Ohhh man I love breakdowns. The bigger, the heavier, the screamier, the rhythmicier, the better!
In all honesty, this is where metal gets silly. It's really easy to dig deep into complex song structure or analyze weird scales or passages and get totally enveloped in dissecting how everything works. But the inevitable will happen. The floor drops out from under you, all shredology comes to a screeching halt, your face stops melting just for a bit...and the breakdown HAPPENS! And boy howdy are there some geniuses out there who know their way around making this metal phenomenon happen. But we'll get to them in a sec, first lets talk about what makes breakdowns and what makes them fun(ny). Shall we? Yes. We shall.
Okay, so, I'm listening to "Gimme A D" by Parkway Drive (www.purevolume.com/parkwaydrive). These Aussie teens (so young, so good, so not fair) with the aid of the production wizardry of Adam D provide probably the most clear cut, auditory definition of breakdownage. The song starts with pure unadulterated craziness: tapping, screaming, monster guitar tone, double kick in your face, more tapping...it's pretty much like a full frontal assault of metal. And what's not to like with that?! Nothing. Nothing's not to like. Double negatives, like double bass pedals, are fun. Anyway, right after getting assaulted with facemeltage for no more than about 50 seconds, we're hit with a breakdown (the first one at least). After a fast galloped section, everything stops for a beat and an ultra elementary, heavily rhythmic passage begins. Contrasting with the pace and ferocity in the beginning of the song, the half time feel combined with the rhythmic (versus melodic) nature of the guitars lends to the sludgy, headbanging wonderfulness of a breakdown.
In my own opinion, a successful (not to mention rad) breakdown is one that is sandwiched with fast, melodic guitars, complex vocal leads, and technical drumming. When that breakdown hits, the simplicity in all three of these independent lines unifies into one simplified beast of a rhythm. And that's awesome. The sole purpose of this unity is to make the listener/crowd lose their minds. It's hard to articulate how exactly that works. I think the best way to put it is that the complexity and busy nature of the parts that lead up to the BD (as I'll call it because I'm getting tired of typing "breakdown" so often) create a bit of anxiety that builds in the listener/audience. So when that quality in the music that keeps you so focused on what's happening stops and you're hit with an almost OVER-simplified riff, that anxiety gets released in the form of punchdancing, jumping around like an idiot, goosebumps, or for me: laughter. It's an awesome feeling.
There are a number of bands who all are known for their ability to let the floor drop out from under you, namely Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die, Parkway Drive, Unearth...but I've gotta say that the undisputed champions of the ole BD would have to be Evergreen Terrace. Holy butts. They're not really the most shred-y band out there, but there's enough going on in their verses/choruses as a function of their punk background and influences that the meat of their songs are very fast tempo'd and busy. But then it comes. Sometime around the second verse or second chorus. Metal happens. Both guitars and the bass play some ridiculously simple, single-note rhythm that gets matched by the kick drum. The snare/cymbals play a simple 4/4 lick that drives the off-beat crunch of the instruments behind it. It's such a distinctive sound and feel and I think this band has captured better than anyone else. They seem to revel in the simplicity. And that's really the key to a successful breakdown. Check out the following songs (BD time is in parentheses) from their myspace - www.myspace.com/evergreenterrace:
Wolfbiker (1:12)
Chaney Can't Quite Riff Like Helmet's Page Hamilton (builds @ 2:42, floor drops out at 2:54)
Where There Is Fire (1:26 and again is reprised at the end of the song at 3:12)
New Friend Request (builds @ 2:23, lose your mind at 2:35)
...oh man, and there are so many more...but you get the idea. Hopefully you'll be able to hear them on your own and enjoy the nature of the beast.
There's nothing like an Evergreen Terrace breakdown.
Dude, bro. Wolfbiker!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The FEAR
This could be the cause for celebration in the belly of the beast.
