This week we'll be journeying to Blackwater Park*, the fifth album by progressive death metal band, Opeth. Many musicians have been involved with Opeth in the years since its conception in 1990. The one constant, Mikael Åkerfeldt, is truly the driving force behind the band, providing both the dirty and clean vox, as well as nearly all the guitar work. The songs are fairly linear, with very few refrains. Åkerfeldt, like many technical rock musicians, is harkening back to classical compositions, with their focus on long movements and themes.
If it wasn't for the hair, I'd have a hard time picturing this guy screaming his brains out.
Opeth, I believe, fits somewhat snugly in the progressive death metal genre, with one interesting exception: some feel that they draw from influences which are too varied to continue to be considered a death metal band**. And indeed, in one movement you will find yourself deep within the harsh, tortured world of death metal, in the next you are drifting in a Floydian haze of neu-jazz. I love the variety offered on this album. It is metal, but it's also a sincere artistic expression, written by a real master of the genre. So adept, in fact, that he seems to be over-reaching its borders.
If you are not a fan of "screaming," I encourage you to try this album out anyway. Like the finest Tool songs, this album can be fully enjoyed with either eyes closed, or by reading along with the mood-setting lyrics. Attention to detail augments the brutality here with a deftness I have not previously heard in the genre. The bass plays a very prominent and important roll in establishing the mix of sounds achieved. The lyrics are well-written. The mixing is fabulous. Perhaps most interesting is how--even within the framework of complex rhythms and full-voiced screaming, the technicality of the songs, the lack of choruses and refrains--the songs are actually quite catchy. A few listens through they will already feel familiar, classic even. For me at least, I had the feeling that I had known these songs for years, and I was singing along before I even knew I knew the words. MA 8.26.13
*Was that kind of lame? Saying, "journeying" like that? I hope that wasn't lame...
**Source: the hilarious and bizarre "discuss" Wikipedia page for progressive death metal
This one is going to be a challenge for me because what makes this song/video combo "great" enough to get its own blog post is very specific, and I feel I might not be up to snuff in explaining it. However, a part of the reason I even have this blog is for the love and practice of writing, so I'll give it a shot.
Along with pretty much everyone, I enjoy music. I listen to a variegated selection (I like to think so anyway) and I've come to the same realization as most of you: lyrics and poetry are not the same thing. That doesn't mean that a good poem couldn't make good lyrics or vice-versa, but it does mean that some lyrics would not make good poems. I've never held with the people who say that lyrics must--of necessity--stand alone. I think there's a reason the words are paired with music in the first place; it's all part of one package, and along with that--with contemporary "band" music at least--comes this kind of tongue-in-cheek mentality a lot of musicians uncomfortably skirt around regarding the inevitable silliness of some modern music. Let's take, for example, the word "baby". This word appears in lyrics (in reference to a romantic interest) I think more commonly than in real life. This also applies to "come on!" and random exclamations such as "yeah!", "ooo!", "alright!", "tonight/right now!", and "no no no!" We could make a long list of these kinds of words/phrases, but I trust you take my meaning. Some musicians don't really understand that while these words may sound normal enough in the song, they are also kind of funny. The end of the Pearl Jam song "Once" is a really good example of this: it's dramatic and emotional, certainly, but there is also something almost goofy about Vedder's incessant growling, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, once! Once! Once! Yeah, woo! Once! Yeah yeah yeah hey hey hey, once!" The best artists--the ones who in my opinion really get it--know that this is funny but don't care because they also know it sounds right within the frame work of the songs. The worst artists *radio cough cough* typically have no conception of this, and sing these things as if they were actually phrases and ideas. I use these words only as a way of illustrating a larger point, that not only these words, but the whole execution of modern "band music" shares this balancing act between juvenile weirdness and the desire to make real art. I hope that makes sense!*
This brings us to Denmark's "The Fashion": a band that made a couple of albums and EPs, had a single or two, and then just kind of fizzled out. During their nine-year history they had one song that got some real coverage and that is, of course, "Like Knives." This song sounds cool and its pretty catchy, but more importantly it treads a near-perfect line between total commitment to the song and an off-hand understanding of its inherent zaniness. It begins with drums and guitar leading you into what seems like any well-made punky rock song, but then the lyrics happen and things change. "Go get your guns and your switchblade knives and cut it up. Kill the ones who speak (if they speak of us)**, cause they'll never really tame us." The song then launches into a wonderfully pointless mix of words and music. Basically nothing of substance is said, but man, he's saying it like he means it. While it isn't full of the kinds of phrases discussed above, he does
say, "You're so out of control!" in reference to who-knows-what plenty
of times.
I've decided to include the video and not just the song because it further illustrates my point. Watch them play their instruments and sing like they think they are so hardcore in front of cheesy green screens. It's clear that this is one of those rare bands that really sees into what they are doing and tries to make the most of it.
-MA 1.15.13
*Although, every once in a long while I'll hear a song that is almost charming because of this naivety, but that is the exception, not the rule. Usually this kind of thing just comes across as shallow and annoying.
**I put this in parenthesis because I like to think of this as a last-minute qualifier to the rest of the sentence which commands those being addressed to kill anyone who talks.
I recommend reading this review before seeking out the song. You can listen to it on Spotify or similar programs, or check out the YouTube posting here. Today's great work is "great" in a different way than the others I've posted so far. It's basically your standard sort-of country/sort-of pop relationship song. You might be asking yourself, "Why is this great again?" and I think a pretty solid case could be made that it isn't. But I'm going to go ahead and say that I think it is.
