#21 - Phil

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Source Tags & Codes

2002

Source Tags & Codes is the third release from the infamously long-named Austin quartet …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. I first heard of this band when I saw their video for the album’s lead single “Another Morning Stoner” during high school. The song sounded like it was being played inside of a cathedral with its mix of echoing vocals, bells, and high-pitched guitar tones. I fell in love with it instantly, and it didn’t take me long to feel the same way about the entire album once I purchased it.

Obviously Ryan, Steve, and I love all these albums and prefer to listen to them in their entirety rather than skip to particular songs. But I feel this record especially benefits from being listened to from start to finish. The boys in …Trail of Dead have an exceptional skill at understanding pace and knowing just how much to speed up/slow down each song’s subsequent track to keep the album feeling fresh. If one were to even just listen to the next three songs after “Another Morning Stoner” they would see what I mean: “Baudelaire” sounds almost like a punk song in the way its drums pick up speed between the lead singer’s lines; then “Homage” actually could pass for a punk song during its verses… but its “chorus” is a set of droned-out lines that brings it all back down; which leads perfectly into the record’s ballad, “How Near How Far,” a gorgeous anthem that returns to the cathedral-like sound of “Another Morning Stoner” and allows the record to come full circle at just its midway point. I have to believe that …Trail of Dead spend a great deal of time conceptualizing their albums while they’re writing each individual song, something I value tremendously as an artist. Source Tags & Codes is one of the few examples I can think of a record that’s truly greater than the sum of its parts. -P.W.

I learned about this record pretty early on in my exploration of tunes. This was during the times when I relied heavily on what Pitchfork thought to find new bands to try out. As some of you may know, this album stuck out because they gave it a mind-boggling 10.0! The score surprised me so much I spontaneously ordered the CD. When it arrived in the mail I played it and was really disappointed but probably because I was expecting something else (I don't know what). Returning to it to write this list was great, because it made me not regret buying this. Lately I've been on a bit of a dream pop/shoegaze binge and this album fits in nicely with a slightly rougher edge than most bands in the same vein. - Ryan

So Pitchfork gave this album a 10.0 when it came out. A perfect score by the biggest tastemakers of the decade certainly gave ...Trail of Dead a boost in popularity. I enjoyed this record in high school quite a bit and it holds up fairly well as a hard-hitting melodic piece of dreamy-post-hardcore. I can't say that I spin it too often anymore, but it's a nice record to revisit. Good pick Phil. - Steve