Cities — Anberlin

Anberlin's Cities came out on Tooth & Nail on 20 February 2007. It's twelve tracks and runs forty-six minutes thirty-one seconds. The band cut it in July and August 2006 at Compound and London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington. Aaron Sprinkle produced and engineered it, just like he did on Blueprints for the Black Market and Never Take Friendship Personal. Randy Torres engineered too. Mike Shipley mixed it with Brian Wohlgemuth assisting, and Ted Jensen mastered it at Sterling Sound in New York.

Stephen Christian sang lead and played keys. Joseph Milligan played lead guitar, sang and played keys as well. Nathan Strayer played rhythm guitar and sang, Deon Rexroat played bass and Nathan Young played drums and percussion. Aaron Marsh of Copeland sings on "Inevitable," and Matt Slocum arranged the strings and choir. Ryan Clark of Invisible Creature handled art direction and design, and Parker Young took the photos. There was also a special-edition CD/DVD with a making-of film.

It debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard 200, selling roughly 34,000 copies that first week. That was Anberlin's first top 20 album, and at the time it was the second-highest debut ever for a Tooth & Nail artist. It got to No. 6 on US Rock Albums and No. 2 on Top Christian Albums. "Godspeed" came out as a single on 26 December 2006, "The Unwinding Cable Car" followed in 2007, and both got videos. A Godspeed EP landed on iTunes ahead of the album in late 2006. For their first headlining US tour, the band took Bayside, Meg & Dia and Jonezetta along. I'm giving it a 9/10.

What you're hearing

(Début) opens with a minute and twenty-seven seconds of slow-building air. Then Godspeed hits like a streetlight flicking on, all urgent guitars, pounding drums and a huge chorus. It's the first of the videos, and there's a promo version as well. Adelaide settles into a mid-tempo climb. A Whisper & a Clamor takes the language of the Psalms and turns it into a clap-along charge, and it never preaches. The Unwinding Cable Car is the ballad people still quote. It was a single and it kept fans of the earlier records on board, though you won't find it among the videos here. There Is No Mathematics to Love and Loss is every bit as honest as its title. Hello Alone, which the band played live as "The Lesser Thans," calls out into the dark and finds hope on the far side. Then come Alexithymia, Reclusion, Inevitable with Marsh, and Dismantle. Repair., before the nearly nine-minute *(Fin). A closer that long tells you this record wanted a whole night, not a radio edit.

Christian explained the lyrics simply. Blueprints was man against the world, Never Take Friendship Personal was man against man, and Cities is man against himself. That's the grown-up turn. Love songs sit right next to loneliness and desperation, and there's no tidy altar call at the end. JFH's John DiBiase gave it 4 out of 5 on 17 February 2007 and heard a "pretty impressive batch of songs." To him it was more mature and focused and less about fun, cryptic as usual but still catchy. AbsolutePunk's Drew Beringer gave it 85% and said the album "converted" him with its "vast improvement in every aspect." AllMusic's Greg Prato went 3.5 out of 5 and wrote that there was "nothing too groundbreaking… nothing cringe-worthy." Christianity Today gave it four stars and called it a "great step in the right direction." Cross Rhythms gave it nine out of ten for its "memorable songs, finely executed." Sputnikmusic later handed it a perfect five, calling it a crossroads between youth and maturity and "an absolute masterpiece of both." New Release Tuesday's reviewers gave it perfect fives years later too. It did pick up a nomination at the 39th GMA Dove Awards, but that was for Recorded Music Packaging, not the music.

How it was made

The band spent more than forty days in Seattle. They heard the finished album on the morning of 13 September 2006 and were back on tour the next day. Christian posted studio updates on the band's forums, and they even asked fans to send in phone numbers so they could ring them for advice. That's a pretty open way to make a record. This was Sprinkle's third full-length with Anberlin, and it's the polished one, melodic and crisply mixed, with Shipley mixing, Jensen mastering and an Invisible Creature cover. DiBiase thought a few of the heavier songs could've used dirtier guitars. That clean edge is also why Cities still sounds radio-ready as emo and alt-rock without losing its late-night-drive weight. The special edition added Uncanny, covers of The Smiths and When in Rome, and a DVD. Japan got The Haunting, which later turned up on Lost Songs. US copies came with a "City Pass" contest insert that ran until 31 August 2007. It was a gimmick of its time and has nothing to do with the music.

Where the score lands

It gets a nine because this is Anberlin at their best. They made it in Seattle with Sprinkle, it debuted at No. 19, Godspeed still stands up, *(Fin) closes things with real ambition, and the man-against-himself lyrics give the whole thing a spine. The reviews back that up. AbsolutePunk gave it 85, JFH gave it a four, Cross Rhythms a nine, Christianity Today four stars, and Sputnik and New Release Tuesday perfect fives. It's not flawless. AllMusic's 3.5 and the gripe that it sounds familiar are both fair. But an eight would undersell that debut week and how well these songs have lasted. A ten is for records that change the sound of a whole scene, and Cities perfects Anberlin's own sound instead.

Watch

The official video for Godspeed comes first, then its promo version. After that you get (Début), Adelaide, Dismantle. Repair., Hello Alone and *(Fin). Alexithymia, Inevitable, The Unwinding Cable Car and Paperthin Hymn aren't here.

Where this album sits on Loud Faith

In early 2007, Christian emo and alt-rock on Tooth & Nail was a big deal in its own right. It meant Seattle studios, first headlining tours, a Godspeed performance on The Late Late Show, and kids who wanted melody and belief on the same CD. Cities is Anberlin's third album. DiBiase called it an impressive batch, Beringer said it converted him, Christianity Today's Banister called it a step in the right direction, Cross Rhythms gave it a nine, and it debuted at No. 19. If you're new to it, Godspeed is still the place to start.