Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Worlds Apart

 
Album Review: Worlds Apart
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Albums

Worlds Apart

Buy Now

Similar Albums:

So Divided, Philosophy of Velocity, Tournament of Hearts, Terrorhawk, They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, Thousand Leaves, End Hits, Lonesome Crowded West, Yerself Is Steam

Review

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have always been an ambitious, and difficult to place, band. They're too earnest and fond of grand gestures to fit in with most of the indie rock world, but too arty and obscure to jell with most emo's heart-on-sleeve directness. On Worlds Apart, they remain hard to classify, except on their own terms. Though the Trail of Dead sound as angry, regretful, and hopeful as they did when they started, this is a much more polished album than their breakthrough, Source Tags & Codes, and their fiery sound is tempered by nods to '70s prog and album rock. The band deserves some credit for attempting to work on such a grand scale -- it's all too easy for this kind of big, passionate statement to fall on its face -- but while Worlds Apart doesn't work entirely, enough of it is compelling. Granted, it doesn't have the most promising beginning: "Ode to Isis," with its Wagnerian choral vocals, pianos, violins, screaming, and crying, is equally worrying and intriguing, and "Will You Smile Again?" doesn't really take off until the six-and-a-half-minute mark. However, the next four tracks rank among the Trail of Dead's best work: despite railing against vacuous celebrities, soccer moms, indie rock, and, of course, post-9/11 fallout and the war on terrorism, the emotions behind "Worlds Apart" are timeless; along with the frustrated idealism of "The Rest Will Follow," it's one of the band's finest anthems. "The Summer of '91"'s thundering timpani rolls and slow-building majesty use Worlds Apart's massive-sounding productions and arrangements artfully; it's been a long time -- possibly since Smashing Pumpkins' heyday -- since a band has attempted this kind of epic-scale, orchestrated rock. Speaking of the Pumpkins, "Caterwaul"'s beautifully droning guitar grind is more than a little reminiscent of that band's best rockers. Worlds Apart's second half dives deeper into prog: "A Classic Arts Showcase" and "All White" both feature soulful choirs that sound like they were transplanted directly from The Wall, but while they feel tacked onto the former song, they fit -- in a retro kind of way -- the latter song's excesses. "To Russia My Homeland," a theatrical, string-based waltz, isn't bad at all, although it seems more suited to a soundtrack than this album. It's tempting to want to hear some of these songs, particularly "The Best" and "Lost City of Refuge," delivered in a less grandiose manner, but the band's attack on complacency extends to its own music, and Worlds Apart scores points for not having merely revisited previous successes. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Ode to Isis ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (1:16)
Will You Smile Again? ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (6:50)
Worlds Apart ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (2:55)
The Summer of '91 ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (3:12)
The Rest Will Follow ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (3:20)
Caterwaul ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, James Olsen ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (4:52)
A Classic Arts Showcase ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (5:47)
Let It Dive ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (4:45)
To Russia My Homeland ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (1:25)
All White ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (1:49)
The Best ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, James Olsen ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (4:47)
The Lost City of Refuge ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, James Olsen ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (3:50)

Credits

Ted Jensen (Mastering), Karen Neal (Alto), Karen Neal (Choir, Chorus), Sophia Ramos (Vocals (Background)), Sophia Ramos (Spoken Word), Antoine Silverman (Violin), Joan Wasser (Violin), John Painter (Arranger), John Painter (Conductor), John Painter (Horn), Joel Nesvadba (Bass), Joel Nesvadba (Baritone), Joel Nesvadba (Choir, Chorus), Jonathan Nesvadba (Choir, Chorus), Jonathan Nesvadba (Tenor (Vocal)), Jim Vollentine (Engineer), ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (Main Performer), Kevin Allen (Group Member), Catherine Davis (Soprano), Catherine Davis (Arranger), Catherine Davis (Conductor), Catherine Davis (Choir, Chorus), Dylan Ely (Engineer), Joe Pointer (Choir, Chorus), Joe Pointer (Tenor (Vocal)), Neil Busch (Bass), Jason Reece (Group Member), Conrad Keely (Group Member), David Gold (Viola), Anja Wood (Cello), Maxim Moston (Violin), Doni Schroader (Percussion), Doni Schroader (Drums), Yohei Goto (Engineer), Hilary Hahn (Violin), Hilary Hahn (Soloist), Brent Bakhoin (Baritone), Brent Bakhoin (Choir, Chorus), Brent Bakhoin (Tenor (Vocal)), Lester C. Chiu (Bass), Lester C. Chiu (Choir, Chorus), Heidi Hock (Soprano), Heidi Hock (Choir, Chorus), Anne Misner (Soprano), Anne Misner (Choir, Chorus), James Olsen (Vocals (Background)), Mike McCarthy (Producer), Mike McCarthy (Engineer), Mike McCarthy (Mixing)
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Worlds Apart (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
This article is about the album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. For other uses of the name, see Worlds Apart.
Worlds Apart
Studio album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Released January 24, 2005
Recorded 2004
Genre Alternative
Length 44:57
Label Interscope Records 0075021036932
Producer Mike McCarthy, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Professional reviews
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead chronology
The Secret of Elena's Tomb
(2003)		 Worlds Apart
(2005)		 So Divided
(2006)

Worlds Apart is an album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. It was released on January 25, 2005 by Interscope Records and reached #92 on the UK Album Chart.[1]

An edited Worlds Apart was played on college radio and on some alternative stations throughout America. "Caterwaul" also received some airplay. Worlds Apart sold 13,000 albums in its first week of release in America and went on to sell 60,000 albums in total, approximately half of what Source Tags & Codes sold in America.