I've realized recently that the "scene" I've attached myself to has come to a critical breaking point. The bands that have established themselves in this genre (your Killswitches, your Every Time I Dies, your Alexisesonfires, your Poisons in the Wells, et cetera) are reaching the point where they've managed to separate themselves from the masses and made names for themselves in their own right. Their labels realize the cash cow that's been created by a gaggle of kids who throw some screamed, witty lyrics over discordant verses. The suits fan the fire by throwing money, tour buses, and producers at these lucky few in hopes of the big dream of commercial success. And this is all fine and dandy. I mean, who doesn't love money right? On top of that, who doesn't love screwing around with your closest friends on a stage and making sweet moolah hand over fist? Nobody...that's who...except maybe communists.
So all this "corporation"-, "major label"-, "the man"- bashing isn't really what I'm getting at. Hell, when I hear of a band I like getting signed to a major label I'm excited! It usually translates into bigger venues, higher production value (on record and live), more extensive tours, longer sets...all in all it's a good time for all! Growth. Hell ya.
What worries me is the machination of the whole process. At a certain extent, some ear at some label hears the potential for a certain sound from a certain band. So the push comes not towards creative liberty but towards chart-topping. With the commercial success of bands like Killswitch Engage, Every Time I Die (ETID), Alexisonfire, Poison The Well, and others, I can't help but sit back and wonder if Epitaph is going to start pushing ETID towards a more mainstream sound for example. Or maybe Poison the Well will start shopping around to major labels again like they did with "You Come Before You" which was put out on Atlantic. Will these larger labels whittle away at the uniqueness of these homegrown success stories? I honestly couldn't tell you. But with new records on the horizon for all four of those bands (not to mention several others, Evergreen Terrace and August Burns Red to name a couple more) I can't help but worry a little. Look what happened to Atreyu...Avenged Sevenfold...Norma Jean...All That Remains.
To end on a positive note though, its hard to ignore the roots. These bands managed to "make it" in a time when power pop, faux-metal, nu-metal, and general teenie-bopper "punk" dominated the airwaves in the forms of anything from American Idol, Linkin Park, Finger Eleven, Breaking Benjamin, Newfound Glory, to Blink 182, these small garage bands managed to grow to national recognition. Sans help from MTV, sans help from mainstream radio, sans help from Rolling Stone, this scene has flourished. How can a band leave behind what has been doing for the past decade and hop onto that gravy train? It's hard to imagine. I'm not going to pretend like it DOESN'T happen...but I'm gonna say that I'm hopeful for the future.
Hopeful with a pinch of trepidation.
I've realized recently that the "scene" I've attached myself to has come to a critical breaking point. The bands that have established themselves in this genre (your Killswitches, your Every Time I Dies, your Alexisesonfires, your Poisons in the Wells, et cetera) are reaching the point where they've managed to separate themselves from the masses and made names for themselves in their own right. Their labels realize the cash cow that's been created by a gaggle of kids who throw some screamed, witty lyrics over discordant verses. The suits fan the fire by throwing money, tour buses, and producers at these lucky few in hopes of the big dream of commercial success. And this is all fine and dandy. I mean, who doesn't love money right? On top of that, who doesn't love screwing around with your closest friends on a stage and making sweet moolah hand over fist? Nobody...that's who...except maybe communists.
So all this "corporation"-, "major label"-, "the man"- bashing isn't really what I'm getting at. Hell, when I hear of a band I like getting signed to a major label I'm excited! It usually translates into bigger venues, higher production value (on record and live), more extensive tours, longer sets...all in all it's a good time for all! Growth. Hell ya.
What worries me is the machination of the whole process. At a certain extent, some ear at some label hears the potential for a certain sound from a certain band. So the push comes not towards creative liberty but towards chart-topping. With the commercial success of bands like Killswitch Engage, Every Time I Die (ETID), Alexisonfire, Poison The Well, and others, I can't help but sit back and wonder if Epitaph is going to start pushing ETID towards a more mainstream sound for example. Or maybe Poison the Well will start shopping around to major labels again like they did with "You Come Before You" which was put out on Atlantic. Will these larger labels whittle away at the uniqueness of these homegrown success stories? I honestly couldn't tell you. But with new records on the horizon for all four of those bands (not to mention several others, Evergreen Terrace and August Burns Red to name a couple more) I can't help but worry a little. Look what happened to Atreyu...Avenged Sevenfold...Norma Jean...All That Remains.
