The pressure is on. Trail of Dead, still reeling from the acclaim of last year's monster rock epic Source Tags & Codes, now stand at that difficult juncture marked by the skulls and bones of countless indie-gone-major bands before them. A&R; "need that next record ASAP," before the band loses their shot at the fickle tastes of mainstream American consumers, while the die-hards-- who'd be content to wait at least another year if it meant a better album-- expect a hallowed follow-up to either equal or surpass the band's treasured last release. In the meantime, the label wants an EP to keep the band in the spotlight, tide over fans, and further hype the forthcoming follow-up.
So we get this: The Secret of Elena's Tomb, a clearly rushed product containing four newly recorded songs and one experimental leftover, with multimedia bonus features tacked on as a last-minute point-of-sale and a means of banking on those who would otherwise just download the thing (its artwork, unlike that of Source Tags, isn't much to look at). The disc's songs being, presumably, among the few Trail of Dead has written in the past year, it's safe to say that the band wasn't likely given the obvious advantage of selectivity. In light of that constraint, it's understandable that some of this disc's tracks aren't up to par, but also promising that the ones that pay off show the band working toward a departure from the sound of their last album.
All of Trail of Dead's albums up to this point seemed refinements of the sound that finally culminated on Source Tags & Codes, a blistering, frenzied stomper summoning the aural equivalent of apocalypse and damnation. On Elena's Tomb, they seem ready push things forward, if not yet clear which path to tread. As such, the record is experimental in the truest sense, each of its tracks signifying a possible point of departure: one continues on their present course-- a sound which they've clearly grown bored with-- while another gives up that ghost and cashes in on the coattails of Dashboard Confessional; two others hint at a more pop-oriented reincarnation of Source Tags' more soft-focus moments, "Another Morning Stoner" and its title track.
As can be expected, the band's transitional status doesn't exactly translate to a gripping listen. Many of their experiments either fall flat, or just seem too forced: "Mach Schau" is one of these, opening the disc with the band's most overt Sonic Youth plundering to date. Awkwardly straddling some imaginary line between experimentalism and rote hardcore, and lacking any trace of melody, they seem lost, and for the first time since their self-titled debut, a little self-conscious. The car-crash collision of these two genres is-- if nothing else-- unique, but the generic, shouted chorus and mumbled-word verses play like a hackneyed approximation of The Velvet Underground's "Murder Mystery", about as far from inspiration as these guys have ever wandered.
Worse still is "Counting Off the Days", a thankfully brief shot at capturing-- or, possibly, satirizing-- the overwrought drama club banality MTV pipes into the bedrooms of suburban teenagers. A 12-string acoustic strums repetitively, a cello droning subtly beneath, while Conrad Keely intones, "And it's sooooo hard to starrrrrve!!!" in a scary parallel with Chris Carraba's unforgettably piercing, "Anywhere... With anyone... Mayyykking ouuuut!!!" If this is a joke, I give them credit for faking me out; if not, they should stop and consider whether America really needs another diary-scribbling pussy sobbing on its disdainful shoulder.
Of their options, Trail of Dead seem most comfortable-- and are far and away the most successful-- reveling in melodic saturation. "All St. Day" and "Crowning of a Heart" both seem like logical progressions from Source Tags, retaining that album's drumkit combat and misty production, but pushing the songwriting straight to the fore. "Crowning of a Heart", Elena's clear standout, is almost wrenching, following a serpentine vocal hook, and dropping mid-song into one of the band's trademark instrumental segues, which rides a simple, drawn-out guitar figure and beautiful, languid four-part harmonies. "All St. Day" is nearly as good, a sort of tom-fueled, autumnal inverse of Source Tags' urgent "Monsoon", with an insistent backbeat and Neil Busch adamantly sing/shouting the killer refrain, "Everybody knows you can't hide forever."
The record's fifth and final song could be counted among the record's many bonus features, a dancefloor rocker that appeared last fall on the UK single for "Another Morning Stoner". Technically, it's not even Trail of Dead; being a collaboration between Jason Reece and non-Trail member Tyler Jacobsen, it would more aptly fall under the header of Reece's side project A Roman Scandal. Its inclusion here further confuses things, adding to the disc's overall lack of focus-- although, that said, it's a pretty solid track, with punishing neo-industrial beat programming and an impassioned (if sometimes a bit tuneless) vocal performance from Reece.
The Secret of Elena's Tomb is the sound of a band, having accomplished everything they dreamed of, starting from scratch. Drained by tours and shouldering pressure from their backers, Trail of Dead are throwing darts blindfolded, hoping at least one hits the board. While this disc is an obvious placeholder, it's not fueled by insulting or wanton disregard for their reputation, or their fans. In fact, fans of Source Tags & Codes will likely find it worth their $6.98-- if not for the two extremely promising highlights, then for the videos for "Relative Ways" and "Another Morning Stoner". Yet those hoping it might indicate what to expect from Trail of Dead's next album are left in the dark; fumbling for answers, they'll probably run into the band.