Contents

Production

The album release was postponed from winter, 2004 to January, 2005 by Interscope, to protect it from late-year releases by Eminem and Destiny's Child.[2] In effect, giving a better selling market. Keely commented:

"I have constant anxiety that the record won't sell. We hope we appeal to not just people of this generation, but people of future generations. We're trying to do something that's timeless and timely. Something that's culturally significant. To have it overlooked would be, for me, a nightmare."[2]

Design

In an interview with PopMatters, vocalist Conrad Keely described the development of the Worlds Apart cover art, stating that while he typically incorporates his free time drawings and paintings into the band's albums, this cover collage was more specifically designed.[3] However, Interscope insisted that he cite and clear all sources of his art, much of which was found in museums around the world. Given the improbability of the task, illustrator Cyril Van Der Haegen was hired to paint Keely's design and tweak various elements.[4] Keely also summarized the theme of the collage:

"I wanted an allegory depicting the history of human conflict. I wanted everybody to be fighting, like in Marvel Comics' Secret Wars, where all the superheroes are fighting each other. I actually wanted to sneak in one of the New Mutants."[5]

Track listing

  1. "Ode to Isis" – 1:16
  2. "Will You Smile Again?" – 6:50
  3. "Worlds Apart" – 2:55
  4. "The Summer of '91" – 3:12
  5. "The Rest Will Follow" – 3:20
  6. "Caterwaul" – 4:52
  7. "A Classic Art Showcase" – 5:47
  8. "Let it Dive" – 4:45
  9. "To Russia My Homeland"† – 1:25
  10. "All White" – 1:49
  11. "The Best" – 4:47
  12. "The Lost City of Refuge" – 3:50

There are several editions of the album:

  • In the UK, the album was released with two live bonus tracks: "Aged Dolls" and "Richter Scale Madness".
  • In Germany and Australia, it featured "Mach Schau" and "All St. Day", two songs which had already appeared on "The Secret of Elena's Tomb" EP.
  • In Japan, the album was released with two live bonus tracks: "Aged Dolls" and "Richter Scale Madness", plus "All St. Day" from "The Secret of Elena's Tomb" EP.
  • The DVD version contains a documentary, an essay by Conrad Keely, an art gallery, Conrad's sketch book, live performances, home movies, studio footage, and a video for "All St. Day", which is different from the live video from "The Secret of Elena's Tomb".

† features a violin solo by Hilary Hahn

Track information

"Ode to Isis"

The whole song follows a pattern of three bars of 5/4 followed by one bar of 6/4. It starts at a soft volume with only a piano, builds in volume and intensity, comes to include strings, and operatic-style singing, and ends with a woman's shrill scream. The melody stays essentially the same throughout the whole song and from bar to bar, the only deviation being the last quarter note of the 6/4 phrases. The song starts with the basic melody played staccato on the lower end of the piano's register. Tom-tom drums, a tambourine, singing and strings begin quietly at the start of the second melody cycle and steadily grow in intensity and volume throughout the whole song. The muted screams of women can be heard throughout the latter half of the song. At the very end of the song, a woman's voice starts in the left channel and ends in the right as she says the name of the band. Aside from this spoken phrase, the lyrics are:

Isis, Horus, Ra, Seth
Isis, Horus, Ra, Seth
Isis, Horus, Ra, Seth
Isis, Horus, Anubis

"Will You Smile Again?"

"Will You Smile Again?" is about "the idea of the composer who is unable or unwilling to face the weight of their own genius, and allow their fears to stop them from accomplishing great work." The band wanted a picture of Brian Wilson, who was releasing Smile at the time, to accompany the song on the CD artwork. However, an art director at Interscope Records said they couldn't, and so a picture of Bach appears instead.[6]

Title track

"Worlds Apart" is a protest song, bemoaning the current state of American popular culture and recent United States foreign policy, specifically the War on Terrorism, also against MTV, soccer moms, and the state of parenting in today's society. It makes explicit reference to the September 11, 2001 attacks with the lyrics "How they laugh as we shovel the ashes / Of the twin towers. / Blood and death, we will pay back the debt / Of this candy store of ours."

Track appearances

"Let It Dive" was featured in the EA Sports video game MVP Baseball 2005.

"Will You Smile Again?" was the emotional charge in a scene to end an episode of The Shield in season 4.

Chart history

Chart (2005) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 81

References

  1. ^ "Chart Log UK: A - Azzido Da Bass". Zobbel.de. http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_A.HTM. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 
  2. ^ a b http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1492736/20041019/trail_of_dead.jhtml
  3. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/trail-of-dead-050328.shtml
  4. ^ "www.tegehel.org -- Trail of Dead "Worlds Apart" CD cover art". http://www.tegehel.org/art/painting/paint28_TOD.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 
  5. ^ Thill, Scott THE SHIP IS SINKING: An Interview With ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead PopMatters.com (March 28, 2005). Retrieved on 12-22-08.
  6. ^ Sean Moeller (2008-03-03). "...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead". Daytrotter. http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-the-prophets-say-trashings-can-be-gentle-concert/20030223-111154.html. Retrieved 2009-06-11. 
  7. ^ "Artist Chart History - ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=259564&model.vnuAlbumId=1209519. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 

External links

v • d • e
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Conrad Keely · Jason Reece · Kevin Allen · Jay Leo Phillips · Clay Morris · Aaron Ford
Neil Busch · Deanne Rowley · Danny Wood · Doni Schroader
Studio albums
EPs
Relative Ways · The Secret of Elena's Tomb · Worlds Apart (Album Sampler) · Festival Thyme
Related articles

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Worlds Apart (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)".  Read more