And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Source Tags and Codes
[Interscope; 2002]
Rating: 10.0
Some music begs to be explored. Promising fascination and intrigue beyond your
wildest dreams, its distant melodies beckon you towards it while you try your very
best to discern every distinct element that presents itself to you. As you get
closer and closer, you begin to relax, letting yourself become completely enveloped
by the entrancing tones.
Of course, it's all a trap. Just as you begin to lose yourself, you become vaguely
aware that the sound that soothingly beckoned you has now transformed into
something vastly different-- something powerful, dangerous, and merciless. What
was so beautiful at a safe distance is still beautiful, but what was once tranquil
and peaceful has metamorphosed into a vicious, violent glory. Before you can even
respond, you're flat on your back, pulverized by its sheer force.
Making music that is both delicate and dangerous requires a level of skill that
most musicians can barely even fathom. While some bands, like the Microphones,
succeed at capturing the simultaneous beauty and rage of nature, what And You
Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have encapsulated on their third full-length,
Source Tags and Codes, is something distinctly human. Anger has always
played a central role in the band's music, but with this record, they've finally
managed to capture all the subtle shades of disappointment, melancholy, frustration
and hope that often accompany it.
Of course, capturing all this with music is no small feat. Source Tags and
Codes is massive in its execution, bursting with layered percussion, deftly
arranged strings and, most importantly, songs that are simply epic. "It Was There
That I Saw You" opens the album with squealing static and a clean guitar playing
a simple, tickling figure. There's a palpable sense of excitement as the song
suddenly explodes into a frenetic blast of crashing cymbals, screeching guitars,
and thumping bass. Amidst the swell of sound, Conrad Keely's voice takes on a
sharp, almost crystalline quality that cuts through the mix with biting force.
"Another Morning Stoner" mimics "It Was There That I Saw You" in its opening moments,
but rather than exploding with pure energy, it builds slowly and deliberately to an
absolutely astonishing finale. Melodic guitar lines ricochet back and forth, brought
to new sonic elevations by soaring string arrangements. The call-and-response
section that finishes the song, in which two members of the band exchange the
phrases, "What is forgiveness?/ It's just a dream/ What is forgiveness?/ It's
everything," is one of many absolutely indelible moments on Source Tags and
Codes.
"Baudelaire" follows the haunting "Another Morning Stoner" with a blast of pure
rock and roll. Catchy and incredibly sinister, "Baudelaire" builds upon a central,
immensely powerful guitar and trumpet riff with handclaps, driving percussion, and
barely audible voices engaged in conversation. Eventually, the song trails off
into a single submerged guitar line accentuated by reverb-soaked bells.
Just as the hypnotic ending to "Baudelaire" pulls you into a trance, "Homage"
picks you up by the hair, smacks you around, spits in your face, and leaves you
gasping for breath, before imploding into a symphony of static. "How Near How Far"
and "Heart in the Hand of the Matter" are the highlights of Source Tags and
Codes' center, utterly alive with energy and texture. "How Near How Far" uses
vocal harmonies and strings to reinforce a sense of violent melancholy, and the
unforgettable chorus to "Heart in the Hand of the Matter" ("I'm so damned, I can't
win") is enlivened by the contrast between gritty guitars and clear, ringing piano.
After another expertly produced segue, "Monsoon" pulls together the rock swagger
of "Baudelaire" and the sentimentality of "Heart in the Hand of the Matter" to
wonderful effect. The songwriting on Source Tags and Codes is inconceivably
elegant-- never predictable, but never gratuitously dissonant. Parts of songs wind
seamlessly into each other, each one full of brilliant sonic nuances that are every
bit as compelling when taken as part of the entire song as when examined individually.
Fragmented feedback heralds the arrival of "Days of Being Wild," a song that hosts
some of the most creative instrumental interplay to grace this album, before
building to yet another utterly awe-inspiring finale.
Source Tags and Codes is an album big on finales-- thus, it makes sense that
its three final tracks are quite possibly its best. "Relative Ways," which was
released earlier this year as a single, is the most exquisitely constructed song
here. Conrad Keely's voice breaks and spits as he pleads, "It's okay/ I'm a saint/
I forgave/ Your mistakes." An unexpected chord shift heightens the dramatic tension
of the song just in time for it to return to its original theme and fade into
"After the Laughter," the only segue on Source Tags and Codes to be given
its own track. A stunning concoction of dreamy vocal harmonies, radio noises,
pianos and strings, "After the Laughter" is wonderful in its own right, but taking
into account the fact that the song perfectly bridges the melodies of "Relative
Ways" and the album's closer, "Source Tags and Codes," it seems utterly brilliant.
As with any epic album, Source Tags and Codes demands an epic closer, and
the record's title track delivers masterfully. Both a lyrical and melodic high
point, "Source Tags and Codes" captures the complex emotions of the album in a
brief glimpse of pure paradoxical beauty. A perfect arrangement of the guitars,
piano, strings, bells, and percussion that help make this record so intricate and
powerful, the song sounds almost like a bittersweet reunion with old friends. A
few seconds after last guitar has faded, a string ensemble plays a brief, gorgeous
piece that is at once hopeful and somber. The strings end in unison on a single
note, which is sustained for a few moments before fading out. The impact is
immediate: you know without a moment's doubt that you have just heard something
that is absolutely classic.
And while Source Tags and Codes does seem to carry with it a certain
knowledge of its own brilliance, it never tries to cheaply impress. Simply put,
it doesn't need to. Dense, beautiful, intricate, haunting, explosive, and
dangerous, this is everything rock music aspires to be: intense, incredible songs
arranged perfectly and performed with skill and passion. Source Tags and
Codes will take you in, rip you to shreds, piece you together, lick your
wounds clean, and send you back into the world with a concurrent sense of loss
and hope. And you will never, ever be the same.
-Matt LeMay, March 1st, 2002