Bands That Made Me Go 'Ooh' 2011, Part One: ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

Worlds Apart

2011 was, in many ways, not a great year for me and new music. I spent a good portion of the year out of the country, and therefore deprived of access to original sounds for one reason or another. As for the rest of the year... well, I don't have an excuse really. I'll blame it on dinosaurs.

In spite of this, there were a number of bands or albums that I discovered over the course of the year that caused me to incredulously declare “How have I not listened to these guys before?!” This was usually followed by my running around, grabbing everyone I knew that liked said artist and cursing them for not tying me to a chair and forcing me to listen to them at gun point, before accepting that being late to the party was probably my fault. Or, at worst, those pesky dinosaurs were up to their old tricks again.

Anyway, I have picked five of the best of these albums to talk about, and will be doing so in the coming weeks. Without further ado, let us begin.

5. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – Worlds Apart

Trail of Dead are a band with whom I have had minor dalliances in the past, and as this was really meant to be about newly discovered bands they only warrant the bottom spot in this list. The album was just too good to leave out, really.

The Texas pioneers are perhaps best regarded for being part of the second wave of the American post-hardcore movement along with bands like Hot Water Music and At the Drive-In. Walking in the mighty footsteps of Fugazi and Embrace they are partly responsible for expanding the scene in the US and, indirectly, for the rise of the emo scene as we know it today, which isn't as bad a thing as most people might try to tell you.

Given my affinity for more modern post-hardcore bands, in particular British acts such as Hell is for Heroes, Reuben and Funeral for a Friend all of whom can trace a direct lineage to Trail of Dead (with HifH even going so far as having members of the band appear in the video for the single Night Vision) it is perhaps surprising that it has taken me this long to get round to them.

Whilst on some occasions for this feature I will be discussing bands whose entire catalogue has wowed me, in this case, it is one specific album which has caught my ear. It has made picking an album for the article easier, but also makes me wish that I had been blessed with the prescience to expand my listening that little bit further back in 2001 when I first really got in to the scene. That album is 2005's World Apart, which has come quite late in the band's career. It is actually an album I have had on my iPod for some years now, but for whatever reason have never really managed to get past the opening few tracks.

The album itself starts off with 'Ode to Isis', which is little more than a prelude to build up to what is to come. As that soars to its crescendo the band bursts in to life with 'Will You Smile Again?' This is a curious song which just as easily could be split off in to two separately coherent songs around the 1.45 mark, but works equally well as one. In fact, the raucousness and urgency of the first part of the song counterbalances the more relaxed and methodical latter half quite well to create an interesting flow that is reminiscent of some of The Cure's work.

Up next is title track 'Worlds Apart' which offers a scathing indictment of corporate America in the post 9/11 world. Celebrity and consumer culture come under heavy fire from Conrad Keely's vitriolic lyrics in what, for me, is the stand-out track of the album. It is a sharp, but short example of why these guys have influenced so many bands since they formed in the mid-90s. Despite the fact it could perhaps have benefited from another verse, it is a powerful song.

Other notable songs include the sweeping 'The Rest Will Follow', which shows the band's more mainstream rock sensibilities and its follow-up track, 'Caterwaul', which is reminiscent of Blur's heavier offerings. The rest of the album is filled out with the sort of fare you would expect from a band that, by now, more than knows their way around a post-hardcore record, and has had, at this point, over a decade together as a band to develop their own twist to a sound that they largely invented themselves anyway.

Mixed in there are some surprisingly floaty offerings that wouldn't be out of place on a Radiohead or Modest Mouse album. These songs give the album a unique balance that really adds something to its sound as a whole, and offer a broader appeal to those that feel less inclined towards the heavier songs the band are renowned for. Finally, just for good measure there's a short Eastern European folk-style song in there too.

Overall the album gels very well as a single piece of music. The rapid and repeated switch between the more fast paced punk infused songs and the lighter, more flowing indie riffs in songs like 'The Best' and 'The Lost City of Refuge' provide an interesting back and forth that is often missing in bands these days and shows a depth of talent that a lot of artists would give their right leg for.

I would recommend it for anyone who is a fan of post-hardcore generally, but also for those who would like a bit of an insight in to the sort of sounds that have inspired a lot more of the modern rock scene than you might imagine.