusing their old strengths to their full potential.
While it’s nice to see more progression from the band,
New Surrender’s greatest moments come when Anberlin hone what made
Cities so flawless. Although “Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum)” continues the tradition of epic closers, it manages to distinguish itself from the pack by releasing its build gradually into one huge, arena-ready chorus that features an absolutely shredding solo from Milligan. Unlike (*Fin), which erupted and subsequently faded for nine minutes, “Miserabile Visu” lets the energy drop in one rapid chord. “Retrace” is the album’s equivalent of “Inevitable” – an emotion-filled ballad that shows off the best of Christian’s high note singing. Even if it mourns lost love instead of celebrating joyous times, the track hits all the right feels, and the string section that comes in during the bridge not only adds to the song but also shows another instance of Anberlin’s progression. Similarly, “Breathe” is
New Surrender’s counterpart to “The Unwinding Cable Car” – an utterly emotional acoustic ballad that showcases all of the band’s greatness.
Even though the record isn’t as flawless as
Cities was, it’s still pretty damn good. Like its predecessor,
New Surrender is rarely boring – only “Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)” and “Disappear” lack the traditional Anberlin flair, and the rest of the album contains some of the best songs the band has ever made, as “Retrace”, “Haight St.”, “Soft Skeletons” and “The Resistance” are just some of its highlights. With Christian’s soaring, versatile vocals, Joseph Milligan’s heavy, magnificent riffs and Nate Young’s intense drumming, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Anberlin’s star-studded lineup is capable of churning out consistent material each time out.
New Surrender often gets overlooked because it’s not as good as the masterpiece that came before it, but even with the stakes, Winter Haven’s finest delivers. After
Cities, my expectations were rather high – even though I knew it wouldn’t top it, I still expected something spectacular. The band’s progression and growth are still prevalent as ever, and when something so miserabile visu as this album comes up, it can ex malo bonum. An underrated record indeed.
It’s too bad Anberlin soon made breaking hearts look
very easy.
