3:40 am. Angst. Energy. Music. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Perfect. There's something good to be said about angst and energy delivered at precisely the right time. Like that first cup of coffee in the morning. Or maybe the second. Or the third.

"Because every inch of hope becomes a world of shame I've had to walk through each and every day" is not a lyric sung or heard without a bitter taste in the mouth that burns the back of the throat and inspires venomous spite itching to be spit out immediately. Couple that with a wall of guitars going ninety-to-nothing and you've got yourself some aural caffeine.

These are the songs that you feel coursing through your veins when you fight to explain the unexplainable to your stoic and jilted mate or choke down your pride whilst relinquishing a long-held grudge. Or all of the above. "Anger is an energy." John Lydon? I can't remember, but it is. Right now. 3:40 am. Fuck all is going my way and this CD is the ideal soundtrack: "So I'm sweet on you. I am transparent. So I'm sweet on you. I'm a motherfucking ghost."

If angst and energy are what you crave, grab yourself a piping hot cup of ...the Trail of Dead and power on through.