Vagabonds
Posted April 05, 2010
By piano89,
A lot of bands nowadays have some pretty sweet pre-order packages that include vinyls, signed posters, and other goodies. The Classic Crime didn’t offer any special packages for its third full-length release Vagabonds, instead it did something more meaningful. The band sent all the proceeds from its pre-orders to a Haiti relief effort. This makes me appreciate the release of Vagabonds all the more.
What stands out most when listening to the opening track, “A Perfect Voice” is its simplistic nature, being comprised of only two chords. Although the rest of album is filled with more complicated riffs, there is almost a pure, natural vibe to Vagabonds. The album’s vibe makes more sense when listening to the lyrics of the aforementioned track, “Four Chords,” and the title-track. In those three songs Matt MacDonald essentially vocalizes that the band will pave their own way when creating music, rejecting the trends that seem to own most other bands.
The highlights of Vagabonds are not necessarily the fiery riffs on “Solar-Powered Life” or the in-your-face lyrics on “Cheap Shots.” It’s the slow builds and contemplative moments found on songs like “Broken Mess” and “My Name,” that give Vagabonds an epic feeling. Both songs also contain spiritual overtones. “Broken Mess” starts out describing love in negative light based on a bad relationship; however, it ends with MacDonald proclaiming, “Love is a beautiful thing/She can make your heart sing/When you’re walking on broken glass.” “My Name” is very honest yet, unrelenting, “I will walk through the fire/I will not be afraid/They can take everything I have/But they can’t give me my name.”
Vagabonds is one of those albums that you have to let soak in for a while. It’s not an album likely to grab you initially, as The Silver Cord. So don’t give up on Vagabonds after the first listen, because if you do, you’ll miss out on one the best albums of 2010. View All Music And Book Reviews By piano89 | View piano89's Profile
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