I would imagine that listening to The Anniversary's new album, Your Majesty, is very much like watching your kids go off to college. They've come such a long way so quickly and you're just so proud.
The musical ideas on Your Majesty are fascinatingly complex. The influences are apparent but extremely tasteful and carefully selected. The structure of each section of every song was obviously intensely calculated.
All this from an indie-emo band that practically no one has even heard of? And this is only their second album? They grow up so fast!
The Anniversary's first album, Designing A Nervous Breakdown, was full of catchy, intelligent music, which at times went beyond what the listener would expect. In terms of the "average" indie sound, it was a breath of fresh air, with interesting rhythmic shifts, surprising keyboard sounds and some of the only harmony vocals that I can really withstand. But distorted power chords and an overall emo sense of good feeling drove it more than anything.
So, what happened? The Anniversary graduated from rock 'n' roll high school, that's what happened. The band has learned to take musical ideas and carry them out.
OK, so "Sweet Marie," the first song on Your Majesty, is just as catchy as anything else the band has produced thus far. With its unforgettable refrain and Weezer-like beat, it might even be the album's most immediately memorable moment; but it is not very representative of the rest of this intricate disc.
"Crooked Crown" is a Beatles-heavy pop success. "Peace, Pain and Regret" not only has the most vintage-sounding keyboards and harmonies this side of the 1970s, it also contains reoccurring themes from "Sweet Marie." I thought "concept albums" went out 25 years ago.
The rest of Your Majesty is just as unpredictable. Many songs feature lengthy emotional instrumental passages more reminiscent of Roger Waters than Rivers Cuomo. The album is heavy on acoustic piano -- an instrument virtually unheard on the band's previous releases -- and dramatic, Pink Floyd-esque guitars.
Lyrically, The Anniversary has matured as well. The listener is treated to several reflective songs, such as "The Ghost of the River," an acoustic ballad which tells us to "walk slowly the rest of your life my dear." "Follow the Sun," the album's last track, is an inspirational invitation. The band makes it clear that everyone, in the end, moves on; The Anniversary itself has done just that.
Your Majesty is audible proof that the streets are still safe for our growing bands. If the progression continues logically, perhaps The Anniversary will someday become as notable as some of its influences.
