Anodyne blasts through the proverbial sophomore slump in their second outing with ‘The Comfort Of Chaos.’

Since their 2003 ‘The Furious If’ album, the band picked up lead guitarist Kyle Williams.  William’s fondness for metal gives the album an added edginess.

As with ‘TFI’, ‘The Comfort Of Chaos’ showcases Anodyne’s love of musical variety.  Influences on the album range from 80s metal to ska to blues.  There’s even a quick, joking nod to (can this be right?) Marilyn Manson.  Yet this diversity isn’t merely dalliances with genres for effect; Anodyne brings genuine synthesis to the party.

The album launches with the fist-pumping ‘Hero’, then goes straight into the lumbering and crunchy ‘Who Am I’.  Other highlights include ‘Right About Now’ which begins with a surprisingly tight vocal harmony before launching into an infectiously upbeat melody.  And just when you think you had the band in a corner stylistically, there’s ‘Never For Nothing’, a stark and beautiful tune with tinges of U2 and Springsteen.

Overall, ‘The Comfort Of Chaos’ shows Anodyne maturing in their songwriting.  Whereas nearly all tracks of ‘TFI’ were penned by lead singer Carl Creasman, this album offers tracks written by nearly everyone in the band.  It will be interesting to see if the band continues along this path of musical growth.  I also hope they can find a way to capture the energy of their live shows on the next album.  In the meantime, this album shows Anodyne excelling at bringing both comfort and chaos.
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