Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal

I really, really, really wanted to hate Anberlin. On the surface, they seem to be ready made for my scorn. The cryptic pseudo-intellectual album cover, the emo-esque complicated song titles (i.e., “A Heavy Hearted Work of Staggering Genius”, “(the symphony of) blasé”), a page on myspace, the brooding photo shoot and promo pic. And that’s not even getting to the music - which is nothing new for Tooth and Nail: Power chords, brooding vocals, and my ultimate production pet peeve - all the vocals, rhythm section are all produced at the same level, which makes things just a little too smooth and, well, produced. To my surprise (or chagrin) some of the tracks did make me want to leave them on my playlist after the review was done. Within the unoriginal power-pop-punk-emo-whathaveyou genre, Anberlin seem to make do with what they have. The songwriter is stronger than some and seems to understand the basic ideas of harmonizing and consonant cord changes which are hard to argue with. The “oh ohs” and “yea yeas” seem to be in the right place. Anberlin has the potential to rise to the top of the pop-punk market, but that genre is under much scrutiny, so I am not sure how much of a widespread exposure or acceptance they will get. Either way, don’t expect a life-changing experience. [www.anberlin.com]