...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes

What are major labels thinking? At a time when rock radio revolves around bands like Creed, Nickelback and Tantric, why do the labels continue to sign indie artists that probably wont be able to get one song on 99% of the rock radio playlists around the nation? Case in point. About a year ago Interscope Records, signed Austin, Texas' And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. Make no mistake, Trail of Dead are an incredible band, blending Sonic Youth-like wall of noise guitar riffs with the up and down scream to whisper vocals of unwound, to create one of the most raw sounds in music today, but they just don't really belong on a major label. Picture this, after the sales for Source Tags and Codes don't top the 250,000 mark, the band's label will sit the band down and explain the ups and downs of rock radio, practically drawing them a map for their next album. That's a sad fact in the music industry and hopefully things are going to change, but until they do we might only get one great album from a band before they are forced into mediocrity. However, we will remain hopeful that Interscope will allow the band to continue to make music that they belive in, and not try and make the band alter their sound. With band's on their roster such as such as Dredg, Queens of the Stone Age, Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, the seems that the label may be catching on to some really great music. I will assume that Interscope heard Trail of Dead's first two independent albums (self titled and Madonna), so maybe they do know that they are getting into, because Source Tags and Codes isn't a departure from the sounds on those album in any way. Think of it as a trip further down the road. There are some wonderful moments on this album, the ability to go from the raw power of "Homage" directly into a piano solo, down to a whisper and back into the rage of "How Near How Far," is probably what Trail of Dead are known best for. Strike that, Trail of Dead are easily best known for their maniacal live show. Often leaving the stage with their equipment trashed and along with the crowd covered in sweat, if not blood, Trail of Dead are defiantly a band that have hammered out their following on the road, with huge followings in the Southern part of the US and all over Europe. With the release of Source Tags and Codes, Trail of Dead are hitting the road for a few months and will surely come to your town. Don't make a mistake and miss them. [www.trailofdead.com]