Most of us, in addition to whatever else we may be, are "art-seekers", meaning we are open to new art in our lives. Now, how open we are is a matter of degree, but for the most part people want more art that they will enjoy. Sometimes, however, I feel that a lot of us (myself included) are less open-minded than is beneficial for us as art-seekers. We think that if a song is a certain genre (some examples I've heard are rap, country, ska, and heavy metal, but really it could be anything) then we will not like it. We are essentially pre-judging the piece based on how it is labeled. This is not as assumptive as judging a person by their name, I would say it's more akin to judging them by how they are dressed. I think (within reason) we should not just assume that an art piece will be good or bad based on genre or other label. We not only miss out on art that we might really enjoy, but also on dynamics and points-of-view we otherwise wouldn't experience. I really feel like there's something different to take from this than the kind of music I've been listening to for the last ten years, which has mostly been harder 90's rock. I'm not saying this is better by any means, but that it's good to expand artistic horizons.
That said, I present to you this song by Poema, a sister duo of singer-songwriters who even play their own instruments! I love the song "Would You" off of their new album. I think it is sweet and interesting and honest. Yes, it has some flaws, not the least of which being the garish grass-is-greener cliche in the first verse. (My advice? Pretend it isn't there.)
The song is not so complex that it needs an in-depth exploration by me, but not everything needs to be complex in order to be effective. I do think the young woman presented in the song sounds a little more self-aware than in a lot of other pop songs like this I've heard, and the chorus is pretty catchy. Lyrics-wise, the one part that I would like to draw your attention to is the refrain, "If you knew what to do, would you?" This reminds me of some of the emo/pop-punk stuff I got into in high school. Some of the earlier Brand New and Bright Eyes songs that try to layer sadness; they takes something bad and then putting something else bad on top of it. I might be dumbing down what I'm trying to say too much here, but maybe you know what I'm talking about. I've always thought that was an interesting lyrical effect. Not only does the kid she's singing to not know the "right" way to behave in a relationship, she isn't even sure he would want to. You get the feeling she could almost take his shortcomings--which admittedly seem a little innocuous for the tone of the song--if he can't help but be that way.
Live in Kansas City
Here are the lyrics, which I transcribed myself after a fruitless internet search:
I've been looking for a confirmation. I've been searching for a way to leave this time. Cause I hear the grass is greener on the other side. I've been looking for a consolation. To give me some direction, showing me a sign. But lately, leaving has been on my mind. I like the way you see me, and make my bad days easy. No one likes your singing. But I do. I want dinner made for two and you to make a move, but you never do. Hold my hand in front of your friends. It's not a lot to ask and I shouldn't have to. Oh darling, if you knew what to do, would you? You've been down on love, talking about your situation. You've been out of touch and almost out of time. Cause I doubt we are gonna make the finish line. I like the way you don't do things the way they most do, except for when I need you, and you don't come through. I want dinner made for two and you to make a move, but you never do. Hold my hand in front of your friends. It's not a lot to ask and I shouldn't have to. Oh darling, if you knew what to do, would you?
You may or may not like the song, but please judge it on its own merit and not by what genre it is.
-MA 11.5.2012
P.S. I really like the line about holding hands, couldn't really tell you why!
The first great work is the third track from Helmet's 2004 LP "Size Matters", titled "See You Dead" (feel free to click on this link for a YouTube video of the song, or look it up on Spotify for a higher quality version). This song is an interesting mix of quintessential Helmet trademarks such as Hamilton's alternatively calm and aggressive vocals and relentless metal-esque guitar riffs as well as some lesser-heard qualities, such as a very catchy chorus and a build-up that actually leads to a triumphant climax near the end of the song. Helmet's songs rarely have such a conventionally satisfying hit to them, tending to lean more toward angry and unresolved feelings.
As much as I love the musicality of the song, what really pushes this into the unusual territory of being a truly great work are the lyrics, specifically how they seem to grow organically from a single thought. Here are the lyrics in their entirety:
I'd like to see you in two pieces. You won't be walking, barely breathing. I'd like to see you at my door, We're together like before.
I could miss you more right now or I could slit your throat. Sometimes I get so down, you're not around and I'd rather see you dead. Sometimes I get lonely and all I need is just to see you dead.
Tonight you're sleeping by his side,
I tried to see you, but you let him decide.
I'm a threat now, are you scared?
It's just murder, at least you know I care.
I could miss you more right now or I could slit your throat.
Sometimes I get so down, you're not around and I'd rather see you dead. Sometimes I get lonely and all I need is just to see you dead.
Specifically, pay attention to the line "I'm a threat now, are you scared?" To me, this song tells the story of a man who would like to be able to at least talk to his ex, but her new boyfriend sees the man as a threat. The speaker here is angry and a little bit amused to be viewed in this way, when in his mind all he's trying to do is keep up some contact with an ex, being polite and/or friendly. The violent lyrics are a satirical renouncement of being called dangerous, which is a level of subtlety you don't often see in popular art, for the author will always run the risk of people passing over the irony, and missing the point completely. He's finding and showing the humor of the boyfriend's overreaction. In a way "owning up" to the insult gives the speaker power over it.
But the speaker betrays himself, and we see in the lyrics that he does miss his ex sincerely, and does actually long for her company, which could make him a legitimate threat to a new relationship, an interesting extra layer to add. I like the admittance of need which seems almost out of place in a very "male" song.
It's an awesome song, successful on so many levels, and much deeper than it at first appears to be. Raw, yet catchy, a perfect example of Hamilton's prowess behind the mic, with a guitar, and with a pen in his hand.
