''Cities'' is the third
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Anberlin
Anberlin is an American alternative rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida, in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band consists of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, ...
, released on February 20, 2007. The songs "Godspeed" and "The Unwinding Cable Car" were released as singles with accompanying music videos. The album debuted at No. 19 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Production
The band spent more than 40 days in the studio recording ''Cities'' and went back on tour on September 14 after listening to the finished work on the morning of September 13. Lead singer
Stephen Christian
Stephen Christian Arnold is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Anberlin, as well as the vocalist of his acoustic side-project Anchor & Braille. He and his bandmates started Anberlin i ...
kept fans posted on progress in the studio through the band's online forums. Anberlin asked fans to message their phone numbers to the band through their message board so they could call the fans and ask for advice on the album. The album was produced by
Aaron Sprinkle
Aaron Sprinkle (born March 20, 1974) is an American record producer and musician from Seattle, Washington.
Career
His career in music began in high school with a group called BellBangVilla. BellBangVilla became Poor Old Lu and they relea ...
, who also produced Anberlin's first two albums ''
Blueprints for the Black Market'' and ''
Never Take Friendship Personal''.
Promotion and pre-release
In late 2006, the band started previewing content for the album in various ways. The song "Godspeed" was released as a single on December 28, 2006. The band started playing "Hello Alone" at concerts under its working title, "The Lesser Thans." Anberlin also posted individual song previews on
MySpace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
and
PureVolume
PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...
.
Lyrical content
Stephen Christian
Stephen Christian Arnold is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Anberlin, as well as the vocalist of his acoustic side-project Anchor & Braille. He and his bandmates started Anberlin i ...
stated in an interview that the lyrics throughout the band's discography were progressively becoming more mature. "The first CD (''Blueprints for the Black Market'') was childish in the manner that it was Man vs. World in the lyrics. The second (''Never Take Friendship Personal'') was Man Vs. Man. ''Cities'' is more adult in the manner that it's Man vs. Self."
Release
''Cities'' was released in the United States on February 20, 2007, as scheduled. It sold 34,000 units in its first week of release and debuted at No. 19 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart and was well received by critics and fans. It also reached up to number seven on the iTunes Top Albums chart. Some pre-orders were shipped along with a seven-inch collector's vinyl EP.
A special-edition version of the album was also released. This version contains three additional tracks and a bonus DVD featuring a behind the scenes look of the making the album, interviews with the band members, and outtakes.
Except for digitally downloaded albums, each US copy of the album contained a "City Pass" insert. This insert states that it is the buyer's "gateway to the world" providing "free entry to over twenty cities". The inserts were tied to an online-entry contest (which closed on August 31, 2007).
Critical reception
''Cities'' garnered critical acclaim from
Music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. At ''
Christianity Today
''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...
'', Christa Banister rated the album four stars, calling it a "great step in the right direction."
Greg Prato of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
rated the album three-and-a-half stars, commenting that "Nothing too groundbreaking here, but nothing cringe-worthy, either."
At ''
CCM Magazine
''CCM Magazine'' is an online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music and media, published by Logan and Amanda Sekulow.
History
''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has been owned by Salem since 1999. O ...
'', Andrew Scates graded it a B, noting that the album "if anything, evokes a hope for the future."
Drew Beringer of
AbsolutePunk
''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to featu ...
rated the album an eighty-five-percent, highlighting that the album "converted" him about the band's music because it "display a vast improvement in every aspect."
At
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook (198 ...
, Jennifer E. Jones rated the album four spins, affirming that "The best Anberlin album is here."
Trevor Fitzgerald of
Cross Rhythms
Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music.
His ...
rated the album a nine squares, stating that the listener will "find memorable songs, finely executed."
At Sputnikmusic, SowingSeason rated the album a perfect five stars, saying that the album "shows Anberlin coming to a crossroads between youth and maturity and creating an absolute masterpiece of both."
Founder, John DiBiase of Jesus Freak Hideout rated the album four stars, writing that the band "craft
da pretty impressive batch of songs."
