Words by Adam Symington//Illustration by Dana Smith
What I am about to tell you is a long-guarded secret among us take-out food connoisseurs. I’m pretty sure I could be killed for telling you this (see: Polonium Tea), or at least become the recipient of many a cold shoulder at the annual conference in Brussels this coming February. Nevertheless, I like the cut of your jib so I’ll take my chances. Quite simply, Chinese take-out is best the next day. Yes, I know. Give that godly MSG some time to soak in a bit and warm up to the flavors in your little white boxes of heaven.

— “WHAAAAAT!?!? Are you kidding me!!!”
Just stay with me.
— “Well Adam, Do you heat it up?”
No, cold and straight out of the fridge.
— “But Adam then it will be all cold!”
Yes, that’s the secret: cold and old.

Now I know that sounds like some mothers/wives/girlfriends we know out there, but this recipe works wonders for Chinese take-out and in this case, the fifth album from the Austin outfit, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead.
Listening chronologically through their discography (which I had to do three times), you sense a jagged progression in their sound. With their self-titled album and Madonna, it was pure energy and rage, filling up headphones and speakers with lo-fi noise and distorted, um, distorted pretty much everything. At that point in time, they sounded like At The Drive In’s older brother, very much punk derived but with a more sophisticated movement-driven construction of their songs, embodied by slowly building crescendos and sudden drop offs/rebuilds. Source Tags & Codes was a similar album in many ways, but most notable for its departures, or progressive extensions of their sound. Now yes, I know that a lot more money was thrown on that album, being released on Interscope and all, but hear me out. Songs like “It Was There That I Last Saw You” and “Monsoon” weren’t the largely front-loaded, “you get everything the first listen” songs of the previous records. They were something different. Slower and more drawn out, these songs were indicative of the musical direction the Trail of Dead were to go. Then, on The Secret of Elena’s Tomb EP, an epic, yet tactful tune to the name of “Counting Off The Days” showed a softer, considerate and deliberate Trail of Dead, one that had rarely showed its face amongst their earlier recordings. These songs, taken in context, make Worlds Apart and So Divided somewhat expected, although with many exceptions.

Personally, I thought Worlds Apart was a bit too cheery and detached from the typical Trail of Dead fare. Songs with choruses of children, odes to “motherlands”, etc., I felt like Dr. Phil prescribed them some Paxil because he deemed their self-destructive on-stage tendencies to be counter-productive. Oh Dr. Phil, you sad, sad little man. As far as the production value of the record, you could tell that they were trying to distance themselves from their previous work, trying to give instruments their own unique voice by exposing them from behind their traditional shroud of distortion and feedback. Still, something was missing and So Divided nearly perfected this new approach.

To allude back to my introductory statement regarding Chinese take-out, the first time NO, make that the first three times I listened to this record, all I wanted to do was go kick a baby seal or something. I felt like JC talking to the old man, “Why have you forsaken me!?”. What the fuck was this genre-transcending ode to classic rock? Just how much are they willing to sell their musical integrity for a shot on VH1? But instead of getting rid of this ungodly shit, I forced myself to stick with it. I took a week off and came back to it. To my surprise, I saw this album in a totally different light. In my far-from-expert opinion, So Divided was an album that was made without considerations of how it would translate into their chaotic live show. It was made without considerations of the public or the fans. It was an album that was meticulously planned and constructed to prove something to themselves. So Divided is mostly a homage to the roots and influences of their sound (e.g. Guided By Voices’ Gold Heart Mountaintop Queen Directory). They take it further, however, proving themselves as versatile and gifted musicians by reinterpreting these influences, making each their own.

The most striking feature of this album is the total focus and commitment towards production. If So Divided does not have the most impressive production of any album this year, it is at least the most impressive of the Trail of Dead catalog. The instrumentation is decidedly more complex than any Trail of Dead release to date; and rather than throwing every instrumental voice together, they opt to craft each voice into its own specific layer and channel. Through panning and EQ editing, layers seem to float in a viscous hiearchy that is simply pure aural candy. Case in point, “Wasted State Of Mind”). The heavy percussion at the start of the song is actually three separate percussion tracks that are mixed and panned to blend together and deviate interchangeably. Next, instead of a steady bass line, you have a piano providing the backbone of the track, then the drum kit and the delayed guitar riffs. Everything has its own place and role during the verse, only to be blended together in the ridiculously catchy and anthemic chorus, “Caught in a stasis/ Feel like I’ve wasted all this time/ With people and places / Never related or designed”.

Other songs of note include “Life” and “Witch’s Web.” “Life” is very influenced by The Beatles, but fuck, what isn’t? It’s a dark song about wasted life and squandered opportunities (hint: waste is an overwhelming theme on the album) with a chillingly deep and sullen piano that complements and furthers the haunting effect of Conrad Keeley’s lyrics, “Another page of history/ Another failed and hopeless year/ Of wasted life and wasted time…” “Witch’s Web” seems as if it could be on Beck’s Sea Change. A western ballad, complete with slide guitar and saloon piano, the song is about a not-so-amicable break up and its plaguing complications.

The only real problem I have with this album is that its fragmented and unfocused selection of songs makes it difficult to listen all the way though, leading the listener to instead pick out favorites. This makes for somewhat of a inaccessible album to many an impatient listener or stubborn longtime fan. I admit I was a bit of both when I started listening to this, but once I gained enough space from the immediacy of understanding it, I began to understand it. This album will not be for everyone, but if anything, this album birthed some much-needed creativity and liveliness for the Trail of Dead, making for a mind-blowing next album (my official prediction). So go pick up the album and some moo-shoo, wait a day or two, then go nuts. I’m off to work.