first of all, i'd like to say that i haven't felt the need to make art (drawings) for each song in an album since "I Brought You My Bullets; You Brought Me Your Love" by My Chemical Romance came out (yes, i'm old. i'm aware).
so, on first listen i thought: "the album starts strong but it ends kinda weak", boy was i wrong. (i'm on second listen right now and i already know that it doesn't end weak at all).
ok. to try and be organized i'm gonna first talk about the concept and lyrical content and the message behind it all (at least the way i see it). and then imma try to talk about the music itself, beyond the message (but i'm obviously gonna talk about lyrics and story here because i just can't help myself). but before i start, i just wanna say that i would've love to hear more leads from Ben, vocally; that the album is fucking amazing; and that it's gonna age like fine wine. people are gonna be talking about "The Great Depression "for decades, for sure.
so, to kick it off, the general concept (in Patty's words) of the album is:
“It’s about someone called The Poet. He’s an artist, or a musician, or whatever you wanna interpret that as, who creates art about his own mental health and his own suicidal thoughts to the point where he kinda becomes a profet to certain people. And the guilt of that wears away at him until he isolates himself from everybody he loves, like his wife. And he becomes so desensitized at the idea of death and suicide that Death just appears before him. As an acquaintance, not really as an antagonist. It’s just kinda he is now stuck in between these two people who ultimately believe they’re doing what’s best for him. And that leads to his journey… and decision, ultimately.”
so, i'm gonna say what i think it happens. here's the thing: so, as Patty said, it's about a guy (The Poet) who's conflicted about the message he's putting out there and debating whether he's being helpful or making more of a mess around the subject. he also kinda talks about the way artists get idealized by fans (aka: consumers), and how we can feel like we know an artist by the art when in reality we know nothing about the person (by the way, i realized this a few years ago and it absolutely changed the way i see and feel about artists and the art they make- in a good way). like Tyler Joseph (twenty øne piløts) says in the song "Message Man" from the album "Blurryface": you don't know my brain the way you know my name / you don't know my heart the way you know my face. preach, man, that is so true.
so The Poet kinda isolates himself from everybody else (like Patty said, obviously), and we can hear that in "The Fire, The Dark", where he describes the way he feels alienated around the love of his life and how he doesn't really know what to do with that. and this is why i think (bear with me) that "The Handwritten Letter" is his suicide note for his wife. because in "The Question, The Answer" is where he decides that he doesn't want to fight anymore and chooses to end his life.
now, to me, the bargaining stage starts with the Poet's suicide. that's where he encounters Death. so "The Reaper" is where he's dying, he starts to die, he just killed himself, but he's not dead yet. "The Reaper" is the moment when he realizes that he may have made a mistake, it's when the survival instinct kicks in, and so he tries to convice Death not to take him. continuing, "The Two Tongues (Screaming Salvation)" is his wife vs Death. i feel like neither of them are real, they're the two sides of his brain: the part that always wanted him to fight (his real self, his wife's voice), and the other part, the one that drove him to suicide (his mental illness). so "The Truth I'll Never Tell" is the transition from 'maybe i really didn't want to die' to 'it's better this way because the only thing i do is hurt everyone around me'. the transition from bargaining to acceptance.
i don't really understand how "The Haunting" fits in the story (yet). maybe it's the other side of suicide, the part that "the living" feel. because, in Stile's words ("Teen Wolf"): "death doesn't happen to you, it happens to everyone around you. to all the people left standing at your funeral, trying to figure out how they're gonna live the rest of their lives without you in it". not sure yet, but moving on: in "The Hurt, The Hope" is where The Poet finally dies, hoping he's made the right decision in ending his life. and as his life reaches its end, he leaves one final statement. and that statement is "The End", where he bluntly states the way mental illness is usually romantiziced and how most people are not really getting the message behind the words. that suicide is not a decision that's taken lightly, and it's not only the person who commits suicide that's responsible for it, but everyone around them in one way or another.
