Anberlin

Anberlin are nothing if not distinct, thanks to the nasally, somewhat higher pitched vocals of the inimitable Stephen Christian. His vox are as distinct as a strand of DNA. Even if you're only slightly ensconced in the emo or nu-alternative scenes, you'd still be able to identify the band from one mere note from Christian. This guy belts out every song with unparalleled emotion, letting loose impassioned wails that have you compelled to believe every word he sings, as though it came straight from the deepest emotional reserves of his heart. Thankfully, he never goes too dramatic for his own good, but there's no denying that his voice is polarizing. It doesn't matter how fast you can recognize it, since you will either love it or hate it.

On the Florida band's latest, New Surrender, Anberlin take out a mortgage in Alternative Rock'ville, firing off mid-tempo, inoffensive rock music that's more exciting than your average radio band. Anberlin doesn't diverge much from the typical verse-chorus-verse structure. The album is riff-oriented rock, supplemented, of course, by Christian's vocals. He hurls high impact (read: easy to sing along to) one-liners like, "You were my greatest mistake" and "Wait for me / With arms wide open," and he does it with such flair that the 18-and-under boys and girls with a hard-on for emotionally expressive music will flock to New Surrender and songs like "Disappear" as though they were life preservers in the stormy waters of life. If there ever was a soundtrack for the young (and in love), in 2008, it's certainly this record.

Ultimately, Anberlin specializes in pleasant alt rock. Fortunately for them, the songs never bore, even if they aren't doing anything that hasn't already been done in this genre. They pepper the stew with a ballad that includes an unexpected, cute, "woah oh" singalong. New Surrender is good rock, supplemented with lots o' handclaps and gang'ish, choir-vocals, made for good kids, by good kids. These kids are alright.

— Amy Sciarretto
09.21.08

A new lineup member, a new producer, and a step up to a major label added up to Anberlin's best sense of direction yet, and therefore their strongest output in their brief but prolific career. The band collaborated for three months in the studio to craft their Universal Republic debut with producer Neal Avron, who has helmed projects for Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard, and New Found Glory. Being their fifth album in scarcely six years, spending so much time in the studio had its share of risks involved, particularly with new guitarist Christian McAlhaney, whose addition made three songwriters in the bunch, generally a recipe for "creative differences." It's pleasing, therefore, to see how well Anberlin define themselves on this record. Their sound on New Surrender isn't as much a diversion as it is a realization of their potential to finally seize the full emo spirit in all its glory, as if their high/low, intense-yet-laissez-faire approach to modern rock was simply warming up to this point, which is saying a lot given the quality of songs and the massive following they have carved out over the years. It's not unlike Mae's progression from the critically acclaimed The Everglow to Singularity, where it could be argued that diversity took a back seat to pinpointing their own sound. It worked for Mae, and it works here for Anberlin. ~ Jared Johnson, All Music Guide