emptywishes's Full Review: Designing a Nervous Breakdown by The Anniversary
Everyone needs a feel good cd. Something poppy you can sing along with, drive to, clean house to, etc. A band with 3 vocalists, all equally sharing the lyrics (two guys and a girl). Strong guitar chords. A Moog (I have a Moog obsession, what can I say?). All this and more can be found in The Anniversary's "Designing A Nervous Breakdown."
The album starts out with an almost a cappella number called "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter." I say almost because there are instruments... in fact the song starts out with a guitar and Moog solo. However, the way the vocals blend together, and jump from vocalist to vocalist is a cappella-like in sound. The lyrics are a series of observations and metaphors that strike up an ever-changing visual imagery.
And I'll march slowly and I'll never forget
how that black dress fell upon your white neck.
Grand Isle rests quiet this time of year
and I know you will be leaving soon my dear.
"Perfectly" starts out with a keyboard sound that reminds me of a train travelling down its track, giving the song a bit of momentum for its start. The drum beat in this song is extremely simple, but well accented to give some power to it. It also has a really cute, simple keyboard solo mid-song that you can't help but bob to. I love the lyrics to this one:
It's the secrets beneath the leaves I'll keep with me.
I'm falling up and down.
And I'll never write the letter I wish you could read,
the words perfectly.
"The D in Detroit" has a rather odd rhythm to it. Adrianne (the female vocalist) has a wispy solo in this song that reminds me of a breeze sweeping across the musical plains (I'm such a poet). This song has a special place in my heart at the moment, as it's about the distance between you and the one you love, and I've got a few thousand miles distance to keep my heart aching currently.
I kept your picture just behind the eye
those weeks when our distance grew.
Drove north where I found you waiting in Des Moines
thank God I'm not losing you.
The sound of an old knob-style tv changing channels kicks off "Hart Crane." This track is a lot calmer and slower paced than most of the others. The drums give it a feeling of a protest march at points, and the vocals once again outshine everything else the tune offers. The only weakness is that I'm not really sure what this song is about... anyone want to help me out?
Fall through heart,
your hands were always so small,
it's the things about this place,
tonight we escape.
My fave track off the album is definitely "All Things Ordinary." However, I believe the true reason for it is the fact that it was the first Anniversary song I ever heard. The chorus sends me back to memories of young 'love'...
Was it the end -- the end that kept you up till the morning?
Was it the boy -- the boy who stole your heart?
Summer goes on and then dies quick without much warning.
All things ordinary.
There's nothing weak about this album... the only thing that could cause you to dislike it would be your personal tastes. If you like your music indie-pop style, this cd is definitely for you. You might as well pick it up... after a few tries, I ended up buying it new because I could never find it used, so the worst-case scenario is that you end up selling it back to your local cd store and make a fair amount off it. Give it a spin!
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