#5. ….And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Worlds Apart (2005): Part sledgehammer, part prog-rock masterpiece, World’s Apart is no doubt a love it/hate it type-album; I fall into the former category. The reasons for this divisiveness are obvious. First, a concept album is bound to cull some hatred. Secondly, on this their second full-length album, the Austin-based art-rock outfit offers up a few zingers like the random waltz “To Russia My Homeland.” A song that seems grossly out of step with the general direction of the rest of the album. Of course, it may just be the general pomposity of the album, typified most notably by the opener “Ode to Isis” which includes the repeated chanting of Egyptian mythological characters. But then all of these brief steps off the usual path are by design and they reflect a general songwriting ambition that is bound to elicit some hisses. In the end however, the record is a tour de force of epic, stadium sized prog-rock with big choruses and lots of guitars. Songs like “Caterwaul” recall some of the greatest moments of 90’s alt-rock I can remember. No doubt Worlds Apart is a brave undertaking that should not be discarded solely on the basis of its own bravado.
Faves: World’s Apart, Caterwaul, Let it Dive
