And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Century Of Self
And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead have now launched into our laps their latest musical offering in the very arty form of Century Of Self, which I have been hearing rave reviews about over the past few days...
Well i have to say that don't I? To be honest, until it landed on my desk I'd never actually listened to this band in great depth; I knew people who have, and there seems to be no middle ground with these, you either love or hate them.
The 2.39 long intro which is dubbed Giant's Causeway for some bizarre reason. this whole band intro thing, whether it be to an album, or gig is really starting to bother me at the moment. Yes i know you wouldn't expect a book or a story to begin without an introduction, and you can all point that out until you're blue in the face, but the point it, music is music, and it's better to get on with it rather than spending three minutes farting about with drawn-out build ups... we're not making love after all.
By the time we get to The Far Pavilions I have done what the boys wanted me to do and waited for them to make their entrance rather than skipping that damned instrumental, and okay, so it's worth waiting for.
Conrad Keely begins to whip us into shape with his ever delicious vocals as he careers his way through the first song like a bear in a china shop, I love the way that Conrad and Jason Reece's vocals are back to their familiar sinew-straining call and response.
I'm not overly thrilled by Isis Unveiled which is quite uninspiring as the boys just trudge along to a droneful beat which makes me feel a little like I'm in a prison and going about my daily 'duties.' It's not exactly the 'get your pretty feet dancing' type of music I love, and I begin to panic that the final 1.30 minutes drags on like waiting to be hung; but oddly, the finale 45 seconds or so encapsulate a sudden burst of life and I'm left feeling, well plain confused.
Bells Of Creation has a bizarre likeness to the theme from CSI: Miami but at five and half minutes long, I'd much rather be watching Horatio Caine solving murders than sitting here.. I'm starting to worry that I'm falling into the "I don't really like them but they're good if you're into that sort of thing" category.
Fields Of Coal bring a slight delight to the proceedings and it could actually make for a fine drunken sing-along in my local nightspot; it reminds me of the Flogging Molly gig I went to just before Christmas... I'm seeing people twirling each other around on the dace floor and lifting their jars of ale in the air... maybe that's just Lord Of The Rings? Hum.
Inland Sea is another great anthem for killing yourself to, and I think they might have spent a little too much time listening to The Verve's back catalogue; if i am going to be listening to this, I might have to be taking drugs, despite Richard Ashcroft's dire warnings.
I'm hoping that being a solo kiddie, Pictures Of An Only Child might resonate with me, and the slow build up to a crashing chorus is pretty good, and with gritted teeth I find myself selecting this track to import into my iTunes. I love the dark melody and the deepness of the music, it's like it's coated in tar or something, struggling to break through the speakers.
Insatiable One really strikes a chord with me; the vocals are backed by a beautiful piano melody, and it's a very theatrical which i doubt you can find from many other bands. I absolutely love the way the song takes you on a journey; if you close your eyes you could be treading the streets of Venice with a sun parasol twirling over your shoulder...
That is of course until you're rudely interrupted by the punkish blasts of Ascending which, although it yanks me out of my daydream, is still fairly good, although it's positioning in the album is sort of like when someone wakes you up with hardcore dance music after a night involving far too many Gins.
Overall, there are some good moment on the album, which make me see why some of my friends love them so much, but at the same time, there are parts that just make me scratch my head and want to get A Day To Remember back on the player.
I think it's safe to say that And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead are a competent band with what they do, and you should at least give them a chance before discarding them. But it's going to be a case of like or dislike here... and to be honest, I can't really put myself in either bracket for the time being... it could be a grower.
Rating: 2.5/5
Skip To: Pictures Of An Only Child
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