By Samuel Rubenfeld
And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – So Divided – Interscope Records
One would assume that the new album from a band with what seems like the longest name ever would be equally lengthy. It, in fact, is only lasts 46 minutes.
So Divided, was actually never supposed to happen. Rumors flew over an expected breakup of the band after their critically panned previous release, Worlds Apart. Unfortunately for the band, this previous release was a commercial failure as well. Selling only 60,000 albums in the United States, it was a large contributor to the tension in the band.
When the band started recording for So Divided, it did so under the impression that it was to be an EP and not a proper album- and it shows. Some songs are much stronger than others are.
The album is too scattershot to reveal a prevailing theme. There is mall punk (“Stand in Silence”), Oasis-inspired Brit-pop (title track “So Divided”) and 70’s classic rock (“Naked Sun”). While each of thee sound good, it leaves the album unfocused and lacking in passion.
There is even a halfhearted Guided By Voices cover of “Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory” in this mix which has the strings that they hinted at. Yet it forces an emotion that should be implicit, not shoved down the throat of the listener.
Trail of Dead is still struggling to understand that it may never top its opus, 2002’s Sources, Tags and Codes. In order to succeed at that level again, the guys have to let loose, relax and simply let the music flow. Forcing an album out like what happened with “So Divided” sounds equally as canned as the minimal emotion that went into it.
2 ½ STARS
