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

Madonna
Label: Merge

Genre: Post-punk, indie-rock

Rating: 8.9/10

When they left the Trance label for the renowned North Carolina-based Merge in 1999, ...Trail of Dead were already on their way to bigger and better things. At break-neck pace, they produced the stunning end-of-millennium "Madonna," an album that solidified them as the Sonic Youth to fellow Texans At the Drive-In's Fugazi. We'd learn later it was all in preparation for their critical zenith, "Source Tags & Codes," and then their commercial one, "Worlds Apart," but for what it is, "Madonna" is a major achievement.

What makes it so? The spoken-chant intro (of which only their debut does not have a rendition; "Source Tags & Codes" cleverly omits "Invocation" for all releases but the Japanese version) segues into the triumphant single "Mistakes & Regrets," a blistering number with a whispered verse Jason Reece utilized all the better to make his louds seem louder. "Totally Natural" is a humorous, self-aware observation of the kids that go nuts at their shows, another single and a raucous recording that, much like the rest of their canon, never truly captures their live show in proper. The most illuminated moment of the album is revealed two tracks later though, when the epic "Blight Takes All" finishes on a round of crickets (perhaps Incubus heard frogs instead for "Aqueous Transmission"...?) which leads into the beautifully fractioned guitar line of "Clair de Lune." There is nothing more explosively dynamic on the album. Tinkling pianos, softly-militant percussion, and undulating guitars build to a crescendo when Conrad Keely screams with all his heart, "And I know" as the others hum "What good are promises, if nobody honors them?" It is an enlighteningly tortured rock-moment experience, and when it's over, the way is paved for the remaining eight tracks, highlighted by the unrelenting "A Perfect Teenhood," maybe the most juvenile, furious rock song the band has ever produced. What makes it better is the instrumental piano ballad "The Day the Air Turned Blue" that precedes it.

In fact, that is the crux of ...Trail of Dead's success: Despite their either full-on screaming or full-off mumbling, the music is so incredibly dynamic that, at this stage of their career, they could get away without noticeable vocal melodies. "Source Tags & Codes" may have been their great Statement, but it was "Madonna" that really made it all possible.

Worlds Apart Single
Label: Interscope

Genre: ROCK

Rating: 6 of 7

This should be a joyous time for Trail of Dead fans with the release of the much anticipated follow-up to the amazing Source Tags and Codes, but alas, you and I weren’t the only ones to realize the potential of these 4 black-clad kids from Austin, TX. I have to first give props to Interscope for signing the band, but I quickly retract that because they have pushed back the already finished album to a late January release because of other, larger priority album drops by similar artists like Eminem, Gwen Stefani and U2… because I know at least every time I listen to The Eminem Show, I immediately follow it up with Source Tags and Codes and wash down that with repeated listens to “Beautiful Day” (extreme sarcasm). Anyways, enough bitching; at least the sympathetic major label kept us salivating with this single which features the title track from the upcoming album Worlds Apart, along with a Genesis and Monkees cover. Too bad only one track is playable. The single sounds like a party anthem for a late night, drunk-fest at a secluded bar somewhere in Texas. The Genesis cover resembles “Intelligence” from the prior EP, and is very good. The Monkees cover is the only playable track, and is a slightly darker take on the song, but pretty bad-ass, so just play it over and over again. As for me, I got a few months to kill before the full-length; I guess I could go listen to the new U2… or maybe no.

Worlds Apart
Label: Interscope

Genre: Ambitious rock and roll, or pretentious art-rock?

Rating: 6.5 of 7 (or 9.6/10)

This may be the hardest review I have had to write thus far. I guess the first thing to say is "Worlds Apart" is no "Source Tags & Codes," but how could it be? But I am also too big of a fan of the black-clad Austin boys to just dismiss them as having peeked and take my poster of the wall. I want to be as objective as objective as possible and not even relate it to "Source Tags," but I just can’t. While "Source Tags" was raw and brash, "Worlds Apart" is more polished and produced, but don’t get turned off just yet. They are still as ambitious as ever and composing extremely over the top progressive songs that rock as hard as they do soothe. The collection of songs 4, 5, and 6 are the most accessible the band has ever been, opening them to a much wider audience… But they are also good enough not to run off their existing indie fans. Also, they have not toned down live yet either even if their songs have: I saw them destroy an entire stage at CMJ. So in conclusion, "Worlds Apart" is no "Source Tags & Codes"… no shit right? What I'm trying to say is don’t sell it short and just give up on the band either. Just clench your fists, place your indie pride aside, give it an objective chance and make your own damn opinion… because they sold me.

