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| And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of DeadSource Tags and Codes2002 Interscope 
  Review by: Jammy Jamz See others by this writer Official Trail of Dead Site (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on March 21st 2003 When was the last time you heard a band that strictly played rock music without all the copious tags? Garage rock, emo-rock, yadda yadda who cares. Finally, here's a band that defies all sub-genres and focuses on crafting intelligent, well-written, and gripping rock songs. The band is "...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead" and the album is "Source Tags and Codes", their third full length and major label debut. And what a debut it is. First, let's talk about the CD packaging and artwork. I think stunning would be the appropriate term. The cd booklet is filled with eerie and captivating artwork and creative fonts on the lyric sheet. It reminds me of the Radiohead cd booklets in the sense that they're fun to just flip through and provide excellent visuals when listening to the music. But, fancy shmancy packaging are not what make this band so great. The first track is a 4 or so minute indie rock ballad, with guitar interludes that start building up in the middle of the song and come crashing down at the end. The first single, "Another Morning Stoner" starts off with instantly infectious guitar picking that flourishes into a well crafted mid-tempo rock song. The fourth and eighth tracks ("Homage" and "Days of Being Wild") are similar in that they are absolutely infuriating and fast, complete with shouted vocals a-top swirling, noisy guitars, similar to At the Drive-In. But, the real gems of this cd lie in the darkness that this album contains. The remainder of the songs are all inter-woven and resonate a sound like if Sonic youth and Joy Division started a side project. Every song builds up and explodes into either a frenzy of screeching guitars or layers of soft melodies strewn upon a grand piano. The lyrics are also incredibly impressive, dealing with subject matter related to the darker and tragic things in life. However, don't think that this album is a downer because once you get into the record, you'll find that it really does captivate. This fucker rocks.
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they make some really interesting music, we need this band to stick around for a while, though this album is much better than its follow up. the best track id say is relative ways. I got this for my birthday a couple of years ago and only started listening to it recently... I have had this record for a long while and I'm just now getting into it. Trail of Dead is incredible. this album is beautiful staged or not, the trail of dead put on a great show. "Your not on a major label either. I think it is just not a genuine or impulsive act to break $50 guitars to come across as something they are not." Your not on a major label either. I think it is just not a genuine or impulsive act to break $50 guitars to come across as something they are not. why is it "weak" to break cheap instruments? i sure as hell wouldn't wanna break a 2 thousand dollar guitar... maybe you have ADD. I read somewhere that when these guys break their stuff on stage the switch to guitars and amps they buy at pawn shops the day of the show so they don't have to break their good stuff. Pretty weak. The album is good but I agree that it does not really leave an impression after the last track ends. I have listened to it a bunch of times, and I can only remember maybe one or two choruses. "you've got to be shitting me, this band rips off every single thing that sonic youth and my bloody valentine did 10 years ago. " This album blew me away last year, amazing record. If you like this one, be sure to check out 'Madonna', an even better record in my opinion. i don't get it "New Morning Stoner" was the first single. It sounds like if Jehu sang for Joy Division. Blah blah blah. ...Speaking of Joy Division, the singer from Interpol claims he never listened to Joy Division and that he is totally original... New bands are all fucking liars, I guess... "The remainder of the songs are all inter-woven and resonate a sound like if Sonic youth and Joy Division started a side project." Joy Division? whom ever wrote this review should actually listen to Joy Division. you shithead. Its a good album... but i'm supprised anyone is able to get over the bands name :) .. and this band sounds nothing like joy division, next person that tries to name drop that band gets a foot up their ass. "pretty original" Fucking amazing album in my mind. Everything just comes together so damn well, not just the instruments but the songs themselves segue incredibly well. they fucking kill live. Not just the breaking shit. Thier live show is sweetass with or without the destruction. Really good record, especially the first 5 tracks and tracks 8 and 11. The guy who said they sounded a bit like Rival Schools is an idiot. the first page of their web site looks like a picture for an 80's video game I don't remember who it was, but someone on this site described this band by saying something along the lines of "I'm rocking out when I listen to Trail of Dead, but when the cd is over, I don't remember a single thing." Their web site has good graphics, but looks like it was thrown together by a 4 year old. reviewer gets a 10 for his user name. i think these guys are overrated, but i say that about everyband. good cd though, pretty original, but not for everyone. sounds like rival schools type indy rock with a harder edge. I think it's strange they are on Interscope. I liked their album Madonna better. They rock, but I wish they were still with Merge Records so I wouldn't feel bad about giving my money to Fred Durst. Such a sweet name for such a shitty band. A shame, really. wasn't "relative ways" the first single? great album this album was definitely in the top 3 albums that came out last year. i think i jizzed my pants when the guitars broke out on the first song. this band is really awesome. however, i don't think the rest of their material really lives up to the single (as bad as that sounds) |
