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by steve sobel (steve) / stephen swift (swifty) - Apr 15, 2002
and you will know us by the trail of dead - Source Tags and Codes Review #1 - Steve Sobel "Source Tags & Codes" brings many things immediately to mind upon first listen. Elements of At the Drive-in, Nirvana, Mogwai and Sonic Youth spring forth as definite influences, but make no mistake, they certainly have their own sound. There is something to be said for this album's intricacy. It manages to actually have a life and a trajectory of its own, moving in and out as it pleases, and taking you along with it from time to time. It suffices to say that this CD would not make good background music - it's too involved. From the opening track, "It Was There That I Saw You", the album emerges quickly. Your personal taste will either accept or reject the Trail of Dead immediately - their sound is too harsh and chaotic to gradually win anyone over. During several portions, the guitar playing serves more as a timekeeper while the vocals provide melody - after which breaks in the music allow for more freedom with the guitar playing. Sticking to relatively basic lines, however, they recede to the background as the drums provide more interest. Add the simple guitar and bass, complex drums, and melodic vocals together, though, the instrumentation provides that "wall of sound" feel that many independent acts are adopting. As the album progresses, the next track to stick out is "Baudelaire" - a catchy tune with a simple but hooky guitar riff. If the Trail of Dead are to be played on the radio, my guess is that this is the track. (It's always track 3 on a CD, isn't it? Weird). The singing here is much less gritty, and there is more vocal harmony with the guitar and bass, giving a sense of pop appeal to this otherwise gritty group. "Source Tags & Codes" does not vary a great deal, yet it manages to do so just enough to maintain interest. The music does create an ebb and flow, but in the context of the album, there are no tracks that stand out as exceedingly different from the rest. That said, what's consistently there is good songwriting, a rather distinct sound influenced by many sources, and a lot of emotion. It is said that Trail of Dead's live shows are a testament to how much emotion goes into the music - with equipment and/or people being broken on a regular basis. While the music isn't extremely heavy, it's not hard to imagine what a live Trail of Dead show would be like. I know I'd go check them out... Review #2 - Stephen Swift ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead have managed to craft a pretty damn impressive sophomore full-length, Source Tags and Codes, but I've listened to it over and over, in an attempt to see exactly what it was that made everybody and their mothers bend over backwards in their efforts to heap praise upon this album, and I don't get it. Sure, it's fun, and it might be the most sonically intense record of the past three years, bar none (sorry, Andrew WK), but going so far as to say that it will change the way you listen to music, which some people have indeed claimed, is like having sex with your ex-girlfriend and then telling everybody you got into a threesome with Christina Ricci and the girl from the White Stripes. Sure, such an album might have been sorely needed, but the Trail of the Dead aren't the second coming of Christ. Or, for that matter, Fugazi. Of course, the deliniation between "excellent" and "essential" is a pretty fine one, and it would be unfair to try and define that difference without first giving the album credit where it is due. The Trail of the Dead have spent years honing a specific sound, which is both loud and intense without being noisy. Each of the eleven tracks is driving and insistent (save the tenth track, which is a short, rhythmless segue), whether it's in a balls-to-the-wall mess of distortion and screaming like "Homage," or merely implied in the shuffling, winding guitar figure of "How Near, How Far." It is impossible to listen to this album without feeling a sense of urgency, which is a large part of what makes it feel so vital. It really is a breath of fresh air after such a long string of albums focused on understatement (eg: The Microphones' "The Glow, Pt. 2," Death Cab for Cutie's "The Photo Album," Clinic's "Walking With Thee" - hell, even The Dismemberment Plan's "Change"). That's not the only trick the band has, though; each song on the album is structured, instead of simply written. No song has a simple verse-chorus-verse progression, and piano and strings float from song to song, only appearing where their presence is beneficial. The piano stabs in "Heart Is In The Hand Of The Matter" are a perfect example of this - a lesser band might have thrown piano over the whole song, or simply removed it altogether. Instead, the addition feels natural. These elements give the whole album a robust, thematic feel, which make it difficult to only listen to the first four songs, or to pick it up halfway through. It is, in short, greater than the sum of its parts - something which each great album strives to be. In fact, should timing and luck converge, I can even see this album as the starting point for an entire trend in the indie rock scene - of bands turning it up a little bit more, or paying more attention to song structure. That having been said, the real issue with the record is that it is, perhaps, too much the sum of its parts. While the thematic element of the album is partially what makes it great, it cripples the individuality of each track. Few songs rise above the rest, with "How Near, How Far" being a notable exception, and while their sound is, again, unique, it can be a little too much. Furthermore, this band does not let you breathe; even in the spots where the songs quiet down, it is always that same quiet - the quiet before a storm. I sometimes have a hard time listening to this album in its entirety, simply because it wears me out. Bands like Jawbox, Chavez, and Fugazi have all learned the trick of knowing when to slow things down, or mix things up, just enough to keep things interesting, and when the Trail of the Dead learn to do this, they will be unstoppable. However, they don't quite get the formula right this time. What they end up with is merely an excellent album instead of an essential one. I own, love, and recommend this album, but I'll say the same thing Chuck D said: Don't believe the hype. |