Anberlin Cities Review Christian Perspective

Many artists say that their third album is usually their best, and this proves very true with Anberlin. Cities (Special Edition) was produced by Aaron Sprinkle, the same person who produced “Never Take Friendship Personal” and “Blueprints For The Black Market”, the bands first two records. If you thought the jump in maturity between Blueprints and NTFP was huge, this album will completely blow you away. As a part on the special edition package, there is a bonus dvd that shows the band recording the album at London Bridge Studios, in Seattle Washington. It also has three bonus songs not included on the regular version.

This album has a very specific sound to it. Almost all of the songs have a common feel; however each song is radically different from the next. You can hear consistent similarities between slower songs, such as “The Unwinding Cable Car”, and faster, heavier songs, such as their first single, “Godspeed”. You would think that this would give the album a very repetitive and boring sound, however it is exactly the opposite. The consistency between the songs draws you in as a listener, and leaves you begging for more. Lead guitarist Joseph Milligan, who does most of the bands’ songwriting, shows off his natural skill without drawing the spotlight to himself. The guitars on this album are quite a bit heavier than their last record, giving it almost a hardcore sound, but there is not even a hint of screaming anywhere to be found. Another thing listeners will notice is the difference in the drumming on Cities. 18 year old Nathan Young has probably shown the most growth of anyone in the band between records. He is able drum with a passion, and play without holding anything back, something he said that he wasn’t able to do recording NTFP. Overall, the mix of fast, guitar driven songs and slow melodic songs make the band sound like they have been playing together a lot longer than the three years they actually have.

According to lead singer Steven Christian, the lyrics in Cities are focused on the age-old debate between man verses self, unlike NTFP, which he described as man verses man. While it doesn’t directly say anything about Christianity, the album gives listeners a positive outlook in the constant debate. Steven’s vocal range on this album is simply amazing. He is able to reach very high notes at high volume without going over the edge and screaming. He is also singing backup on almost all of the songs. The epic song *Fin is a great way to close the album, with its haunting vocal arpeggios. All of the lyrics on this album are clean, and give a positive outlook on any situations that may occur while trying to find your purpose in life.