Top 10 Anberlin Songs

By: James Southworth

It's been a while since I've done a top 10 countdown. I figured it would be fitting for my next one to be Anberlin. This is partly because they are one of my top 5 bands, and the fourth anniversary for their final album "Lowborn" was just two days ago. Anberlin had an excellent run for the time they were together, releasing five stellar albums, one good album, and one that was slightly weaker ("New Surrender") but still relatively solid. This band did a great job at traversing the boundaries between their Christian and secular audiences, making songs that could appeal and relate to both sides. So here they are, my top 10 favorite Anberlin songs of all time!

Honorable Mentions: “A Whisper and a Clamor”, “The Resistance”, “Self-Starter”, “Cold War Transmissions”, “Type Three”, “Reclusion”, “Hearing Voices”, “Birds of Prey”, "Closer", "Impossible"

10. "Someone Anyone" (Vital) 

For the longest time, this was my favorite Anberlin song. Before "Vital", this band leaned strictly within the rock genre, although they of course took some risks with their sound. But fusing electronics with rock was a concept to me that, at my younger age, I never thought could work. I really hated anything that had to do with electronics/synthesizers back in the day, as I associated it with pop music. But when I heard "Someone Anyone", my eyes were opened to the potentials that could be offered when genres are fused together- and done well. Anberlin seamlessly used electronics along with guitars, creating a soundscape that worked for them immensely well. It's a little bittersweet to me that they only got to do this sound for two albums (using electronics even more heavily on "Lowborn", and it working about as well), but I'm glad I at least got to hear it. Stephen Christian's vocals are on point in this song, as he uses his typically beautiful singing voice, but also lets his vocals actually have some grit in the chorus. I love how complex this song is in questioning whether wars, literally/metaphorically, are truly effective. The song doesn't really reach an answer, and that's what I like about it. A topic so deep can be hard to answer, and the band does a good job at exploring the nuances in context of what is one of their most intense songs out there.

9. "Paper Thin Hymn" (Never Take Friendship Personal)

I don't really listen to this song that often, because it is so heartbreaking and powerful. Every time I think about this cut, I associate it with what is a legitimately wonderful music video that conveys the emotion of the song perfectly. Anberlin has made plenty of tracks that pack an emotional punch, but the artistry of this one makes it particularly poignant. This song talks has Stephen telling a personal story about a dear family member who passed away from cancer. Christian talks about how important it is to keep the ones you love close, utilizing beautiful visual imagery to illustrate his point: "August evenings/Bring solemn warnings to remember/To kiss the ones you love goodnight/You never know what temporal days may bring/Laugh, love, live free, and sing". I mean wow, I don't know if I've ever heard this thematic arc done quite the way the band presents it. Musically, this song does a good job of staying within soft rock, while incorporating some harder rock tendencies that are reminiscent of their early years. This was only the band's second album, and you could already see how well Stephen does at having his voice deliver emotion in a way that doesn't sound overdone. This song is just beautiful. It's a fan favorite, and there's good reason why.

8. "The Unwinding Cable Car" (Cities)

Like I said in my intro, I've always felt that Anberlin has done a good job at writing lyrics that can connect to both Christian and secular songs. This song, however, feels like it was written specifically with Stephen's faith in God in mind. This isn't a bad thing though, as once again poetic lyrics illustrate the message he's trying to get across without it being over the top. Instead, the emotion of the track comes out in a natural way, which is what I've always loved about Anberlin. This song is also unique in another way, it's almost entirely acoustic, with drums only coming in near the end of the track. The band doesn't have too many strictly acoustic driven songs on their studio albums. Normally, I am not the biggest fan of bare bones song structures, but for this song it works. It feels like Christian is talking in a direct and personable way to his audience. I love the line in the song "This is the correlation between salvation and love". This track, to me, is Stephen telling another person that they are loved by God no matter where what place they might be at. It even seems to me that this person could have a mental illness, which makes Stephen's graceful explanation of God to them all the more compelling.

