“Madness” by Anchor & Braille, Sunday, June 6, 2021
I CAN'T MAKE IT RIGHT AS WE SCREAMED AT THE NIGHT. Last year, Stephen Christian released his fourth Anchor & Braille album. Building on the pop sentimentality of his last A&B effort, Songs for the Late Night Drive Home, the album somewhat ironically titled Tension is an album that explores Christian's range as a vocalist and a musician. "Madness" feels like a throwback track from mid-'90s Top 40 radio. It's a song about resolving tension between a significant other. It's a mature take from the same songwriter who is writing about early 20s encounters with "day late friends." How long Christian's conflicts as a husband and a father can carry his lyrical content until he sinks into a lack of inspiration like Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place is hopefully not an experiment he is trying to repeat. Still, the songs on Tension seem to be a reconciliation with Christian's career. Songs for the Late Night Drive Home was not particularly reflective on where the artist was as the former frontman of Anberlin. His critically disappointing Praise & Worship record Wildfires relied on cliches and functioned as a corporative, vertical worship rather than addressing the social or personal issues Christian had become known for. But Christian starts to channel some of the Anberlin songwriting techniques on Tension leaving long-time fans wondering if the Orlando 5-piece has something to say about post-Trump America.
TRY TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO A STONE WALL. Hearing Christian’s story about how the major hurdle to the band’s success was his voice made me think about failure and resilience. I think that being the front man of Anberlin and being told that you have to take vocal lessons because your pitch is off had to be tough to hear. When you wrap your whole self into a project to where it becomes your identity and you find out that you're still lacking. That's how my failure during student teaching felt. And yet, vocal training did Stephen well. Sure, he's still got some hiccups in live performances. Most bands do given the smokey clubs, the lack of sleep, and grueling schedule. But Stephen's vocal range on songs like "(*Fin)," "I'd Like to Die," and "The Haunting" set Anberlin apart. It makes me think of the list of things I want to achieve. No, I may never record the songs in my head and I'm not going to become a rock star. Last night I talked with a friend about my plans for grad school. How am I going to be a good enough writer to talk for 20-40 pages each class about anything? I think of a quote from Stephen Christian when he was giving a pep-talk to Anberlin after the ending of their Christian Punk band, SAGOH 24/7 (Soldiers After God's Own Heart). "Listen, let's give this one year. And let's work our asses off. And in one year, if we haven't made it, if we aren't signed, then that's it. We're going to quit." And that one year made worked out for them. It may take more than a year to lay the foundation for my goals. But remembering that achievement doesn't come easy is the lesson for me. Whether it's keeping up a relationship or writing a paper for grad school, I expect a bit of a fight.
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