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The
Anniversary By:Peter Berard (Lawrencerock.com Designer/Editor) |
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A lot has changed
for The Anniversary during the two years between their debut album and
their latest release, Your Majesty. For one, the Lawrence band
has gone from relative local obscurity to one of the biggest names in
the so-called "emo" rock movement. Their success is largely
due to three factors: the band's catchy synth-pop sound, the fact that
they feature three vocalists including a female, and their ability to
put on energetic live performances that might make U2 jealous. Changed, too, is
The Anniversary's music. As the months and
years went by since Designing a Nervous Breakdown the band yearned
for a sound that was no longer inspired by The Cars and Rentals albums
they grew up on. When it came time to record Your Majesty, the
band decided it was time to leave their childhood influences aside in
favor of something different. From the very first
measures of "Sweet Marie", the first track off Your Majesty,
it becomes obvious that The Anniversary has drastically changed its
sound and production techniques. The band has decided to go old school,
and we're not talking about the 80s anymore. Your Majesty
is loaded with influences from countless 60s and 70s bands including
The Beatles, Big Star, and The Beach Boys. What most of these bands
had in common was the ability to write catchy, easy going pop/rock songs
that were bursting with harmonies and sing along melodies. This is exactly
what The Anniversary was going for with their new record ... and it's
exactly what they have produced. The stand out track
of the album is, "crooked crown," a song built around a catchy
guitar riff that also features a chorus that will stick in your brain
for days. Another track of note is "Never Die Young", a song
that not only shows the band's prowess for writing three-part vocal
harmonies, but also showcases how far their voices have come since their
debut. Unlike Designing a Nervous Breakdown, where all the vocals
sound like they are being sung through a tunnel, the vocals on Your
Majesty are bright, warm and up front in the mix. As a whole, the
production is sterling. There is absolutely nothing raw about it. Every
guitar and keyboard tone found on the album appears to have been meticulously
picked to fit just right into every song. This attention to detail has
made for album that is smooth and refined, which undoubtedly has taken
away most of the band's previous edgy sound for good or for bad. While a loss in
edge might be a debatable detraction from the album, an aspect that
is not debatable is the album's lack of thought provoking lyrics. Not
unlike many other pop/rock bands that spend most of their time writing
melodies and harmonies, The Anniversary's lyrical content tends to be
underdeveloped. The lyrics found on Your Majesty might be more
profound than the slightly sappy emo lyrics found on the first album,
but they have definitely not come as far as other aspects of their song
writing. On "Sweet Marie,"
The Anniversary sing "Sweet Marie, there is a hole where your heart
should be/ and on the hill, she's begging for a harmony". I am
sure that you can bring her the harmony guys, but how about bringing
some depth? The rest of album is filled with light-hearted lyrics about
girls, falling in love, and being young ... nothing earth shattering.
But to be honest
I don't know if I really care that the Anniversary aren't making any
profound statements about life and existence. The lyrics fit the songs,
and the songs all sound good. Your Majesty is a solid album from start to finish. If you are a die-hard Anniversary fan it might take you a while to get into this record, but after repeated listens it will become apparent that this is by far their best work to date. This will surely be one of the top two or three local releases of the year, and it might even make some waves on the national level. This album is a great showcase of what Lawrence musicians can produce.
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