To end on a positive note though, its hard to ignore the roots. These bands managed to "make it" in a time when power pop, faux-metal, nu-metal, and general teenie-bopper "punk" dominated the airwaves in the forms of anything from American Idol, Linkin Park, Finger Eleven, Breaking Benjamin, Newfound Glory, to Blink 182, these small garage bands managed to grow to national recognition. Sans help from MTV, sans help from mainstream radio, sans help from Rolling Stone, this scene has flourished. How can a band leave behind what has been doing for the past decade and hop onto that gravy train? It's hard to imagine. I'm not going to pretend like it DOESN'T happen...but I'm gonna say that I'm hopeful for the future.
Hopeful with a pinch of trepidation.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Cuz I Can Dish It Out
Brand New!
For some reason I feel like I've been on a kick of "non-metal" type music. But you know what, it all balances out.
So Brand New is one of those bands that jumps to mind when you think of sad-sounding pop/indie/emo kids who actually probably have a pretty comfortable life with parents who love them, fans who adore them, and a dog that they probably got in college thinking it'd be cool to have a pet, and if they didn't wind up having to tour all the time, they'd actually probably take care of the little fuzzball and be known to their friends as "that guy who always brings his dog along to bbqs and the beach and stuff". And you know what, that's okay. Because they write some pretty decent music. Even though the lyrics are fraught with (at times) ultra-sad heartbreak imagery, it seems obvious that desperation is their inspiration...as the Bronx would say... Of course, that being said, Brand New is one of the few bands I'll actually pay attention to, and take note of, the lyrics. Usually I'll just listen to the melody/rhythm of the singer, but vocalist Jesse Lacey has a really interesting (if not dark) way about his lyricism. For example, the song "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" tells a tale of a young man's loss of innocence at the hands of the girl he loves who sees their relationship (physical and otherwise) as purely a means to an end rather than the sunshine, lollipops, unicorns, and puppy dogs the boy had hoped for. Of course Lacey has a more subtle, tricky way of painting this picture. Sure there are heavy themes of sadness, desperation, heartbreak, and general woe...but isn't that what drives most decent artists anyway? Van Gogh cut off his ear. I'm just saying...
Okay, so apart from the lyrics, Brand New has really come to sonically carve out a little niche in my music library...musbrary if you will...libric? No. Musbrary. I'm not sure who in the band does most of the song writing and composing, but they've got a very, very delicate way of layering their songs. I can best relate this by taking you through the song "Jesus Christ" (you can hear it at http://www.purevolume.com/brandnew). So come, take a journey with me...this way:
VERY reverbed out guitar playing solo
Intro lick comes in, also very verb'd out (gives a very roomy, spaced out, ambient feel)
note: on top of the ambient, clean tones of the guitars, the melodies they're playing are very repetitive and sing-songy...well before the song is a minute old, you're already zoned out lost in the "space" they've created by the simplicity of the riff and the roomy tone of the guitars.
Then drums, bass, and vocals all come in.
The drums are playing in a very simple, straight 4/4 time
The bass is clean and sounds finger picked (because you can't hear the attack of a pick or ANY distortion or fuzz to speak of)
The vocals almost sound like he's singing at a talking volume. He's barely projecting. All these elements keep the feeling of the song very intimate and ambient...accentuated by the weird little harmonics happening here'n'there and the breathiness of his singing.
Throughout this bit there are weird noises happening in the background that space out this beginning part of the song even more. It's all adding to the ambiance they're creating which will be contrasted as the song peaks.
As an end to this establishment of the mood of the music, the intro riff comes back. I feel like this punctuates the beginning of the "rising action" of the song.
