| Cities | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Anberlin | ||||
| Released | February 20, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 Compound and London Bridge Studio Seattle, WA |
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| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 46:31 | |||
| Label | Tooth & Nail Stomp (Australia release) Howling Bull (Japan Release) |
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| Producer | Aaron Sprinkle | |||
| Anberlin chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Cities | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | (85%)[1] |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Alternative Press | (March 2007) |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | Original,[3] special edition[4] |
| Sputnikmusic | [5] |
Cities is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Anberlin, released on 20 February 2007.[6] The songs "Godspeed" and "The Unwinding Cable Car" were released as singles and had music videos created. The album debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200.
Contents |
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 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 that they could call the fans and ask for advice on this album. The album was produced by Aaron Sprinkle, who also produced Anberlin's first two albums Blueprints for the Black Market and Never Take Friendship Personal.
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 and PureVolume. Anberlin streamed the entire album to their MySpace home three days before the album hit stores. The move ratcheted up the band's popularity on the #1 profile site, and made it one of the top 2 most popular bands on the day. Cities was number one on Jesusfreakhideout's list of "the 25 most anticipated albums of 2007" and was incidentally named the number one album of 2007 on December 16, 2007.
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 #19 on the Billboard 200 chart and was well received by critics and fans.[7] 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).
Stephen Christian 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."[8][9]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(Début)" | 1:27 |
| 2. | "Godspeed" | 3:02 |
| 3. | "Adelaide" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "A Whisper & a Clamor" | 3:25 |
| 5. | "The Unwinding Cable Car" | 4:17 |
| 6. | "There Is No Mathematics to Love and Loss" | 3:11 |
| 7. | "Hello Alone" | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Alexithymia" | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Reclusion" | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Inevitable" | 3:47 |
| 11. | "Dismantle.Repair." | 4:18 |
| 12. | "(*Fin)" | 8:53 |
These tracks are also included in the compilation album "Lost Songs"
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Uncanny" | 3:28 |
| 14. | "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths Cover)" | 4:17 |
| 15. | "The Promise (When In Rome Cover)" | 3:17 |
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.
In 2008, the album was nominated for a Dove Award for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year at the 39th GMA Dove Awards.[11]
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