Cities [SPECIAL EDITION]

Amazon.com
Unlike most emo bands that merely offer a laundry list of personal hardships over the sound of loud guitars, the members of Anberlin know that they can seek salvation in a higher power, so the songs on Cities aren't so much about self-pity as self-preservation. It's a refreshing twist on the formula, especially when paired with the industrial-strength hooks the spiritual Florida band knocks out on tracks like "Dismantle. Repair." and "Godspeed." On the latter, the group's frontman Stephen Christian lashes out against the bad habits of his secular counterparts: "Tell them who you were, who you really were/Kill yourself slowly over time, fashion statement suicide." The special edition features the original 12-track album that also sees the band dipping into a handful of standout acoustic ballads, plus three bonus tracks (including a cover of the Smiths' "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" and When in Rome's "The Promise") and a DVD. --Aidin Vaziri