Coheed and Cambria, An Album Review
I’m going to change gears for today, and write about something I came across last night: “Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Part II: No World for Tomorrow” by Coheed and Cambria.
The Band
Coheed and Cambria have an interesting history. For a full description, see their Wikipedia entry, but here’s what you need to know:
- Notorious for changing musical style, even within a single album
- The albums somehow entwine with some graphic novels into a giant SciFi space-epic
- Esoteric time signatures, syncopation, and otherwise odd uses of instruments happen often
- Infamous lyrics about extreme subjects overtop seemingly innocent music
- Their best songs are immensely layered and textured, and take more than a few play-thru’s to hear it all
The New Album
The album doesn’t come out for a little bit, but I got ahold of it last night… the only thing I can say is that I’m truly impressed. From “Running Free” (which they posted on MySpace a long time ago), I was thinking this album would just be a repetition of “Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV”, and be bland and uninteresting as a result.
How wrong was I.
C&C: An example of “awesome”
Each song is an exercise in epic diversity. The title track “No World for Tomorrow” is of the same cloth as “Welcome Home”, a large and very much “metal” song. “Feathers” starts off as what seems a cover of a pop band’s song, and then turns into a winding anthem. “The Hound” is like an 80’s rock band crossed with Genesis. You get the picture.
Greatness Apparent
As I said before, I wasn’t expecting this, and when I was hit with the pure size and sound of this album, not to mention the diversity… I was shocked. It seems that the band has left behind their dreams of being a soft-song/radio-bound band, and taken to heart that “Welcome Home” was one of the most loved songs they’ve ever created. Unlike the latest Radiohead album, this is a step in a direction everyone wants to see, and only some knew was coming.
Fallout Boy: An example of “suck”
Of all the concerts/shows I’ve been to, I was supposed to see Coheed and Cambria twice by now… and have yet to see them. Seeing them play live, especially after this album, should be an amazing experience. If you listen to “rock music” or have any appreciation for musicianship and originality, you will listen to this album.
And be in awe.
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