I Am Empire - Anchors

I wasn't a huge fan of I Am Empire's debut, Kings. The album shows lots of potential and had some nice tracks but it wasn't a record I found myself giving spins after I had reviewed it. All early thoughts on Anchors were that the band had matured and was moving in a different direction. Upon hearing the album's lead single, Sing, I could see why people were saying that.

Musically I'm not really sure Anchors is all that different from Kings. But I like it more. It feels less cheesy and more concise to me.

Gravity Bomb is super catchy. It doesn't jump out as you initially but when the hook hits, your attention is captured. Gasoline has more punch with slightly less in the way of pop sensibility. All Around Me is a solid mix of the album's first two tracks. It's pretty obvious by the time you reach Labor what you're getting in Anchors.

 Am Empire write hard rock songs infused with great pop sensibilities. It's not drop d, angry sounding hard rock. It's intelligently crafted and extremely catchy.

Sing is the highlight of the record in my opinion. It's the epitome of what I Am Empire does best. The chorus will be stuck in your head for days, yet the song is a little rough around the edges. Yet you can hear the subtle, yet extremely obvious, change in I Am Empire.

Anchors is a solid record top to bottom and it's over almost as soon as you realize you're enjoying it. It know I hit play again once the album stopped to hear it again. I Am Empire's sophomore effort builds and improves on their debut nicely.