7. "Stranger Ways" (Lowborn)

I still remember where I was when I was listening to this track. I had already been somewhat dismayed to hear that Anberlin was breaking up after this final album, so I was hoping and praying that their last album would be something memorable. This song was the lead single, and it blew my expectations even higher for the album (and thankfully, my expectations were met, as "Lowborn" is flawless in my opinion). This track is unlike anything the band has done, sounding nothing like any of their other tracks to this day. The 80's influences in this track are apparent. When you listen to this song, I think you will instantly be enraptured by the wonderfully executed synth lines going up against a menacing piano riff. This song, on surface level, is a love song. But there's a bit of a dark vibe to it. The lyrics in this track are off kilter and might seem confusing on first listen, but I think that's the songs intent: "A little bit closer to finding the real you/A little bit closer to finding the truth/Stranger things have happened/Stronger men have answered". To me, this song is a dark ode to Anberlin's legacy as a band. They found a love for making music together, which seemed like a once in a lifetime, strange opportunity. But now, they're not so strong and can't make music together anymore, so the "truth" is that they can no longer be a band together. Even if that interpretation isn't the band's intent, I still find this song to be so intriguing. The musical soundscape here is absolutely wonderful to the ears, and Christian's vocals reach some unexpected heights. Seriously, check this song out!

6. "Orpheum" (Vital)

Speaking of menacing tracks, this song has always given me cold chills, and I've never been able to quite explain why. Maybe it's because this track does such a good job at encompassing the various era of sounds Anberlin has gone through. It has a little bit of everything: the harder rock grittiness of their first two albums, the more radio rock accessibility of their later three albums, and of course the electronics of "Vital". This song is a compilation of what made Anberlin so unique within the rock genre. I can't even really describe it, like "Stranger Ways" this is a song that is something you need to experience for yourself. Christian tells a story here that seems entirely metaphorical or symbolic to me. He talks about how he felt he was so confident and knew everything about himself, until someone else comes into his life and starts doing their own thing. This makes him question everything he thought he was certain about. I've always felt that this might be Christian talking about his problems with temptation. This high that he's seen is making him want to lose control, so much so that he might even be losing his soul. I've always felt this track is a dark warning about addiction and how easy it can be to relinquish your soul. This track is deep, there's no denying that, and it might take a few listens for you to really peel away the layers and appreciate all this song has to offer.

5. "Glass to the Arson" (Blueprints for the Black Market)

If you want to see Anberlin at their raw, hard rocking best, then you have to hear this track. It may even surprise you to find out that this song actually comes from their debut, when even in their first album this band sounded like they were already veterans. I find myself constantly thinking about how underrated this band's debut is, because most everything about it works well. This song right here is the cream of the crop in the album, though. I love the intro of this song where Stephen Christian's vocals seem on the verge of screaming but not quite there yet. The guitar also seems to be on the cusp of exploding- and then it does, and in delightful fashion. This is one of the few Anberlin songs that I would say you could call a headbanger. Christian bleeds nearly unbridled anger towards this person that has deceived him time and time again; it has made him cold to the world. This is definitely the band at their angriest, but almost in a way that is shameless fun. I've heard this song live, and it's a real treat to see everyone screaming the lyrics along with Stephen. Easily the most fun I've had listening to an Anberlin song, which is why this one ranks within my top 5.

4. "Feel Good Drag" (New Surrender)

It might be cliched to have debatedly Anberlin's biggest single on my list, but I don't care. How could you not like this song? I will say I struggled a bit of whether to put the more intense "Never Take Friendship Personal" one here instead (which has a surprising gut wrenching scream from Christian that he's never done again, with the exception of "Dissenter"). However, that one is a bit rougher around the edge production-wise, and I heard the "New Surrender" version first, so I'm a bit more biased towards it. I still think that, even though this version is more radio friendly, it still hits hard. The guitar riffs at the beginning were destined to be iconic. They deserve to be remembered, as they are indicative of the most classic tendencies of Anberlin. The lyrics are also pretty standard Anberlin affair, as Christian discusses how deception in relationships of any kind can almost be a type of high. It's not a good kind of high, but hate and blame can be something that gets people off very easily. He talks about this quite frankly within the lyrical content "Everyone in this town/Is seeing somebody else/Everybody's tired of someone/Our eyes wonder for help". Christian isn't accusatory of any specific person; instead he talks about how all of us have this disease that we don't want to get rid of. Let me just repeat again that the musicality of this track is excellent as well. There's a delightful guitar solo, and the explosive riffs and drumming at the end of this song makes the tracks conclusion all the more memorable.

