I remember reviewing Athletics album a while back. Now they return with an EP called Stop Torturing Yourself. What is interesting about this EP is that contains songs from the full length album but re-recorded as piano songs. I imagine this is done to showcase how the songs are adaptable to different context and situations. It might also be a way to understand how they were once written. But the big question is if it adds anything to the songs or if it enhances the listening experience.
The answer to both questions is yes and no. I actually think that the four songs sounds like completely new songs and that is always a nice thing compared to remixes of songs that just adds or remove tiny bits. I guess you can look at this as an acoustic EP. To be completely honest, I do think that Speaking For Everyone actually sounds better this way. Or at least just as good as the original version. So I would recommend for you to get this if you have the first album.
Anberlin band member Stephen Christian has offered the explanations that he planned naming his first daughter Anberlin and that the name was a modification of the phrase "and Berlin" from a list of cities Christian wanted to visit. The one story that Christian asserts is true, however, is that he heard the word in the background noise of the Radiohead song "Everything in Its Right Place".
