Anberlin
New Surrender
Universal Republic
8/10
Oh, it looks like someone hit musical puberty. Now that Anberlin’s proverbial nards have dropped, they can get to properly rocking a mic. Now, I’ve never had a problem with Anberlin, but I’ve never rocked Anberlin of my own accord. That may very well change. While I thought that their last album was kind of boring, New Surrender comes out to make up for it. It’s well known that Anberlin is considered a “Christian band,” so what? Just as I could care less the religious beliefs of any band I listen to, I could care less about Anberlin’s religious beliefs.
The thing I do have a problem with, though, is when they feel into the same weird harmonizing and “uplifting” arrangements I heard to no end in my days as a chuch-goer. I always thought it was a cheesy trick to make a song sound more inspiring, and both “Breathe” and “Younglife” slip in and out of the trap. I think that “Soft Skeletons” and “Feel Good Drag” have the most solid balance of melody and shredding. Starting off with “The Resistance,” Anberlin show that just because they won’t kick your ass for no good reason doesn’t mean they can’t. All in all, New Surrender shows a promising growth in abilities and possibilities for the fellas.
-Jonathan Yost