…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead are tired. Disillusioned. Confused, even. In fact, as the title of their latest LP release suggests, they are, above all, So Divided.
The Austin-based band brought post-punk to new musical and conceptual depths with their thought-provoking musical and lyrical mosaic Source Tags & Codes. But So Divided suggests that the band’s struggle to find new meaning in these depths has proved futile. The entire journey has left the group unsure of whether to continue searching or resign and conform to everything it used to love to hate.
Musically, the album suggests resignation. Lead-singer Conrad Keely’s vocals sound tired and pop-punk tracks like “Stand in Silence” and “So Divided” seem simplistic and commercial. The former’s lyrics echo the tone with such lines as “I had a vision/where’s my vision gone?” While these tracks are musically the most disappointing of the album, they are ultimately the most coherent because they deliver an unmistakable message: as much as the superficiality of real life may be repulsive, we have to accept it in the end because our struggle for meaning has produced nothing.
If all the tracks were so simple, we’d accept the Trail of Dead’s decision to conform, chalk them up as having “sold out” and move on. However, the rest of the album isn’t nearly as clear. Lyrically, “Wasted State of Mind” reflects disillusionment, but the rhythmically complex layering of piano, guitar and synthesizers suggests nuances that stray far from resignation to conformity.
Trail of Dead dug deep with Source Tags & Codes, but they didn’t find an easy answer. They have emerged wanting to continue searching, but are worn out by frustration. By resigning themselves, however, they have forgotten that their best work never gave an easy answer.
