"End of Days" by Abney Park

[fullcontactmuse]

End of Days by Abney Park

Where to begin? I know I'll start with a single word: disappointed. Let me be clear, it's not a bad album. There is no track that makes want to toss the disc in a fire or anything, but there are only three songs that grab me.

The first six songs were just there. "Victorian Vigilante" was the first track to hook me and drag me in, tapping my toes and humming along. "Chronofax" is probably the coolest bit of exposition I've heard on an album in a long time. "Letters Between A Little Boy & His Older Self" tugged at my heart with all the determination of the family dog who won't stop trying to convince you that you're wrong and the steak was his from the beginning. "Beautiful Decline", a song that creeps its way into my head far too often than is probably healthy; not that I'm complaining, the song is amazing. The song also marks the last sign post of the good songs.

My initial thoughts on the album were to call it Abney Park's "The Wall". As a dyed in the wool fan of Pink Floyd, I should probably clarify the statement a bit. "The Wall", in my mind, is not Pink Floyd's best album like many people say. Sure, it is probably their best executed concept album. The iconography and the story arc of the album are crystal clear. But musically, "The Wall" is not the best. It sits behind "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here". Mind you, there are some gems on the two disc set, but most of the album's tracks don't stand out.

My hope is that the songs themselves will improve as the band plays them at live shows, tweak them, and infuse that energy which can only be found on the stage. We've seen great songs made even better, let's see if the same magic can be applied to the nine other tracks on the disc.

Comments

[smarier.livejournal.com]

Did you hear the rumor that AP plan to do release another album in January? No clue if it is true or not.