Annabell‘s first full-length album, Each and Everyone, is, for lack of a better word, a doozy. It might be what you’d expect from Midwestern emo kids, and it is mainly more of the same songs and sounds as heard on their self released debut EP – but it’s also got so, so much more. What is it exactly? That’s a tough one. Killer drum lines are a definite. Maybe a greater sense of self confidence, too. These things are a great start.
Each and Everyone is another one of those albums that seems to emulate the spirit today’s youth. Much like the youth of every generation, it’s something along the lines of a this is how we want to play, so fuck you if you don’t like it sort of mentality. That is the beauty of indie rock. It can be whatever the hell you want it to be. When these guys pound through tracks like “People and Places” and “Parade Rest”, they represent today’s culture in a very positive way. With so much shit being thrown at groups like All Time Low (possibly because they slung the shit first, their music that is), it’s nice to hear a young group making all the right moves.
You may think you have heard the likes of Annabell before. You may think they sound like someone you have listened to before. Well, you haven’t. And they don’t. If these guys should be praised for at least one thing it is their individualism in a genre that is overflowing with messy-haired wannabes looking to make a living outside of their parent’s basements. Each and Everyone is the bar those folks should be trying to reach.
Annabel: Sleeping Lions [mp3]
[audio:091215-annabel-sleeping_lions.mp3|titles=Sleeping Lions|artists=Annabel]
Count Your Lucky Stars Records [CD, 2009]
1. Sleeping Lions
2. People and Places
3. Castles in the Air
4. Bouquet Mines
5. As it Happened
6. In Droves
7. Adventures…
8. Parade Rest
9. You Started Thinking Again, Didn’t You?
10. Widow Party
11. (As Yet) Untold Stories