i also think it sends a strong message about the stigma around mental illness and how people are so afraid to talk about it, specially people who don't suffer from any mental illness (god bless them), because there's people who suffer from mental illnesses that get defensive behind the flag 'you don't understand the way i feel, because you haven't felt it, you haven't been through what i've been through'. and i think that that's really wrong and it spreads the wrong message. i would never want anyone to feel the way depression makes you feel, or anxiety. it's all so fucked up, and no one should feel that, but it is real, and it needs to be spoken about with respect to the people who suffers from it as much as any other physical ailment. i also don't think shutting out people who doesn't suffer from any mental illness is of any help. i don't need to be bullied to know it's wrong and it should be stopped, and i don't have to be fat to know how hard it is to try and lose weight to be healthier, and i don't have to have broken my leg to know how much it can hurt. i think society is growing more and more into accepting that mental illnesses are real and affect a large group of human beings, and we're all learning to be more respectful and open about it. it's an uphill battle and it's gonna take decades, but we'll get there. eventually.
so, on to the music!
i also think it sends a strong message about the stigma around mental illness and how people are so afraid to talk about it, specially people who don't suffer from any mental illness (god bless them), because there's people who suffer from mental illnesses that get defensive behind the flag 'you don't understand the way i feel, because you haven't felt it, you haven't been through what i've been through'. and i think that that's really wrong and it spreads the wrong message. i would never want anyone to feel the way depression makes you feel, or anxiety. it's all so fucked up, and no one should feel that, but it is real, and it needs to be spoken about with respect to the people who suffers from it as much as any other physical ailment. i also don't think shutting out people who doesn't suffer from any mental illness is of any help. i don't need to be bullied to know it's wrong and it should be stopped, and i don't have to be fat to know how hard it is to try and lose weight to be healthier, and i don't have to have broken my leg to know how much it can hurt. i think society is growing more and more into accepting that mental illnesses are real and affect a large group of human beings, and we're all learning to be more respectful and open about it. it's an uphill battle and it's gonna take decades, but we'll get there. eventually.
so, on to the music!
Stage I: Denial
"The Great Depression"
musically it's really weird and it kinda reminds me of something but i can't pinpoint what exactly. in a good way, though. like, in a nostalgic way. not in a this-is-plagiarism kinda way. because it's unlike anything i've ever heard but it still gives like that 2003-pop-punk kinda vibe that i so love about this band.
(told you i was gonna do this)
side note about the story: this is the song that talks about the way The Poet starts to feel conflicted about the message he's spreading around.
"The Wounded World"
i love everything about this song. i love the riffs, i love the drums in the chorus. i love Patty talking (i always love me a Patty talking mid-song- don't know why). i love Patty screaming. i love Patty screaming because he sometimes has that singing-scream that reminds me a lot of Chester Bennington's singing-scream and i fucking miss him so much. also: that breakdown after the bridge is everything.
side note about the story: after not being able to get through to anyone during "The Great Depression" The Poet kinda snaps. i can imagine The Poet literally standing outside his balcony with a megaphone and just screaming the lyrics in desperation to anyone walking down his street who's willing to listen.
side note about the story: after not being able to get through to anyone during "The Great Depression" The Poet kinda snaps. i can imagine The Poet literally standing outside his balcony with a megaphone and just screaming the lyrics in desperation to anyone walking down his street who's willing to listen.
"The Fire, The Dark"
still not really in love with the verses (vocally), but they work, and what do i know, really? the vocals in the chorus are really good. classic ΛS IT IS melodic-catchy chorus. i'm gonna be completely honest right now: the breakdown is really good, but the solo is kinda lazy, like they're playing the same melody of the vocals in the chorus. that's just lazy. it's not bad, but... overall: i love it. it's a good song. and again: what do i know, really?
Stage II: Anger
"The Stigma (Boys Don't Cry)"
from the soft begining to Patty's screaming to the most amazingly written chorus vocals. goddamnit! this is such a good song. the harmonies are flawless and that guitar riff at the very end is... asdlkjasdlkjasdlkjasd-
side note about the story: i think this is the way The Poet felt after trying to be open and real to people and people telling him to 'suck it up' and just 'get over it'. oh, god, i can't tell you how many times i've read that over the internet. people don't seem to understand that depression is not like feeling sad because they ran out of your favourite ice cream flavour. people need to stop undermining how debilitating mental illnesses can be.
"The Handwritten Letter"
this song is weird because it sound heavy (the music) but Patty sings such a poppy vocal melody during the verses. it's confusing. in a good way. oh, during the bridge, when they 'play' all the things (i assume) fans have told them over the years, like "thank you for changing my life for the better" and many more that i can't fully understand (sorry), i broke. it broke me. i'm dead.
