Twenty One Pilots Blurryface: An Album a Day

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    Today we are continuing my quest to look at every twenty one pilots album by digging into their most recent studio album and smash hit Blurryface. This is the album that got me and many others into twenty one pilots for the first time. This album also is one of the craziest things to come out in a while as it is a bit of a concept album. The concept for this album does not follow a strict story but rather having tracks that all relate to similar themes and having the character of Blurryface.

    First off I’ve used the version of Blurryface that many fans have agreed is the proper way to listen to it. This version is identical to the studio version except that you include the original cut of Goner that was released years before Blurryface at the beginning. The reasoning for this is that this version of Goner has the tone of someone who is giving up, being very dark and having the sound of a noose tightening throughout. Then at the end of this track we have the synth stabs that most fans believe to be the sound of Blurryface (the character) screaming, this is the exact sound heard at the beginning of track one HeavyDirtySoul.

    From here the album plays out as a battle between Tyler and his demons, which are personified in the character of Blurryface. Blurryface has been described as an avatar for Tyler’s negative thoughts and emotions, being essentially all of the negative aspects of Tyler. The first time Blurryface was featured in a song was the single Fairly Local. This track has Tyler fighting with himself on the verses, arguing rather he is evil or if he can fight his nature. The pre-chorus has Blurryface taunting Tyler that this song will never be popular or played on the radio and that even if it went up for a vote his clique is too small for him to be heard.

    The introduction to Blurryface comes in the music video however, where the first time this taunt is spoken Tyler steps behind a wall and all that can be seen is his shadow. The second time however, Tyler is standing is a red lit room looking nervous before his head snaps forward to reveal red eyes as the deep pitch shifted voice of Blurryface taunts him. This is another case of Tyler mixing metaphors of mental demons with imagery of actual supernatural demons. This deep pitched shifted voice is used on other tracks as well, such as the hit Stressed Out.

    One of the weak points of this album is that the tracks after Fairly Local don’t really relate the character of Blurryface as well until Goner. While they are fantastic songs that deal with the issues of anxiety and doubt that Blurryface represents, they aren’t as direct with the character as earlier songs. Tear In My Heart is a really nice aside from the rest of the album as this is actually a love song written for Tyler Joseph’s wife Jenna. It’s the closest thing that twenty one pilots have done to a happy song and it’s a surprisingly good fit for them.

    The next track Lane Boy is one of my favorites and deals with the idea of record labels or critics telling them to stay in their lane. The entire song is pretty much them telling critics they will continue to experiment and do whatever style or genre that they wish and they should be happy they don’t go as far as they want to. Tyler even suggest the idea of having numerous time changes and tempo changes, which I’d honestly be all for if they wanted to go straight into prog territory.

    The song wraps up with a Drum’n’Bass buildup that fades into the next song The Judge. The Judge is the biggest Ukulele song on this album, featuring more lyrics of the spiritual crisis variety. The Bridge in this song displays Tyler’s uncertainty about his faith as well as relating back to the theme of a battle with Blurryface. While a lot of people see The Judge as being a metaphor for God it is also true that the listener can be The Judge of his bout with Blurryface. He is unsure if he is winning or losing because he is fighting himself.

    The next track Doubt, as well as Polarize and Hometown continue the spiritual lyrics mixed with battling Blurryface. Another standout is Message Man which is features some pretty rare boasting from Tyler about his skill as a lyricist and a rapper. The big finale of this album is the new rendition of Goner.

    While the original version finishes with Tyler seemingly defeated this version continues on with lyrics about how he’ll slip away into the music. This time around the fight continues with Tyler stating that Blurryface isn’t him and that he needs help to take him out. This lyrics seems to be Tyler asking praying for help much like HeavyDirtySoul. The song picks up into a powerful and frantic pace as Tyler screams out don’t let me be before ending with everything dropping out aside Tyler on the last line. This has been interpreted by many fans and been confirmed by Tyler as being the moment that Blurryface is defeated with many theorizing that the reason “you” is the line where everything fades away is because Tyler has received the divine intervention he was asking for.

    If you can’t tell by the long and in depth review this album has gotten from me, I absolutely love this album. While other albums have had dark elements and good songs this album works from beginning to end with a dark electronic vibe throughout that is balanced well by the acoustic elements and softer songs. This is an album that gives up something new on each listen and filled with so much imagery and storytelling that you may never discover everything Tyler and Josh have included on this record.

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Twenty One Pilots Vessel: An Album a Day

An Album a Day is posted 5 days a week, Monday - Friday

   

    Continuing in my quest to review every album Twenty One Pilots have released, today I will be looking at their first album released after signing with Fueled By Ramen. While actually their third album overall, Vessel was the first album made on a major label and as such is where a lot of current Twenty One Pilots’ fans first discovered the band. As I have not listened to their second independent album Regional at Best I cannot say if this is a dramatic change from that album, but it certainly is a departure from their self titled debut.

    This album mixes moods a whole lot more than their debut, with a lot more aggression and even some happy sounding songs that contrast with the dark or sad lyrics. As I said when I reviewed their first album I believe that the missing ingredient was the chemistry that Tyler Joseph has with Josh Dun. It seems that Dun facilitates Tyler trying more experimental ideas and blending of genres as well as being a far superior drummer than Chris Salih.
    The blending of genres and experimenting with moods can be seen most clearly in the opening track Ode To Sleep. It’s been stated by Tyler that the reason this was the album opener is because it throws just about every element of their sound at the listener immediately. The track starts with an aggressive almost classical sounding synth line before the first verse turns into an electronic rap song. The chorus is then a happy pop song as Tyler sings about his temporary respite from his nightly demons. While the second verse turns back into a rap song it features some of the fastest rapping that Tyler has ever done. The dynamic from soft to heavy and mixing of genres perfectly encapsulates the album.

