Track List:
- Relentless
- Elevator
- Love is For the Middle Class
- So Far Away
- God Save the Foolish Kings
- Salt in the Sea
- Independence Day For a Petty Thief
- Somebody Knows
- Disappear
- She Mighty Mighty
- Constant
- Burn Me Down
- Galveston (Amazon MP3 Bonus Track)
- Patient (iTunes Bonus Track)
I have to admit, after the epic that was their 2008 release, The End is Not the End, I was skeptical as to whether or not House of Heroes would be able to live up to it with Suburba. Thankfully, after my first listen through I was assured that House of Heroes did, in fact, pull through and somehow managed to put together another record that's every bit as good as, if not better than, the near-perfect The End is Not the End.
"Relentless" opens the album on a very strong note, immediately introducing a sound quite different from that of their previous album. It's rock with just enough pop mixed in to hook you in and keep you listening. "Elevator" is an extremely catchy song with a driving beat and a straight rock and roll vibe that is present throughout the album. "Love is For the Middle Class" talks about how money often speaks louder than love. The chorus when frontman Tim Skipper sings, "If all I had was love, would I still be lovely? / If all I gave was love, would you give up on me?" is sure to get stuck in your head. "So Far Away" slows down the tempo slightly while maintaining a high energy level. It opens with the upbeat line, "We got to hold on to hope, in this heartless world, we gotta hold on to hope".
"God Save the Foolish Kings", the lead single from the album, tells a powerful story to an equally powerful melody. Featuring vocals from the extremely talented Stephanie Smith, this song has it all. It keeps up the rock vibe with a melody that's just begging to be sung along to. "Salt in the Sea" is a beautiful acoustic ballad with very poetic lyrics. The track ends with a traditional spiritual being sung by all the members of the band. While it sounds great, it seems a little out of place. It goes into "Independence Day For a Petty Thief", a heavier rock song. It has a short interlude in the middle with nothing but the sound of fireworks and a reappearance of the spiritual, which fits in well with the theme of the record, but interrupts the flow of an otherwise driven song.
"Somebody Knows", "Disappear", the album's darkest track, and "She Mighty Mighty" are the closest things this album has to filler. While very good songs in their own right, they tend to blend in with the rest of the album. "Constant", an upbeat rock ballad, slows down the pace one more time before moving into the album closer, "Burn Me Down". This song ties together many elements of the album and it ends with an acoustic outro that rounds out the album remarkably well.
The two bonus tracks are good additions to the album, but it's clear why they are just bonus tracks. "Galveston" is a good song that's reminiscent of The Beatles, but it would be overshadowed by the rest of Suburba. "Patient" is a beautiful song carried by piano and simple orchestration. It doesn't fit the rock vibe of the record, but it's beautiful, nonetheless, and worth the extra purchase.
Overall, Suburba is a very strong album. The production is flawless, Tim Skipper and the rest of the band sound great, and the writing is better than ever. It has the slight experimentalism that has made House of Heroes stand out from all the other rock bands out there, and while it occasionally is a bit much, it generally works out very well for them. One of my favorite parts of this album personally is that the lyrics let their faith shine through without becoming overbearing in the least. Regardless of what you believe, I would highly recommend this album to anyone who wants to listen to a solid rock album.