"The Question, The Answer"
strings, man. they got me at the begining with this. this is such a pop song. like, really, if they changed the lyrics to make a break-up-song. such a bop. but lyrics are sad as fuck. it goes really well with the album, of course. i love the way the song is super soft, because it gives that i've-given-up vibe.
side note about the story: this is where The Poet arrives to the decision of finally taking his life, because (to me) he's reached the state of what's-even-the-point-anymore. and it's a bittersweet decision, but he makes it thoughtfully. he doesn't take the decision lightly, it's not easy for him.
Stage III: Bargaining
"The Reaper" (ft. Aaron Gillespie)
strong. i love this song. and i mean everything. DRUMS. Foley fucking outdid himself in this song. i mean, second verse he's just rim hitting like it's nobody's business. also that guitar riff. goddamnit, Ben! YES! YES! Patty's vocals are incredible, too. i actually like Patty's vocals better than Aaron's, i think they go better with the song. just saying. Ali, obvs, making an amazing job at bringing the drums and guitar together. bass is important, kids. pay attention to it. this is the kind of song you have to listen to twice in a row. this is their "Hang 'Em High" (My Chemical Romance, "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge") to me.
"The Two Tongues (Screaming Salvation)"
"The Truth I'll Never Tell"
i mean, just in case you were still wondering what the album was about: I organize the kitchen shelf / When I've been dwelling on my mental health / Like always / I'm bitter when I feel alone / I consciously confiscate my phone / It's a small change. there's no doubt now. this song is gonna work so good live. and it's so good. good vocals, good music, good everything. i just love how it beautifully transitions into "The Haunting".
Stage IV: Acceptance
"The Haunting"
so at first listen i though "huh". because for some reason i was expecting something heavier. don't really know why. it's a good transition into "acceptance" because it's not too heavy and it's soft enogh to lead smoothly into "The Hurt, The Hope".
"The Hurt, The Hope"
i generally enjoy this song. it's a good ending of the album song.
side note about the story: Despite all the pain, the tears and the rain / It's got to get better / No matter how lost, no matter the cost / It's got to get better / The infinite fall, the distance I crawl / It's got to get better / And maybe I'm wrong, but I pray that I'm not / It's got to get better. this is what i was talking about when i said this song is where The Poet finally dies, hoping he's made the right decision.
"The End"
those harmonies at the beginning! BITCH! YAS! again strings. again Patty talking. and screaming. i need me more of that. i love that. it sounds so good. this song brought me to tears, specially Patty's performance. this song is gonna be their "Goner" (by twenty øne piløts) live. i mean, i'm not comparing songs, i'm comparing moments of live shows. just a thought.
side note about the story: Because I don't need you to see this / And I don't want you to feel this / But I only have so much spark to offer in all of this darkness / And I screamed for you until the day I gave up and lost my voice / So with crimson arms and this broken neck / You fucking tell me who made this choice!. this is what i was talking about when i said in this song is where The Poet bluntly states the way mental illness is usually romantiziced and how most people are not really getting the message behind the words. that suicide is not a decision that's taken lightly, and it's not only the person who commits suicide that's responsible for it, but everyone around them in one way or another.
side note about the story: Because I don't need you to see this / And I don't want you to feel this / But I only have so much spark to offer in all of this darkness / And I screamed for you until the day I gave up and lost my voice / So with crimson arms and this broken neck / You fucking tell me who made this choice!. this is what i was talking about when i said in this song is where The Poet bluntly states the way mental illness is usually romantiziced and how most people are not really getting the message behind the words. that suicide is not a decision that's taken lightly, and it's not only the person who commits suicide that's responsible for it, but everyone around them in one way or another.
so, overall: the album is amazing. of course, i'm not saying anything new here, we all knew that. it definitely shows that they were thinking about how the songs were gonna work and sound like live when writing them. and i not only think this is gonna be an album people are gonna be talking about for decades, like i said earlier, but it's also the kind of album you just need to listen to more than a few times in your life to fully understand and apreciate it. like, you need to take some time away and then go back to it to find new stuff hidden in it. and also, it's an album that was clearly meant to be listen to in order and in its enterity at once. you know? as it is.
~talk's a waste of time~
No comments:
Post a Comment