3. "Fin" (Cities)

My number three and number two pick are both nearly neck and neck with one another. Both of them embody probably the thing I love most about Anberlin: their concluding epics. All of my top 3 Anberlin songs are all easily of the epic genre, having a grandiose feel to them while also being surprisingly subdued and subtle. I know that epics aren't usually meant to have subtle tendencies within them, but something about "Fin" does. Man, this track is haunting. I remember being left broken when I first heard this song as Stephen Christian sings "Aren't we all to you just lost causes?". This song is, at first, about the hypocrisy of all Christians. Stephen Christian tells four different stories, with one of them being about his own personal battle with God and Satan. All of them are meant to show that Christians without God are, ultimately, lost causes. Stephen shows his conflict with wondering why Christians should be accepted into heaven above those who are not, because Christians are hypocritical and not any more deserving of God's grace. It's such a raw honesty that I don't see many bands going for. This song is brutal in how it talks about the faults of all humanity. No matter where we end up, even on an island by ourselves, it will still be permeated with us... the lost causes. But there is a redemption in this song at the end where Stephen cries out to God to help him see the Heaven in his life rather than the Hell he's living in. What a song.

2. "Gods, Drugs, & Sex" (Vital) 

Some people have characterized "Fin" as Anberlin's most hopeless and tragic song that they've ever penned. While I see where people come from with that claim, I stand by my opinion that "God, Drugs, & Sex" takes the cake for the most bleak song that Anberlin's done. Like I've said many a time before, it takes a lot to win me over with a relationship centered song. This track is certainly a break up ballad in every sense of the word. But, like with a lot of the band's other relationship tracks, they do a good job of framing it in a unique way. This track tragically details a relationship that continues to drift away over time. Stephen is very specific in the reasons why the two drifted away: they believe differently about key things that define them: their views of God, drugs, and sex. Clearly Stephen would be on the side of viewing God as real, and that drugs and sex should be things approached with caution. But the other person doesn't really care about any of them. They don't matter one way or another. There's something disturbing about this to me; that a person could be so lifeless as to not care about any of the things that make them who they are. But then the reality of the situation is explored, as Stephen also says, "I don't mean a thing/By it now, do I now sweetheart". This is what is the even bigger problem: the other person in the relationship doesn't think he means anything. That hurts, a lot. The musicality of this song helps accentuate the tragedy with subtle electronic flares ebbing and flowing. This is also the only song Anberlin has with a featured vocalist; Christie DuPree only serves to make the cut even better. This is the best song on "Vital", which also happens to be my favorite Anberlin album as well as one of my favorite albums of all time.

1. "Harbinger" (Lowborn)

There was no doubt in my mind what I would put at number one when I was figuring this list out. It may come from Anberlin's most recent album, but even when I first heard this song in 2014, I knew it would hold a special place in my heart. It probably does in a different way than what it means for the band. Let's talk about what it means for the group first, though. This song marks Anberlin's last hurrah. This is the song that they wrote to define their legacy. More specifically, it's Stephen Christian's heartfelt goodbye to the fans, as well as him detailing the reasons why the band is "leaving". There's a bittersweet sadness in this song, as Stephen was talking about how he doesn't want to leave but knows he has to. The chorus of this song seems to be the band's main point- we will all see each other again one day in heaven: "We'll live forever, forever, forever/We'll come together, together, together". If you compare the lyrics of this song overall to the other two epics in my top 3, it at first seems simplistic. But the idea of our souls living eternally is far more of a complex idea than one could imagine. Now for me, this song actually defines my personal philosophy. There's a specific lyrical section in this track that represents how I want to live: "Love's pressure is just kisses/And what's last's to come and/Look back with a lighter soul/Harbor motion into the great unknown". These lyrics make me tear up ever time I hear them, especially paired with Stephen's compassionate voice and the soaring guitar/electronics. I love what these lyrics are saying: that there are times in life when we have to transition to something else. While it can be hard to move on from certain points in life, we should still look on those times fondly while eagerly looking forward into uncertain territory. I'm so thankful for this song. Thank you, Anberlin. We will live forever.