Review by Doug Cornell

If you are reading this review because you are considering purchasing this album...

STOP.  TAKE YOUR FINGERS OFF THE COMPUTER KEYBOARD, LEAVE THE BUILDING NOW, AND GO BUY THIS ALBUM.

If you are reading this review because you wonder what ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead sound like...

...Then my job is difficult.  Because describing this band is like describing the wind.  Hard one moment, soft the next, sometimes blisteringly cold, frequently blazing hot.  You get the idea.

...Trail of Dead's previous, self-indulgent releases were hard to listen to.  The music was extremely dissonant and off-beat.  Sure, they've been the "critic's darlings," but most critics are asses who just want you to know how smart they are.

My average intelligence allows me to like simpler, more accessible music.  Worlds Apart is as the title says, worlds apart from there earlier releases in many ways:

• Production.  There's kids singing, orchestral arrangements, birds chirping, guitars careening, drums smashing, pianos tinkling... all in crystal-clear stereo.  This is not a murky, dense recording.
   
• Songwriting.  Whether you're listening to  the opening theme "Ode To Isis" or the title track or the ballad "The Summer of '91," you'll appreciate that the song's complex arrangements are packed with melody.  This isn't something your mom would like, but it is music your girlfriend might dig.  Plus, it rocks.
   
• Value.  Worlds Apart contains 12 tracks, none of which are clunkers.  One day you'll realize how good the ong "The Rest Will Follow" is,  then another day you'll prefer the ethnic melody of "To Russia My Homeland."

Take my word for it, Worlds Apart is worth owning and listening to over and over again.  You won't be disappointed.

P.S.  Don't download Worlds Apart.  You'll want the gorgeous artwork and lyrics.