Who are they?:
Anberlin is an alternative rock band from Winter Haven, Florida that has
released 5 full length albums and has had two songs chart in the top 10 on the
Alternative Rock charts (“Feel Good Drag” and “Impossible”.) Honestly, I’d be
quite surprised if you didn’t know who Anberlin was already.
Why are they band of the week?: They just returned from a
run of East coast dates playing stripped down and acoustic renditions of their
songs. The show, which I was lucky enough to catch in Lancaster, PA, was the
best performance Anberlin has ever put on. Now, Anberlin has announced that not
only will they be embarking on a West Coast leg for that tour in the future,
but they will also be releasing a live album of one of the performances from
the tour. And on top of all this incredible news, the band is gearing up to
release their sixth studio full-length, Vital,
which is scheduled for release on October 16. Vital may be one of the very few albums released this year that has
the potential to pass The Gaslight Anthem’s Handwritten
as Keep Calm and Carry On’s Album of the Year. The first track off the
album, “Self-Starter” was released last week to overwhelming praise. Some,
including myself, have said that drummer Nate Young has put on the best
performance of his career in the song. And then just a few days ago, Anberlin
put up the fourth song on the album, “Someone Anyone” on the homepage of their
website. The song is aggressive and driving, and, while not as good as
“Self-Starter”, is one of the best rock songs released this year. Explaining
the album title to Billboard.com, vocalist Stephen Christian said, “Our
favorite part of any show is when people are absolutely going mental, screaming
at the top of their lungs, dancing along, having the best night. We felt like,
if that’s what gets us off, why don’t we just write a whole record like that.”
What you need to listen to?: Seriously, just take a listen
to “Self-Starter” and try to tell me that the drumming isn’t the single best
drumming performance of the year. Nate Young goes absolutely mental for this
entire song, blasting massive fills like there will be no tomorrow. If this
song is indicative of how good the rest of Vital
will be, then it will be a serious contender for Album of the Year.
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