… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Worlds Apart (Interscope)

There was a major shift between Trail of Dead's 2000 release, Madonna, and 2002's shimmering Source Tags & Codes. The latter found them experimenting with strings, horns, piano – actual compositions. Of course their infamous live shows remained chaotic and cathartic. With their latest, Worlds Apart, it seems the Austin fivepiece has found a happy medium. Opener "Overture" and "Russia My Homeland" certainly throw them into Ren Fest territory, all sweeping piano and fanciful, powdered-wig ruffling strings (their latest press photo does have them dressed in foppish Victorian garb), which seems to signify a departure toward a more perfect studio sound. Then the title track shows up dressed in a beer-stained shirt and tries to pick a fight. "Will You Smile Again for Me," an ode of sorts to Brian Wilson, and "And the Rest Will Follow" harken back to the narcotic romance of Source, but they also show that TOD's goal this time around was not necessarily loud and fast. They followed the grandiose Pink Floyd studio method: rock as an art form, classical music amped to 11. Call it maturity. The nostalgic "Summer 91" layers singer Conrad Keely's lyrics with finality ("Take me to that summer past, and tell me is it really worth remembering?"); "Worlds Apart" gives a middle finger to the punk rock institution ("Random souls have asked me, 'What's the future of rock and roll?' I say, 'I don't know does it matter?'"). TOD has found a way to make three chords into a symphony. Maybe maturity isn't the right word. Call it evolution.