First listen: “what in the heck happened to this band? this is one big horrible mess…” Second listen: “hmm…I like this guys too much to just throw away this disc in disgust. Afterall, a few of the tunes on here are kinda growing on me.” Third listen: “‘Sweet Marie’ is a great song – it starts this disc off perfectly, I wish all of the songs on here had the same level of catchiness.” Fourth listen: “Ya know, I remember saying in my review of their first disc, ‘Designing a Nervous Breakdown,’ that they needed to rely less on the keyboards and more on their vocal skills. I’m glad THE ANNIVESARY has gone in such a direction.” Fifth listen: “‘The Siren Sings’ is also a great song, definitely the swiftest on the disc. It’s cool to see that these guys haven’t given up completely on the emo-pop sound.” Six listen (while stuck behind a massive traffic back-up as I watch the Police clear a pretty nasty accident up ahead): “Wow…I’m late for my appointment, those two cars both broke in half, and there’s a slew of ambulances trying to get through the traffic. Amazingly so, I remain calm as the soothing sounds of “Your Majesty” allow me to ‘rock out’ behind the steering wheel, going nowhere fast.” If you were a fan of “Designing a Nervous Breakdown,” you might have a bit of a tough time adjusting to the direction THE ANNIVERSARY has gone, however, that shouldn’t discourage you one bit from checking this out and spending some quality time with it. Whereas this band succeeded previously in outplaying a typically vapid style of music with vigourous energy and great harmonies, this time, “Your Majesty” showcases a band whose music no longer shows any pretenses besides placing forward unique songwriting perspectives and catchy, roomy songs that don’t pander to any particular genre.

Vagrant

www.vagrant.com