as i mentioned before, i didn't like Trench at first listen. actually, i didn't like it at second listen either. i was even angrier over the second listen. but it's been a few months (like five months) and i changed my opinion- as i said i would.
the thing is, i was finally ready to listen to Trench and not think of it as a concept album. because that was my main problem with it. that Tyler had built this whole universe that needed, demanded even, to be explored and in reality, over the course of fourteen songs, he barely made a dent in it.
i wanted him to explore so much more of the story. i wanted for him to talk a lot more about the characters. i was thinking about this one day and realized that the problem wasn't that Trench didn't actually turned out to be a concept album. the problem was that i expected something from it that it was never going to be; and that affected the way i felt towards it.
so, i gathered all the courage i had and decided to give Trench another go. and boy was i surprised.
let's do this track by track.
Jumpsuit
this song came out on my birthday, so i fucking love it. haha, no. but in all seriousness, the bass line for that song is incredible. Josh mentioned that Tyler came up with it during the EMOTIONAL ROADSHOW TOUR, which makes sense, because Jumpsuit is the song that's closer to what Blurryface was, music-wise. i absolutely adore the piano over the bridge, Josh's build up to the last chorus and the fact that Tyler screams. it's a strong beginning to the album. it hypes you up in the best way.
Levitate
i used to think this song was annoying. and honestly, i'm not crazy about it still. but that has more to do with the fact that i don't particularly enjoy rap all that much. i love how Tyler makes it work in his music when he shoves it in with a nice melody surrounding it and stuff. but just rap it's not my thing (somehow Car Radio is different to me- i fucking love that song with all my heart). i appreciate the lyrics, amazing as always. and Josh's beat is sick as fuck. like, that has to be a bitch to play, it's super fast.
side note: i love how they're playing these two songs back to back in the BANDITO TOUR. they work so well together, it just makes sense that they open with Jumpsuit and play Levitate right after.
Morph
first thing i noticed about this song was Josh's solo, and i thought the verses were boring. musically, the verses are really nice, there's a couple of layers there that i hadn't noticed before. which is nice, layers are always nice. there's so much production on this song, it's great. Tyler's falceto is fucking beautiful, i have no other words for it. also, worth mentioning how every single bit of auto-tune he used serves a purpose. he didn't use auto-tune just because it sounds cool, he used it to enhance the meaning of the words he's singing and i think that's brilliant. not that Tyler didn't do that before. he did it quite a lot in Blurryface to give him a voice. another thing worth mentioning: JOSH DUN.
My Blood
this song means so much to me now. i was so focused on the music over the previous listens that i didn't pay much attention to lyrics. Tyler's writing style has always been surprising to me, because he writes journal-style but fancier. and he comes up with such tattooable lyrics. it's not news that Tyler takes family very seriously, and that's one of the main reasons why i look up to him as a human being. because i'm just like that, too. so when he sings if you find yourself in a lion's den / i'll jump right in and pull my pin, i really felt that (i'm getting that tattooed). musically, again with the bass riffs. man, i love how much Tyler loves playing bass, is such a sexy instrument. it really lays a beautiful ground for the song to grow real big. and it's a hell of a contrast against Tyler's falceto. it just makes the song sound so full. i love it.
Chlorine
i said this song sounded like Imagine Dragons, bitch they wish. anyways, i'm still trying to grasp at the meaning behind the lyrics. to me, obviously. we'll never know what it means to Tyler, he'd never tell. and, honestly, i like it that way. but, generally, i like the lyrics. i like that he goes to half a rap over the second verse; classic twenty øne piløts move. and i really like that it has an outro instead of just ending with a chorus. and the harmonies during that part are flawless. also, love that drumless bridge. yes boi! give Josh a breather, he's been working so hard.
Smithereens
"Excuse me, can you please leave?"
i can't help but thinking about this everytime i listen to this song. he's so soft. i still think Tear In My Heart and We Don't Believe What's On TV are better love songs. but Smithereens is different. it's cute. also, love the drums at double time. fucking Josh. he could've wrote something simpler, but he just can't. he's unable to. he's too talented.
Neon Gravestones
this song fucks me up. not in a good way. it's too raw and too real. don't get me wrong, i'm glad Tyler braved himself into saying this outloud. because everything he says is so fucking true. he's talked about suicide before, but never this way. he talked about it from a personal perspective. he's talked about it from an artist standpoint and how the media twists everything in a direction they find convenient. but this take he did on suicide is so much more real, and objective somehow. i mean, at the end of the day it's his opinion, but he's so right it feels objective. musically it's beautiful. i love the piano. i love how Tyler's voice breaks in the most vulnerable lyrics. it's just so good. it's such a good song.
The Hype
this song is nice. it's nice to listen to, musically. it's catchy. it's easy to sing, and it's easy to get yourself loose and dance to it. the lyrics are uplifting and i like the fact that he's referring to the clique directly. that's nice. besides, he's playing the uke, and that's also nice
Nico And The Niners
this song (which also came out on my birthday, thank you very much for that Mr. Joseph and Mr. Dun) used to be one of my favorites. but honestly, now, listening to the whole album, it's kind of off-putting. lyrically at least. because there's so many references to Dema that you don't need for the rest of the album; and if you haven't been paying attention to that, lyrics kinda don't make any sense at all. they mean something to me, because i had been paying attention to the Dema thingy, but- if you can't decode it, it kinda doesn't make sense. i find that funny. but alas, musically, pretty bass, sick drums, nice piano (or effects, not sure what he actually used). worth mentioning the bridge is amazing, we'll win but not everyone will get out. damn.
Cut My Lip
reggae based with bass. yes. i don't like reggae music, i just like it when Tyler does it. lyrics kinda touch the same ideas as Chlorine, and i like that.
Bandito
god i hate the word 'bandito', mostly because i know it's a mistranslation from the word 'bandido'. and it's annoying because it's so fucking close to the actual word. regardless, harmonies are on fucking point in this song! begin with bullet now add fire to the proof, if that's not a Guns For Hands reference, i don't wanna hear about it.
Pet Cheetah
just to get this out of the way, i am never not gonna listen to this: I've got a pet cheetah down in my basement / I’ve raised him and bathed him / and named him Jason Statham and think is not ridiculous as fuck. but generally, i like the song.
Legend
to be honest, i can't listen to this song without crying. everything about this song is great. they're probably never gonna do it, but i hope they play it live someday. i feel like Tyler would appreciate thousands of kids singing these words back at him.
Leave The City
of course the album ends with a sad ballad. that's probably the only thing Tyler and Josh had kept constant over the years. Leave The City is no exception. if Neon Gravestones didn't fuck you up, this song for sure will.
overall, lyrically, i like how Tyler is constantly saying that he very much wants to stay alive, but that sometimes he still finds it hard to keep that strength close to his heart. he struggles, and he's letting us know that even if sometimes things are more than OK, you can still feel hopeless. but he's also letting us know that when everything is dark, there is always hope. it may be harder to find, but it's there.
the album ends in a sour, but still hopeful, note. because he's talking about the inevitable end, whether is soon or not and how hard it is to keep going. it's bittersweet, but we know what he means.
~talk's a waste of time~
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