The Televangelist and the Architect play a very morose brand of indie rock that moves into something much more in line with Bright Eyes during their “Nationalism”. The production value of this album is high, without much in the way of issues that present themselves immediately to anyone that is listening in, whether fan or not. The Televangelist and the Architect is an act that is able to ratchet up or down their intensity level seemingly at the drop of a hat. This bodes well for their ability as musicians, something that is only cemented further during “The Secret Life You Lead”. It is surprising that The Televangelist and the Architect is not a bigger act on the popular music stage, as tracks continue along the same strong vein that started out the disc.
The songs are not long in any stretch of the imagination, and if they are slightly longer, the ability of the band is high enough to make the songs seem as if they are a mere fraction of the time that they are normally. Even when the band moves into slower tempos, as is the case during the first part of “The Artificial Intelligentsia”, there are arrangements present that keep individuals enthralled to the band. A song like “August 13th” has hints of early Cure in the opening arrangements, a presence that shows that The Televangelist and the Architect is not bound into playing any general style of music during “Diaries of the Intelligentsia”. “Self-Propagating Mechanisms of Religion” is a late-disc track but is perhaps one of the strongest tracks on the disc. The Televangelist and the Architect is an act that does not have their output peter out by the end of the album, a fate that befalls a majority of acts currently on the market.
The multiple vocalists that are present during “Stimulus-Bound Behavior” is another high point for The Televangelist and the Architect, something present that brings the band into a domain that has previously been known by the output of bands like Latterman and Against Me, if not Operation Cliff Clavin and Defiance Ohio. This band is an act that will undoubtedly get bigger as the years pass, and while there are few tracks specifically on this album that will be considered singles, The Televangelist and the Architect make a solid album that can withstand multiple plays. Check out the band before they start climbing up the charts; you won’t be sorry.
Top Tracks: August 13th, An Attempt at Qualification
Rating: 6.9/10
- James McQuiston
December 28, 2006
Neufutur