Just by looking at the name, you can tell that …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead is not your typical band. Just by looking at the name, you can tell that you will not be seeing …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead in heavy rotation on MTV any time soon. Indeed, these initial judgments of Trail of Dead are true. Trail of Dead is not your typical band.
On their fourth and latest album, "Worlds Apart," Trail of Dead has released a surprisingly accessible collection of songs. While their previous albums attracted a loyal following, there was something about Trail of Dead's music that kept nonbelievers from seeing the light.
They weren't traditional pop songs, and they did not seem to conform to any one genre, drifting from Death Cab for Cutie to Refused in the span of a single song. "Worlds Apart" shows Trail of Dead flexing their melodic muscles. Fans of Trail of Dead should not fret, though, this is no made-for-the-radio album, it's not even close. It's simply Trail of Dead doing what they do best: experimenting.
The album opens with the rousing instrumental "Ode To Isis," which should be an indicator to the first-time listener what kind of musical ride they are in for.
Throughout the album, the production is very slick-almost too slick in places-with a very full sound complemented by complicated instrumentation. The rest of the album unfolds as a loose string of somewhat existential anthems.
The clearest examples of this are on the tracks "Worlds Apart," "The Rest Will Follow" and "The Best."
"Worlds Apart" finds lead singer Conrad Keely treading in troubled waters when singing "How they laughed as we shoveled the ashes of the twin towers/ Blood and death, we will pay back the debt for this candy store of ours."
This is an unusually political subject for Trail of Dead, but it fits in nicely with the prevailing themes of the album. "Worlds Apart" is one of the catchiest songs on the album, yet the melody doesn't seem to be as well-developed as it could have been.
"The Rest Will Follow" is easily the best song on the album and the most existential. The song explains how humans are designed for destruction and the "greatest acts of hate and the worst acts of hate."
The pessimism of the album is present, throughout, reaching a cynical peak in "The Best" where Keely sarcastically sneers, "Things couldn't be better, they are the best," with such disdain that it almost hurts.
The album ends, oddly enough, with a genuine glimmer of hope. "Lost City of Hope," a Stereolab-ish epic, ends with the line "swept away/ oh, but not lost."
Intelligent albums like "Worlds Apart" are a nice departure from the drivel of Linkin Park and Saliva. Unlike the aforementioned bands, on "Worlds Apart," Trail of Dead put some thought behind their moody lyrics, as well as their well-crafted music.
