Every music afficionado knows that Seattle is a superb hotspot for alternative music. As one of the city's many talented outfits had their heyday in the early 2000s, Acceptance burst on the scene with their critically acclaimed album Phantoms which still marks as one of my favorite albums of that decade. Imagine my surprise and excitement when the band announced a return to active status after a very long hiatus.
Back in the 2000s Acceptance, along with Jimmy Eat World, Anberlin, Something Corporate, The Starting Line and Copeland represented a strong crop of alternative rock bands with energetic live performances and melodically driven quality songwriting. As times went by many of these bands disbanded, transformed or faded into oblivion, with the sole exception of Jimmy Eat World who just don't seem to age at all.
It now is 2017 and we can rejoice in having another one of these anchors of alternative rock back on center stage. Acceptance just dropped their sophomore album Colliding by Design which aptly describes their organic return to prominence. Reassembling the team brings together Vena's powerful vocals, Cloyd & McAlhaney's driven guitar prowess, Zwiefelhofer's perfect timing on bass and Lunceford with his drum magic. Right off the bat it is obvious these energetic lads have not lost a step in the past decade.
Acceptance manages to bring forth a record that seemlessly succeeds Phantoms without any copy/pasting involved. You can feel this band perfoms optimally together and that they somehow grew during their absence. They throw around clever hooks and vocal arcs like they used to and Aaron Sprinkle, who was able to make all the Anberlin albums sound at their best, is a genius behind the scenes as he puts some finishing touches on these songs which form a metaphoric bridge between the past and present. Life was breathed into bits and pieces of demos that were written a long time ago and combined with the lush new material that the band came forward with. And the result is fingerlicking good.
Colliding by Design sounds like the band is having fun and is eager to tell their story through their music. Take the song We Can Escape for example. The song tells a tale of internal struggles that one goes through in life and it feels extremely personal.
Back in the 2000s Acceptance, along with Jimmy Eat World, Anberlin, Something Corporate, The Starting Line and Copeland represented a strong crop of alternative rock bands with energetic live performances and melodically driven quality songwriting. As times went by many of these bands disbanded, transformed or faded into oblivion, with the sole exception of Jimmy Eat World who just don't seem to age at all.
It now is 2017 and we can rejoice in having another one of these anchors of alternative rock back on center stage. Acceptance just dropped their sophomore album Colliding by Design which aptly describes their organic return to prominence. Reassembling the team brings together Vena's powerful vocals, Cloyd & McAlhaney's driven guitar prowess, Zwiefelhofer's perfect timing on bass and Lunceford with his drum magic. Right off the bat it is obvious these energetic lads have not lost a step in the past decade.
Acceptance manages to bring forth a record that seemlessly succeeds Phantoms without any copy/pasting involved. You can feel this band perfoms optimally together and that they somehow grew during their absence. They throw around clever hooks and vocal arcs like they used to and Aaron Sprinkle, who was able to make all the Anberlin albums sound at their best, is a genius behind the scenes as he puts some finishing touches on these songs which form a metaphoric bridge between the past and present. Life was breathed into bits and pieces of demos that were written a long time ago and combined with the lush new material that the band came forward with. And the result is fingerlicking good.
Colliding by Design sounds like the band is having fun and is eager to tell their story through their music. Take the song We Can Escape for example. The song tells a tale of internal struggles that one goes through in life and it feels extremely personal.
There comes a time when love is feeling
Defining the lines worth reading
Leave us all alone together
-WE CAN ESCAPE
Another song that immediately stands out is Fire and Rain which is very fast-paced, which is what Acceptance does best. It's going to be a blast to witness this one live. The song is filled with clever metaphors and the energy and passion have you invested in this song from the first second to the last.
But why the heck am I singling out songs anyway. This is an album that you listen to from start to finish without skipping any of the songs. The tracks fit together organically and sonically without every song sounding the same. The boys are back and they did a hell of a job.
For me this may be a bit of nostalgia but apart from that Colliding by Design is a very strong album that has clever pop hooks while remaining true to the alternative rock sound this band grew up on. Thematically the content of the songs is a bit of a break from their earlier work but this makes sense as the band members went through a decade of experiences and this reflects in their work. As a guy in my mid-thirties, this actually makes me relate to this album on a deeper level and I find it hard to contain my excitement about Acceptance being back. I suppose it now is your turn to get hooked!
But why the heck am I singling out songs anyway. This is an album that you listen to from start to finish without skipping any of the songs. The tracks fit together organically and sonically without every song sounding the same. The boys are back and they did a hell of a job.
For me this may be a bit of nostalgia but apart from that Colliding by Design is a very strong album that has clever pop hooks while remaining true to the alternative rock sound this band grew up on. Thematically the content of the songs is a bit of a break from their earlier work but this makes sense as the band members went through a decade of experiences and this reflects in their work. As a guy in my mid-thirties, this actually makes me relate to this album on a deeper level and I find it hard to contain my excitement about Acceptance being back. I suppose it now is your turn to get hooked!
With a cannonball crash and a paperback spine
If I touch your face, tell me what will I find?
-FIRE AND RAIN
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