Anberlin Band • Page 58

Unstable
Safe Here

v bummed to see Safe Here bite it so early. One of their best B sides ever

 

Unstable
Someone Anyone

 

Oh man. Here we go

IJSW (I remember that this was a super polarizing song when it was first released, and I was unsure about it at first, but it grew on me very quickly and I now think it's a gorgeous song. Unstable is great too, but IJSW manages to take it for me on all of its layers and beauty)

Someone Anyone (The Vital B-sides are all fantastic, and so it hurts to vote against 2 of them in this round. Safe Here is the heaviest of the four b-sides and is probably my favorite overall. Someone Anyone however is super catchy and fun. It was close, but Someone Anyone is just a bit more enjoyable to me)

 

There are like 4 matchups next round that are giving me anxiety.

Self-Starter versus God, Drugs, and Sex is just not fair.

 

did not see this. Easily the two best songs here imo.

 

Unstable – IJSW is good, but those vocal effects date the song so much and take me out of it.

Someone Anyone – This is just classic Anberlin.

 

Unstable (IJSW is probably their worst song, tied with Hearing Voices)
Someone Anyone

 

The first three tracks plus Type Three and Modern Age. I like Someone Anyone a lot, but it's not a stand out for me. But YES. Killer beginning. The first three songs might be my favorite three-song run in their entire discography.

 

Those are fascinating songs to single out as the band's worst. I love both of them personally, but I can see how IJSW would be polarizing and Hearing Voices might sound too mainstream.

 

My first thought when hearing the chorus for Hearing Voices was "huh, sounds like Paradise by Coldplay".

 

Lol. "I hear Para-Paradise! In my head!"

 

I would argue the same for the last 3 songs on the album. Orpheum, Modern Age, and God, Drugs, and Sex is an insane 3 song run.

 

IJSW
Someone Anyone

 

Unstable
Safe Here (This was really tough)

 

IJSW
Safe Here

 

IJSW
Someone Anyone

 

IJSW
Safe Here

 

Totals before bed:

Unstable: 11
IJSW: 7

Safe Here: 7
Someone Anyone: 11

 

Yes. So good. Orpheum used to not stick out to me much, but it's grown on me a lot.

Come to think of it, I think my only real complaint about Vital is that Intentions and Desires sound almost like two different versions of the same song to me. And I still like them both a lot. Such a solid album.

 

Heh, that’s how I feel about intentions and innocent. If there’s a flaw on this album it’s that the synth tends to be really similar across several tracks, at least to me it feels like it.

 

The synth causes the album to blend together a little more than it should, which is a shame because the band fires on every last cylinder and I think it would be considered the band's best by most fans if they'd let up on the electronics a little. Even the vocals in Modern Age, which I adore, sound just a little too mechanical in the chorus.

Also why Little Tyrants is a huge standout. I wish more of the songs on the album sounded as raw.

 

IJSW

Safe Here

 

I think the electronics are really well done and help more than hinder the songs personally.

 

Oh I totally agree!! I think they're what makes Vital what it is. Just wish they'd toned it down on a few of the tracks.

 

Time to move on?