"Ode to Isis" will turn a lot of people off right at the outset, but the band has been doing big intros since "Madonna" and why "Invocation" was left off "Source Tags & Codes" probably goes to the fact that there were already enough tracks on the pan-Atlantic releases to merit a full album without that, "Life is Elsewhere," or "Blood Rites." "Will You Smile Again" is the first proper track, a song about Brian Wilson's reemergence and one that has the all the hallmark dynamics of a typical Dead song: Quiets to make the louds louder, lyrical bluntness to tie it all together. Its very loud intro has served as the opening number on the "Worlds Apart" tour, but the thump-thump-thump of the bass drum is given a bit more life live, something Conrad Keely is forced to mask on record with more vocal melody than he's ever used before. The title-track is a sometimes-clever, mostly-not dancehall waltz. The children that laugh in the background liven things up, but the half minute of birds chirping at the end takes away from it in the run up to the wishy-washy ode to Seattle grunge, "Summer of '91." Second single "The Rest Will Follow" is a standout and unquestionably the most accessible cut here, a triumph for percussion and one of the most brilliant songs the band has ever put to tape. With lineup changes heading in to the recordings (bassist Neil Busch was out but is present on the album (Danny Wood replaced him) and auxiliary drummer Danny Schroeder also joined Jason Reece at live shows as a second percussionist), the live performances that were produced on the other side clearly made this the most emphatic statement of their new material. "Caterwaul" is hard to ignore even in the wake of the most triumphant song of the album, a genuine rock tour de force that allows Reece to use his less melodic vox in a way we'd only previously seen on "All St.'s Day."

But whereas the first half of the album varies in tempo and keeps the interest of the listener for better or worse, the second half seems to get a bit lost in trying to exploit excess piano-playing here or Big Rock Moments there. "A Classic Arts Showcase" loses itself with climax that takes too long thanks to an orchestral interlude, diminishing an otherwise emotionally-charged song about how they really don't care about the hype being written about them (perhaps they never suspected what kind of public hounding they'd get for "Worlds Apart"...). "Let it Dive" is a droning number that, at 4:45, takes far too long to end and is probably one of the weakest tracks on here. The inevitable instrumental "To Russia My Homeland" would be better suited to the opulent courts of Alexander III in St. Petersburg circa 1886, mysteriously sounding like It's a Beautiful Day's "White Bird" in the process. "All White" could've been a great tune but it feels unfinished at under two minutes... And still they manage to add orchestral flourishes. "The Best" is, much like "Will You Smile Again," a deceptive track that starts out rocking as hard as any other song on the album before launching into a tambourine-rattling chorus. Instead of relying on the bass drum, though, acoustic guitars strum mischievously behind Keely's singing. It is a glorious track that finishes on a low note: After the overpowering melancholy of the climax, a wailing woman and a reprise of "Worlds Apart" brings the track to an unceremonious conclusion. Luckily, ...Trail of Dead have always thought more about the album, and this set-up allows mellow closer "Lost City of Refuge" to saunter in on an electronic drum track that hints at possible future hijinx.

A lot of talk has centered around the bombast and the pretension of the album, but what's ironic is that ...Trail of Dead have always meant every word they sang (or screamed) and every note they played. This is in stark contrast to their spiritual forefathers The Smashing Pumpkins, who in an abstract sense were completely the opposite, building a rock empire on what they were perceived to be (Sonic Youth no longer applies as a reference point starting here). It's surprising not many people have acknowledged the Big Picture connection: On an abstract level, ...Trail of Dead have thus far mimicked the Pumpkins' career almost identically. Their self-titled debut and "Madonna" hark at their early form but point the way to bigger and better things, much as "Gish" did for the Pumpkins. With "Source Tags & Codes," ...Trail of Dead hit their critical zenith with a major label and probably would've garnered more accolades for 2002's best rock album if it weren't for Interpol; likewise, the Pumpkins soared on Virgin with "Siamese Dream" and if not for "In Utero" would have been recognized as the true triumph of 1993. With nothing left to prove and nowhere to go but around, "Worlds Apart" and "Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness" polarized the public and blew away all comers with sheer sound. We all know what happened with the Pumpkins and "Adore," but it's hard to think ...Trail of Dead would ever consider a folk-based electronic record. Still, if "Lost City of Refuge" is any indication, and if history does indeed repeat itself... Well, we'll leave it to the band and instead just revel in the most unapologetically rock album of the year.

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