Anberlin Band • Page 6

Yeah there are 3 recordings that exist. The album version is from I think the Target version of Dark Is the Way, the second is from their Spotify Session, and then the third is from the Acoustic Tour recording on the Devotion Deluxe Edition.

Such an incredible song.

 

I've learned to like Vitals/Devotion just as much if not more than Cities and NTFP. I can't even listen to most of NS and nearly all of DITW.

 

Favorite songs from every album? Let's do this!

Blueprints For The Black Market: Naive Orleans
Never Take Friendship Personal: Feel Good Drag
Cities: Reclusion
Lost Songs: The Haunting
New Surrender: Disappear
Dark Is The Way: The Art Of War
Vital: Modern Age
Devotion: Said Too Much
Lowborn: Losing It All

 

That is an impossible task to complete. I'd need to do a top 3...

 

Blueprints: Glass to the Arson
Never Take Friendship Personal: Dance, Dance Christa Paffgen (or Paperthin Hymn)
Cities: *fin
Lost Songs: The Haunting
New Surrender: Breaking
Dark Is The Way: Pray Tell (or "I'd Like To Die" if B-Sides are allowed)
Vital/Devotion: Self-Starter
Lowborn: Atonement

 

Blueprints: Cadence
NTFP: Dance Dance Christa Paffgen
Cities: Dismantle.Repair.
Lost Songs: The Haunting
New Surrender: Soft Skeletons
Dark is the way: Pray Tell
Vital: Modern Age
Lowborn: Stranger Ways

 

Blueprints: Naive Orleans
NTFP: dance dance Christa Päffgen
Cities: *fin
NS: Disappear
Dark: Impossible
Vital: God, Drugs and Sex
Lowborn: Stranger Ways

 

Blueprints: Naive Orleans
NTFP: Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen
Cities: *fin
NS: Miserabile Visu
Dark: Take Me (As You Found Me)
Vital: God, Drugs and Sex
Lowborn: Stranger Ways

 

Blueprints For The Black Market: Naive Orleans
Never Take Friendship Personal: Symphony of Blase
Cities: *Fin
Lost Songs: The Haunting
New Surrender: Breaking
Dark Is The Way: We Owe This to Ourselves
Vital: Self-Starter
Lowborn: Atonement

 

For some reason when you said you disliked the lyrics on Dark, my head instantly went to this song and I figured it would be one of your least favorite. haha

 

That's one of the few where the repetitive lyrics don't feel that out of place or lazy. I think it may also be helped by the fact that it's the first song I heard from the album. It's still easily the weakest song from those I just listed, haha.

 

As much as I love Dark, I don't think I can disagree with your there (except maybe Haunting, which I've always had a strong disliking towards for whatever reason).

 

Haha, I can't fathom not liking The Haunting. Do you have any reason? It's so good. The way he sings "I wish it were us" is incredible.

 

I've never liked the instrumental or lyrics to it. Something with the production has always sounded really off to me and I've never been able to figure out what either. I have no idea, this song might legitimately be my "I'm going crazy" opinion. haha Like, I know why I don't like it but I've never been able to think of what the words to describe why would be.

 

Blueprints - Naive Orleans
NTFP: Paperthin Hymn
Cities: Dismantle. Repair.
New Surrender: Breaking
Dark is the Way: Art of War
Vital: Modern Age
Lowborn: Armageddon

"Said Too Much" is my favorite b-side

 

In reference to the Dark b-sides, had "I'd Like to Die" and "Hell or High Water" been on Dark it would probably be my 3rd favorite Anberlin record (after Cities and Lowborn) rather than my 5th (after Vital and NTFP). I like to put them both in the track-listing and make "I'd Like to Die" the first track cause I like the idea of a more unconventional opener and "We Owe This" never struck me as a great opening track. Then "Hell or High Water" makes a stellar penultimate track.

I don't ever feel like the inclusion of b-sides improves on an album but in the case of Dark they definitely improve it for me.

 

Blueprints - Naive Orleans (by default, not a fan of this album)
NTFP: Dance dance Christina paffgen
Cities: A Whisper, a Clamour
New Surrender: Breaking
Dark is the Way: Art of War
Vital/Devotion: No Love To Speak
Lowborn: Hearing Voices

 

I'm gonna do two songs from each:

Blueprints - Glass to the Arson/Cadence
NTFP - Paperthin Hymn/A Day Late
Cities - A Whisper & A Clamor/Dismantle.Repair
New Surrender - The Resistance/Disappear
Dark is the Way - Pray Tell/Closer
Vital - Self-Starter/Type Three
Lowborn - Atonement/Losing It All

Just a little testimonial on "A Whisper & A Clamor": The first time I heard the song was in 2008 after purchasing Cities on my 15th birthday and I kept the song on replay for hours. I couldn't get to sleep that night because I couldn't stop listening to it and probably replayed the song at least 50 times. I don't think the excitement I had for that song at that time will ever be replicated. First two times I saw Anberlin they didn't play it which was expected, then on their farewell tour in Atlanta I heard the intro hook and almost started crying. Didn't understand how much the band (and specifically that song) still meant to me. Definitely my favorite Anberlin song and certainly one of their most underrated. Hundreds of bands and songs later and there's still nothing like that chorus for me.

 

Gotcha, I've heard the live versions, but never the proper recording. I'll have to check it out!

 

Blueprints: Foreign Language
NTFP: Dance Dance
Cities: *fin
Lost Songs: The Haunting
New Surrender: Feel Good Drag
Dark: Art of War
Vital: Modern Age
Devotion: Said Too Much
Lowborn: Hearing Voices

 

Blueprints: Cadence
NTFS: A Day Late
Cities: Cable Car/Dismantle (can't goddamn pick)
New Surrender: The Resistance
Dark: Take Me (As You Found Me)
Vital: Other Side
Devotion: Safe Here
Lowborn: Hearing Voices

 

I really don't like Naive Orleans. I can't figure out what it is but I really cannot get into that song

 

Blueprints: Naive Orleans
NTFP: Symphony of Blase
Cities: Hello Alone
Lost Songs: The Haunting
New Surrender: Retrace
DITWLIAP: The Art of War
Vital: Other Side
Devotion: I'd Like to Die
Lowborn: Atonement

I realized I have an affinity for Anberlin's slower songs.

 

From an energy standpoint, every album opener is tied.

From an emotional standpoint, Pray Tell and Stranger Ways are the two songs that hit me all over in a visceral way that no songs have ever before.

Having listened to them on a regular basis for over 10 years now, it's almost impossible to rank one album over another for me. They all came out at such important eras of my life.

 

Yeah as far as album rankings go, Dark, Cities, and Vital all shift around as number one for me. Can't decide.

Tier 1: Cities, Vital, Dark is the Way

Tier 2: Lowborn, NTFP

Tier 3: New Surrender, Blueprints

That's the only way I'd be able to explain it haha