At New Release Tuesday, Kevin Davis rated the album a perfect five stars, evoking that the album "demands to be experienced over and over."
Also, Jonathan Francesco of New Release Tuesday rated the album a perfect five stars, calling it "an album of epic quality."
The Phantom Tollbooth's James Morovich rated the album four stars, highlighting this as "Anberlin's most diverse project to date", and noting how the listener "will find a lot here to enjoy as well!"
At
Melodic
A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...
, Kaj Roth rated the album three stars, remarking how the release offers "good songs that has elements of The Smiths, believe it or not."
Accolades
In 2008, the album was nominated for a
Dove Award
A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...
for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year at the
39th GMA Dove Awards
The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 23, 2008, recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2007. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nominations were announced on February 14, ...
.
Track listing
Notes
* Special Edition version includes a DVD behind the scenes of the making of ''Cities''.
*The bonus tracks are also included in the compilation album ''
Lost Songs''
*The album released in Japan had an extra track titled "The Haunting."
*"The Haunting" was later released on the Lost Songs album in late 2007, but Anberlin did not play the song live until September 28, 2010 at the New Orleans House of Blues.
Personnel
Anberlin
*
Stephen Christian
Stephen Christian Arnold is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Anberlin, as well as the vocalist of his acoustic side-project Anchor & Braille. He and his bandmates started Anberlin i ...
– lead vocals, keyboards
*Joseph Milligan – lead guitar, vocals, keyboards, engineer
*Nathan Strayer – rhythm guitar, vocals
*Deon Rexroat – bass guitar
*Nathan Young – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
*
Aaron Marsh
Aaron Marsh (born August 30, 1980) is an American musician and record producer from Lakeland, Florida. He first gained prominence as the lead singer, guitarist, and pianist for the Florida-based indie rock band Copeland, which formed in 2001. ...
– additional vocals on "Inevitable"
*Aaron Mlasko – additional percussion
*
Matt Slocum
Matt Slocum (born 27 December 1972) is a guitarist, cellist, pianist and composer, known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist of Sixpence None the Richer.
Biography
Born in Rhode Island to Joseph and Hildegard Slocum, ...
– strings and choir arrangements
Artwork
*
Ryan Clark for
Invisible Creature
Invisible Creature is an illustration and graphic design studio based in Seattle, Washington. It is run by brothers Don and Ryan Clark and was formed in 2006. Don and Ryan are also the co-founders of Asterik Studio (2000-2008). Clients include: N ...
– art direction & design
*Parker Young – photography
*Rob Michael Hugel - video documentary
Production
*
Aaron Sprinkle
Aaron Sprinkle (born March 20, 1974) is an American record producer and musician from Seattle, Washington.
Career
His career in music began in high school with a group called BellBangVilla. BellBangVilla became Poor Old Lu and they relea ...
– producer, engineer
*
Randy Torres
Randy Torres is an American guitarist, percussionist, keyboardist and background vocalist from Seattle. He has previously played for the bands Project 86, a Christian rock group, and Crash Rickshaw. He has filled in as rhythm guitarist for the b ...
– engineering
*
Mike Shipley
Michael Shipley (7 October 1956 – 25 July 2013) was an Australian mixing engineer, audio engineer, and record producer. Shipley's music career spanned more than 30 years – mostly working in Los Angeles. At the Grammy Awards of 2012 he ...
– mixing
*Brian Wohlgermuth – mixing assistant
*
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''.
Early life ...
– mastering at
Sterling Sound
George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s.
Biography
Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...
, New York City
*Aaron Mlasko – drum tech
Management
*Chad Johnson –
A&R
*Kyle Griner – Management for The Arson Madia Group, Inc
*Nick Storch – U.S. Booking for The Arson Madia Group
*Mark Ngui h – European Booking for Primary Talent
*Mirk McKoy – Legal for Serling, Roook, & Ferrara
Charts
Album
References
External links
Album page for ''Cities''*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cities
Anberlin albums
2007 albums
Tooth & Nail Records albums
Albums produced by Aaron Sprinkle
Howling Bull Entertainment albums