Is it a hit, *hit or miss?

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Worlds Apart  by Mark Hensch

posted 03-24-05

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Worlds Apart
Label: Interscope
Hit, *hit or Miss?:  Hit
Rating: 

....And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (henceforth for reasons painfully obvious, or so I hope, referred to as simply "The Trail of Dead") picked a fitting name for their newest release, Worlds Apart. On the band's 5th album, and their 3rd for major label Interscope records, the Trail of Dead have at last reached the epitome of their diverse influences. Since their self-titled debut, to following albums (in chronological order) Madonna, Source Tags and Codes, and The Secret of Elena's Tomb, the Trail of Dead have gradually taken their noisy rock leanings and mixed them with an ever-expanding nod towards classical and pop music, mixing two highly disparate genres and shattering the musical spectrum into a prism of blinding light. The Trail of Dead are highly infamous for their chaotic stage endings, bashing and breaking everything in sight with a rage that surprises and shocks the unprepared. As their new albums come and go however, the band has kept that almost punk spirit and integrity while layering their actual music with softer art rock and elements of classical as well, for a sound that is almost always elegant, sparse, and perversely graceful.

I say perverse as long-time fans of these Texan terrors can attest. Frontman Conrad Keely has a strange, snickering lisp that sounds like a pissed-off Brit popper looking to drop some jaws. The Worlds Apart thematics will do just that; on one end the band crafts moving and poignant music only to switch gears into raving rants that should make various people angry. It will also make slightly fewer confused: how can this band deride "those c**** on MTV" over samples of giggling kids and have an instrumental track of symphonic violins? God only knows, but with so many Worlds Apart nowadays it seems like Trail of Dead feels those Worlds have plenty of catching up to do.

"Ode to Isis" is a weird way to start an album. The song has slowly building piano keys, moody choirs chanting an incantation to the gods of the Egyptian mythos (Isis is the goddess of love in case you were wondering), and swirling strings and guitars. The song ends with the spoken line of "...and you will know us by the trail of dead." 

"Will you Smile Again?" is a solid tune that has arty rock guitars and a plodding drum beat. The song even boasts trumpet fanfare here and there, and the pounding yet sparkling riffs provided an excellent backdrop for Keely's melancholic vocals.

 "Worlds Apart" should piss tons of people off, and the band should be happy they have enough guts to make a song like this. The resonant guitars cascade into a wall of sound as flocks of children laugh at Keely's frequent f-bomb profanities and his railing against everything from the rock scene to media fallacies to the most touchy of subjects, 9/11. I'm pretty open-minded, but this song came close to making me mad, and so it must be doing something right. It's excellent irony is the fact it sounds like a happy ditty on pop radio while bashing gaping holes into things many people hold very dear. 

"The Summer of '91" is one of the disc's best adventures, and this quiet piano ballad is one of the most truly moving songs I have heard in ages. It could as well be called "The Summer of (insert year)" as anyone who has ever grown out of their childhoods will relate to this song. Approaching my senior year of high school and wondering where I will go from here, the song's glittering keys and distinctly upbeat guitars struck a very strong chord indeed inside my chest. Single "The Rest Will Follow" is an airy and open-ended rock track that pounds with a strange arena and art rock muscle: it's passionate chorus makes for good sing-alongs and "Follow" is another strong song. 

"Caterwaul" has some noise rock experimenting, Dandy Warhol-ish vocals, and soaring loud art rock choruses. "A Classic Arts Showcase" is an intelligent rant against television, yet it is fairly forgettable the first listen or two until the song's strange choir jam in the middle catches listeners cheerily off-guard.

 "Let It Dive" is a watery rock ballad that is a crystalline and transparent track; guitars soar and drums splash like huge silver fish in an endless ocean. "To Russia my Homeland" is a kicking violin interlude that simply rules. "All White" is an odd brit-pop blinker, and "The Best" is an awesome art rock romp. Closer "Lost City of Refuge" shimmers with nearly trip-hop sounds, gently rocking the album to a deep and fulfilling sleep.

Worlds Apart seems to revel in its own contradictions; soft and heavy, elegant yet crass, deep yet shallow, sneering yet soft-spoken. I can't help but feel Trail of Dead exploited these opposites with a clear purpose and there is a deeper message hiding in this CD most casual listeners will miss. Regardless of which part of the various spectrums you gravitate towards, Worlds Apart is still like any other CD; it can terribly alienate people or it can unite them in ways no one before considered. Consider no matter what this: no matter how far apart everyone is, ...And you will know us by the trail of dead fuse so many intriguing elements that all sorts of music fans won't feel separate at all; in fact, I'd vote quite the opposite. Well, everybody except "those c***** on MTV" that is.