Now you'll be able to hear things VERY slowly start to build.
Right when that intro lick ends, you can barely hear two things happen:
Another guitar starts strumming chords over that melody that's been playing the whole song. This guitar will gain in volume and gain (heh) over the next few bars. As it becomes more of a presence the song will begin to gain in intensity.
Also, there's a very faint keyboard playing a little melody in the background. This adds to the space of the song. Combined with everything else that's going on, things start sounding very full.
At this point, the vocals and drums pick up as well.
First, there are small background vocals added in...be it single lines behind the main vocal line or specific harmonized lines. Then the singer starts projecting a little more and more until he's all but yelling the lyrics. It's a slow progression, and most times I don't realize it's happened until he's already belting it out.
While vocals are picking up, the drums follow this rising and eventual climax in the song. The drummer picks up from single snare hits to doubling up. As things start peaking he moves up from quarter notes on the hi-hat to eighth notes. He in essence picks the pace of the song up from a walking to a running pace that ends on that last note that things die out on.
Now, the coolest part of the song. Everything peters out. What comes back is the simple riff that the song started out at...which, if you weren't listening to the song note-for-note, you completely missed the fact that it built from such a soft, slow, delicate melody to a more "frantic" drum beat, a big fuzzed out guitar strumming chords over everything, and the singer all but yelling. It's SUUUUCH a subtle change, and they point it out by directly contrasting where the song is to where it started.
So awesome. There aren't many bands that I've heard that are capable of that level of subtlety and I really enjoy that. And I hope you did too.
For some reason I feel like I've been on a kick of "non-metal" type music. But you know what, it all balances out.
So Brand New is one of those bands that jumps to mind when you think of sad-sounding pop/indie/emo kids who actually probably have a pretty comfortable life with parents who love them, fans who adore them, and a dog that they probably got in college thinking it'd be cool to have a pet, and if they didn't wind up having to tour all the time, they'd actually probably take care of the little fuzzball and be known to their friends as "that guy who always brings his dog along to bbqs and the beach and stuff". And you know what, that's okay. Because they write some pretty decent music. Even though the lyrics are fraught with (at times) ultra-sad heartbreak imagery, it seems obvious that desperation is their inspiration...as the Bronx would say... Of course, that being said, Brand New is one of the few bands I'll actually pay attention to, and take note of, the lyrics. Usually I'll just listen to the melody/rhythm of the singer, but vocalist Jesse Lacey has a really interesting (if not dark) way about his lyricism. For example, the song "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" tells a tale of a young man's loss of innocence at the hands of the girl he loves who sees their relationship (physical and otherwise) as purely a means to an end rather than the sunshine, lollipops, unicorns, and puppy dogs the boy had hoped for. Of course Lacey has a more subtle, tricky way of painting this picture. Sure there are heavy themes of sadness, desperation, heartbreak, and general woe...but isn't that what drives most decent artists anyway? Van Gogh cut off his ear. I'm just saying...
Okay, so apart from the lyrics, Brand New has really come to sonically carve out a little niche in my music library...musbrary if you will...libric? No. Musbrary. I'm not sure who in the band does most of the song writing and composing, but they've got a very, very delicate way of layering their songs. I can best relate this by taking you through the song "Jesus Christ" (you can hear it at http://www.purevolume.com/brandnew). So come, take a journey with me...this way:
VERY reverbed out guitar playing solo
Intro lick comes in, also very verb'd out (gives a very roomy, spaced out, ambient feel)
note: on top of the ambient, clean tones of the guitars, the melodies they're playing are very repetitive and sing-songy...well before the song is a minute old, you're already zoned out lost in the "space" they've created by the simplicity of the riff and the roomy tone of the guitars.
Then drums, bass, and vocals all come in.
The drums are playing in a very simple, straight 4/4 time
The bass is clean and sounds finger picked (because you can't hear the attack of a pick or ANY distortion or fuzz to speak of)
The vocals almost sound like he's singing at a talking volume. He's barely projecting. All these elements keep the feeling of the song very intimate and ambient...accentuated by the weird little harmonics happening here'n'there and the breathiness of his singing.
