May 6, 2003 - Anberlin and Blueprints For The Black Market

It's a double release day! A new band joins my library when Anberlin released their debut album "Blueprints For The Black Market" on May 6, 2003. But who is Anberlin? They are a five-piece alternative pop-rock band from Winter Haven, Florida consisting of drummer Nathan Young, bassist Deon Rexroat, rhythm guitarist Joey Bruce, lead guitarist Joseph Milligan and lead singer Stephen Christian. Anberlin are definitely a rock band but Christian has a high, pop-y voice and it's a lighter style of rock. Let's see what Anberlin is all about!

The album kicks off with it's lead single "Readyfuels" and Milligan and Bruce team up for a solid hard-hitting chorus riff. The verse has simpler guitar riff but it's decently catchy and we hear Christian's high, pop-y voice for the first time as he leads a nice verse that matches the mood pretty well. Christian holds lots of long notes in the chorus and things are a pretty solid mix of pop-rock. They don't stray far from the main drag, but the song is short enough that it's okay, a decent way to open things. Up next is "Foreign Language" and they jump right into the chorus with Christian singing a pop-y but very catchy chorus, complete with some catchy "do-do-do-doooo" in the background. Milligan guitar is solid as well and it's hard not to tap your toes along with this catchy main riff. The verse is very similar to the chorus, which means things roll pretty smoothly, but it also means it's a little repetitive. A decent tune for how pop-y it was. Track 3 is the other single "Change The World (Lost Ones)" and it opens with a pretty cool guitar riff by Milligan that alternates between nice and high and nice and low and both ends sound pretty good, especially the hard-hitting heavier part. Things quiet down for the verse as Milligan plays a cool new guitar riff and Christian leads a nice powerful verse. He sounds pretty epic in the chorus well, singing most of it in his high, pop-y voice  but nicely belting out "we are the lost ones" in the background as well. Rexroat's bass is solid in the background as well and this is easily my early favourite; things sound very epic and very well done! There's even a short guitar solo to really spice things up before a nice final chorus to finish things off, a pretty cool song! The next track is "Cold War Transmissions" and Milligan plays some cool fast guitar to kick us off, then settles into a slower riff for the verse and he is just full of catchy riffs. It's a nice combination of pop-y vocals and some decently heavy guitars for these guys! Milligan plays all kinds of good stuff on this one. Track 5 is "Glass To The Arson" and it's got a really cool guitar riff that is difficult to describe, but it's very unique and interesting! It's overtop a fast and decently heavy rhythm section that is unbelievably catchy and my whole body is nicely bouncing! Christian's epic verse sounds great as well and this is a really cool main riff! The chorus is a little simpler and pop-y, but still decent and thankfully the verses are much longer. Up next is "The Undeveloped Story" and they jump right into another typical Anberlin main riff with Milligan playing some catchy and cool guitar with a decently hard rock rhythm section behind him, including some occasional harmonized guitars. Words don't do proper justice to yet another pretty cool mix of hard rock and Christian's smooth pop-y vocals, it really was another solid tune even though there does seem to be a bit of a formula. Track 7 is "Autobahn" and it starts with a pop-y synthesizer riff (though it's unclear who is playing the keyboards) and a decent rhythm acoustic guitar riff by Bruce. Christian comes in to sing a typical high, pop-y verse and things roll right into a similarly pop-y chorus. This one is pretty simple and has no hint of hard rock at all and I'm surprised this wasn't a single because it's very accessible. The next track is "We Dreamt In Heist" and Christian dives right into another typical verse, but thankfully Milligan's lead guitar is fairly loud and drives the fairly catchy main riff. Christian sings a very pop-y chorus, but the music syncs up with him as he goes nicely up and down and it's pretty damn catchy! Normally I don't like this lazier style of lyrics  but it's undeniably very smooth and catchy and makes for a great chorus! Track 9 is "Love Song" and it's a cover of The Cure! I don't know the original but they jump right into a loud and headbanging chorus riff with some cool guitars and then the guitars quiet right down for the start of the verse as Rexroat carries the pace with a cool bass riff and Christian sings a nice smooth verse. The guitars slowly return to the fold and there's some cool piano thrown in as well that spices things up a bit. After a couple solid rounds Milligan delivers a pretty simple but epic-sounding solo before they predictably roll out a final verse and chorus. A decent tune, but a little repetitive. Up next is "Cadence" and it's got a pretty cool stop-and-start main riff with Christian nicely alternating his vocals with the catchy music. It makes for a unique and solid verse and it moves smoothly into a more typical pop-y chorus with some nice acoustic guitars and Christian holding some nice longer notes. It's a pretty catchy verse and chorus and after a couple rounds Milligan delivers a proper guitar solo with a nice fast finish. This is one of the better songs on the album for sure! The final song is called "Naïve Orleans" and it has a very light and quiet opening verse both on guitar and vocals, then the electric guitar nicely hits and the next verse is more typical pop-rock stuff. The chorus is very simple and pop-y, but it's upbeat so my toe is still tapping along. It's a very repetitive song though and not one of their best in my opinion.

That is the end of "Blueprints For The Black Market" and I thought it was a good album, but not an amazing one by any means. Anberlin have nailed their mix of pop and rock and there's some cool songs on here for sure, but there's also some lesser ones that are a little too made-for-radio. Room for improvement is okay though, where will Anberlin go from here?