In light of poor sales, indie rockers .And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead almost called it quits last year. However, the Austin-based quartet transferred their boundless, murderous rage into inspiration for their latest effort, So Divided. This album is a more refined, stripped-down version of 2002's acclaimed Source Tags & Codes, maintaining the band's hard edge while showing off a greater range of songwriting ability.
Despite its lyrical shortcomings, the album's many textures lend a new versatility to the band's sound. "Naked Sun" starts off with a bluesy guitar riff reminiscent of early ZZ Top, while "Eight Day Hell," with full vocal crescendos and bouncing verses, resembles the Shins' jangle-pop aesthetic. This mercurial sound has traditionally relegated Trail of Dead to the lower rungs of the sales charts, but their newfound maturity isn't likely to go unnoticed.
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