    There really isn’t a bad track on this album, and unlike their debut none of the tracks delve too deep into melodrama, making them all listenable regardless of mood. The closing track Truce is fairly somber, but it works perfectly to close out the album. The tracks that standout the most for me are Ode To Sleep, Screen and Trees. All three of these tracks feature the heavy use of metaphor and religious imagery that Tyler Joseph is known for in his lyrics.

    While Ode To Sleep mixes the metaphors of mental illness and emotional demons with literal spiritual warfare, Screen and Trees has Joseph seemingly speaking directly to God. In the case of Screen the lyrics seem to be Joseph questioning why he thinks he can hide his mental illness and brokenness from his creator, using the idea that he literally has a screen on his chest. The bridge features the repeated phrase “we’re broken people” which is a sing along line during live shows. This songs refers both to mental illnesses and the idea of sin, keeping Joseph’s typical mixing of Christian ideology and descriptions of his own struggles with depression and anxiety.

    Trees almost feels like a sequel song to Implicit Demand For Proof from their debut album. Whereas in that song Joseph is essentially calling out God and demanding He prove his existence, even if He does so by destroying him,  this time Joseph takes a less antagonistic approach. This one doesn’t come off as doubtful as much as unsure of how to know Him and painfully aware of his faults. Like a lot of their songs the lyrics both refer to the spiritual elements as well as portraying the mind of someone with terrible social anxiety. Which I suppose this makes sense, if you have social anxiety about talking to normal people then trying to talk to a supposedly all powerful being that you believe created everything should be pretty daunting.

    Overall this album is a huge step up in quality from their debut album, and while the lyrics are terribly different the delivery is. The rap verses mixed with melodic singing and occasional screaming adds a diversity and dynamic element to Tyler’s delivery that lets him convey his message much easier. Likewise the music is a huge increase in quality, being way more diverse and interesting to listen to. Many fans consider this to be the band's best album, especially since their next album would become a huge commercial hit and lead to the “it’s popular so it sucks” mindset of some of their older fans. While I don’t know if I’d say this is better than Blurryface, it is absolutely one of their best and has some of my favorite tracks from this band.


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Twenty One Pilots: An Album A Day

An Album A Day is posted 5 days a week, Monday-Friday

It’s always interesting with a band or artist who get a large following around a song or album to go back and look at their earliest music. By doing this we can see how much their style has evolved from their earliest work to what they’ve become known for. In the case of Twenty One Pilots (stylized as twentyonepilots) their self titled studio debut is vastly different from anything off of their more well known albums ,Vessel and Blurryface.

Each of Twenty One Pilot’s three (ish) albums have each brought a different level of success and marked new phases in the band’s career. The band first gained a large indie and local following through the self release of two albums, Twenty One Pilots and Regional At Best. After selling out shows around their local Columbus, Ohio area they ultimately signed to Fueled By Ramen and put out Vessel, an album that included new songs as well as polished versions of Regional At Best tracks. The release of Vessel marked the band’s phase of having moderate national success.

The phase that Twenty One Pilots is currently in is the mainstream level appeal and stardom that their third album Blurryface has brought. While Vessel had a few hits, nothing can touch the overplay of Stressed Out from Blurryface. With three pop radio (Stressed Out, Ride and Heavydirtysoul) hits as well as the success of Heathens from the Suicide Squad soundtrack it’s safe to say that Twenty One Pilots have made it.

Going all the way back to their 2009 debut however, we find a very different band. Although the main lyrical themes of lead singer and songwriter Tyler Joseph are still there, namely mental illness, death, Christian themes and interesting wordplay, the style is much less engaging. With the exception of Isle of Flightless Birds, Fall Away and possibly Johnny Boy, all of the tracks on this album are slow piano ballads. Whereas the blending of pop, rap and rock elements on later albums make Tyler’s lyrics dynamic and full of impact, on this album a lot of them just come off as melodramatic and whiny.

           The more up tempo rap style can be found in parts of songs like Taxi Cab, but overall a lot of tracks become forgettable because of their slow pace and similar feel. I don’t just put the blame on Tyler being a less experienced songwriter however, I chalk it up to his bandmates as well.

While Twenty One Pilots is currently a duo consisting of Tyler and drummer Josh Dun, back in 2009 Twenty One Pilots were actually a three piece band.

Dun wasn’t even in the band yet, with it consisting of Nick Thomas on Bass and Chris Salih on Drums behind Tyler. My theory is that either Thomas and Salih didn’t let Tyler be as creative and weird as he would later be or simply that Dun facilitates Tyler’s pursuit of less conventional musical ideas. Either way, this album doesn’t stand out nearly as much as their other work because it simply feels too safe on a lot of tracks.

Overall it’s not a bad album, in fact some of my favorite tracks from this band such as Implicit Demand For Proof, Trapdoor and Taxi Cab are on this album. It’s just no where near as good as the more diverse and engaging content found on Vessel and Blurryface. While it's fun to look at this album and see some of the early threads of the band's current style, I would recommend just checking out the highlights and skipping the rest unless you're a die hard member of the Skeleton Clique.

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