| Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Anberlin | ||||
| Released | 7 September 2010 | |||
| Recorded | Nashville at Blackbird Studios, March 13 - April 20, 2010 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 41:04 | |||
| Label | Universal Republic | |||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| Anberlin chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Alternative Press | [2] |
| Blare Magazine | [3] |
| Christian Music Zine | [4] |
| Jesusfreakhideout | [5] |
| AbsolutePunk | [6] |
Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Anberlin, their second album released through major label Universal Republic, on September 7, 2010. The band recorded the album in Nashville, at Blackbird Studios with Grammy Award-winning producer Brendan O'Brien.[7]
Contents |
The band entered Blackbird Studios, Nashville, to begin recording the album in March 2010.[8] It was announced on March 3 that the band would be working with Grammy Award- winning producer Brendan O'Brien, who has worked with the likes of Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.[9] The band was unsure which producer to select for the album, they were however fortunately approached by Brendan O'Brien. O'Brien had followed Anberlin's career after being introduced to their music by his daughter.[10]
The album title is a reference to the Dylan Thomas work Poem On His Birthday. The album examines themes of battles in life and love. Lead singer Stephen Christian states that "Love is a friction, a chemistry... We need to fight it out in a good way, not with threats of leaving, but to, in love, find an understanding."[11]
The artwork for the album is a charcoal on paper drawing by artist Michael Zavros, created in 2006.[12]
The first single of the album, "Impossible," went to radio on July 12.[13] “We Owe This to Ourselves,” another track from the album, was the main song used for the 2010 ESPN’s X-Games, Shift 2: Unleashed, and as part of Tony Hawk: Shred soundtrack.[14] "To the Wolves" was used during the 2010 season of NBC Sunday Night Football while "You Belong Here" was featured on commercials for season 10 of American Idol.
When asked about the possible impact of the new album, Stephen replied 'I feel like we're on the brink of something... either world domination or destruction, but either way we're on the brink'.[15] He later revealed that the band believed that "this is the best record that we can ever accomplish," saying the band was "absolutely in our element on this record."[10]
The album quickly reached number 2 on the iTunes album charts. It debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 31,000 units in its first week.[16] It also opened at No. 1 on Billboard's Christian Albums chart, No. 2 on Digital Albums, No. 4 on Rock Albums, No. 4 on Alternative Albums, and No. 9 on Tastemaker Albums.[17]
| Single | Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Impossible" | U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs[18] | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Songs[18] | 14 |
All songs written and composed by Anberlin.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Owe This to Ourselves" | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Impossible" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Take Me (As You Found Me)" | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Closer" | 3:46 |
| 5. | "You Belong Here" | 4:22 |
| 6. | "Pray Tell" | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Art of War" | 4:43 |
| 8. | "To the Wolves" | 3:31 |
| 9. | "Down" | 4:05 |
| 10. | "Depraved" | 5:23 |
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Total length:
|
41:04 | |
| B-sides | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "All We Have" (iTunes exclusive) | 3:32 | |||||||
| 2. | "I'd Like to Die" (independent in-store exclusive) | 4:14 | |||||||
| 3. | "Impossible" (acoustic; Amazon MP3 exclusive) | 4:23 | |||||||
| 4. | "Hell or High Water" (Newbury Comics exclusive) | 3:25 | |||||||