As Cities Burn - Hell or High Water

For the last few years or so, it seems like every band that signs to Rise or Ferret, and other semi-underground labels, releases two or three of the same record, fills out their contract, and disappears. Every album sounds the same, but the artwork’s nice and their clothes are pretty cool so people will download it, listen to it a few times, rave about it online, and then forget just as fast when someone decides to combine rap and screamed vocals. Then there are bands like As Cities Burn.

Consistent reinvention may be an oxymoron, but it can still be accomplished. For the last four years, As Cities Burn have been doing just that. 2005 saw the release of Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest, and while it was nothing significantly different, it was a solid post-hardcore album that put the band on the map. Following the departure of primary vocalist T.J. Bonnette, and a few minor member changes, Come Now, Sleep showed the band to have much more versatility. Hell or High Water, the band’s third album, and first fittingly released entirely through Tooth & Nail Records, and not Solid State, continues to exhibit just how far a band can come in just a few years time.

Right out of the gates (not counting the pregap hidden track), “’84 Sheepdog” comes out fighting, without question the closest thing to anything from the band’s first album you might ever hear from them again, even featuring former vocalist T.J. Bonnette. While this song by no means sets the tempo for the remainder of Hell or High Water, it’s still not out of place. What follows though, is much more focused. Songs like “Errand Rum” and “Into the Sea” create a much more consistent atmosphere. A balance between exhibiting passion and keeping the noise under control is reached quite nicely.

“Lady Blue” could very well be my favorite from this record. The percussion break in the middle sounds like it was recorded in a bar in southern Louisiana. Rhythm and raw emotion are also common themes throughout most of the album. Still, diversity shines through. No two songs are easily confused on Hell or High Water, as evidenced by “Pirate Blues,” a very straightforward four-chord rocker, complete with some of my favorite lyrics on the record; and its follower, “Capo,” which sounds like it was intended to invoke dancing à la hipster clubs. It even features a poppy driving bass line and what sounds like a drum machine. It’s not one of my favorite tracks, but it shows just how capable the band is.

If you plan on purchasing Hell or High Water, and have no retailer preference, I’d like to recommend the iTunes version, for one reason: “Gates.” It’s the iTunes exclusive bonus track, and if you’re previously an As Cities Burn fan, you may recognize it as the outro to the majority of their live sets. Along with “Lady Blue,” “Pirate Blues,” and “’84 Sheepdog,” it’s definitely a standout on the record. While it’s not fantastic, only due to duration (technically only nine songs) and lack of a cohesive purpose, Hell or High Water is nonetheless a very solid release. Musically an eight, vocally a seven, lyrically an eight-and-a-half, and production-wise an eight, the album as a whole is an eight out of ten, I’d give it several chances if at first you don’t feel it.

http://www.myspace.com/ascitiesburn