Anchor and Braille - Felt

Artist: Anchor and Braille

Album: Felt

Release Date: 8/4/09

Label: Wood Water

So first off,if you don't know,Anchor and Braille is Stephen Christian from Anberlin's side project.Aaron Marsh from Copeland also played a pretty big role in helping to produce the album and also does some guest vocals. Also,please don't expect an Anberlin-like album or anything close when buying this or just listening to it.These songs are songs that Anberlin would never play,they are far to personal. But that doesn't make it bad. These are Stephen Christian's own personal songs and they are very unique. The first song "Rust" according to Stephen,is about a family member who was in the hospital. The next song,the albums first "single" is "Like Steps In A Dance".It is another great example of Anchor and Braille's unique sound. Another track that caught my attention was "Summer Tongues" which is where Aaron Marsh comes in.The beginning of the song,many other parts,and the very end sound just like a Copeland song. The next track "Calm,Calm Yourself" is a nice,simple piano driven love song. The track also,how do I put this,has a beautiful string section toward the very end of the song. "Wedding/Funeral" is a sad song about someone who died and the onlooker remembered that they were dressed beautifully at their wedding and also ,at their viewing. It is a very sad song. The rest of the album ends out with more good tacks,but out of out of the 4 tracks,I think the best one is "Sleep.When We Die".I got this song as a download earlier in the year from a Faceless International free sampler. One noticeable thing is that Stephen's voice gets very high in some songs,unlike in Anberlin. Also,the album definitely has a huge Copeland sound to it,and Aaron Marsh also does some great guest vocals.If you like Copeland or are a fan of softer indie stuff,I would highly recommend that you pick this album up.

Album Highlights: Like Steps In A Dance, Summer Tongues,Sleep.When We Die,Sing Out,Sheet Music

Rating: 8.5/10 This is definitely one of the best albums I have heard all year!Go pick it up and support Anchor and Braille!