For every individual who listens to music, there is also that one “iffy” band. It could be a band that has released solid yet not spectacular albums, or has released a few great songs and a few mediocre songs; basically, it’s a band that has grabbed your attention but cannot seem to hold on to it. One band that has fit this description for me is Anberlin. Sure, their first two albums have some great tracks, but they also have contained tracks I could care less for. They’ve also been a band that couldn’t seem to figure what they wanted to sound like. Some tracks they would be very intense while other tracks were as poppy as can be. Because of this, Anberlin was a band that I was very lukewarm towards. Until I heard Cities. With their third album, the Florida quintet has shattered everything I used to think about the band. Produced by Aaron Sprinkle, Cities display a vast improvement in every aspect. The drums hit harder, the guitars sound tighter, and Stephen Christian’s vocals soar higher than every before. In other words, the overall sound of Anberlin is bigger than ever.
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It’s inevitable, +44 and Angels & Airwaves will be (unfairly) compared. Yes, both bands feature members from one of the most influential pop-punk bands ever, blink-182. And yes, both bands released their hotly anticipated albums this year. But, this is where all the comparisons end. While AVA’s album was trying to be the next U2, Mark Hoppus wrote more about the end of blink and how horrible his past year had been. While +44 isn’t completely different than from the sound blink-182 captured on their last release, it would be an injustice to the band to categorize their debut album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, as “blink-182 with synths.” It’s much more than that on this thirteen track journey. Produced by Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker, with some help from executive producer Jerry Finn features a nice balance of upbeat pop-punk tunes, arena-sized rockers, and somber tracks.
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