Throughout this bit there are weird noises happening in the background that space out this beginning part of the song even more. It's all adding to the ambiance they're creating which will be contrasted as the song peaks.
As an end to this establishment of the mood of the music, the intro riff comes back. I feel like this punctuates the beginning of the "rising action" of the song.
Now you'll be able to hear things VERY slowly start to build.
Right when that intro lick ends, you can barely hear two things happen:
Another guitar starts strumming chords over that melody that's been playing the whole song. This guitar will gain in volume and gain (heh) over the next few bars. As it becomes more of a presence the song will begin to gain in intensity.
Also, there's a very faint keyboard playing a little melody in the background. This adds to the space of the song. Combined with everything else that's going on, things start sounding very full.
At this point, the vocals and drums pick up as well.
First, there are small background vocals added in...be it single lines behind the main vocal line or specific harmonized lines. Then the singer starts projecting a little more and more until he's all but yelling the lyrics. It's a slow progression, and most times I don't realize it's happened until he's already belting it out.
While vocals are picking up, the drums follow this rising and eventual climax in the song. The drummer picks up from single snare hits to doubling up. As things start peaking he moves up from quarter notes on the hi-hat to eighth notes. He in essence picks the pace of the song up from a walking to a running pace that ends on that last note that things die out on.
Now, the coolest part of the song. Everything peters out. What comes back is the simple riff that the song started out at...which, if you weren't listening to the song note-for-note, you completely missed the fact that it built from such a soft, slow, delicate melody to a more "frantic" drum beat, a big fuzzed out guitar strumming chords over everything, and the singer all but yelling. It's SUUUUCH a subtle change, and they point it out by directly contrasting where the song is to where it started.
So awesome. There aren't many bands that I've heard that are capable of that level of subtlety and I really enjoy that. And I hope you did too.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I'm Back On The Wagon
Dear trusty reader(s?),
I fell off the wagon this past week. But it was with just cause. It was my birthday. I was...busy. But all is not for naught. I've come up with the following thing for your amusement:
Protest the Hero...and Misery Signals...are going on tour...together!
Yesssssss. If you've read at least any two of the last ?? posts I've posted (note the blatant refusal to use the word "blog") you've noticed my over exuberance regarding nearly ANYthing regarding either of these two bands. They. Are. Awesome! So so awesome. If there were a song written ABOUT these two bands, it'd be titled "Awesome" and would sound totally awesome.
So that being said, I recommend anybody reading this run to your local myspace page for either of these two bands (www.myspace.com/protestthehero or www.myspace.com/miserysignals) and find the nearest town on their tour schedule and go to that show. I know they're playing April 23rd at Slims in San Francisco, the 24th at the Knitting Factory in LA, 25th at Soma in San Diego, and the 26th at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. I can't wait. Neither can you. I'm pretty confident in saying that on your behalf trusty reader(s?).
That's all for now. More next week, and I promise not to disappoint.
I fell off the wagon this past week. But it was with just cause. It was my birthday. I was...busy. But all is not for naught. I've come up with the following thing for your amusement:
Protest the Hero...and Misery Signals...are going on tour...together!
Yesssssss. If you've read at least any two of the last ?? posts I've posted (note the blatant refusal to use the word "blog") you've noticed my over exuberance regarding nearly ANYthing regarding either of these two bands. They. Are. Awesome! So so awesome. If there were a song written ABOUT these two bands, it'd be titled "Awesome" and would sound totally awesome.
So that being said, I recommend anybody reading this run to your local myspace page for either of these two bands (www.myspace.com/protestthehero or www.myspace.com/miserysignals) and find the nearest town on their tour schedule and go to that show. I know they're playing April 23rd at Slims in San Francisco, the 24th at the Knitting Factory in LA, 25th at Soma in San Diego, and the 26th at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. I can't wait. Neither can you. I'm pretty confident in saying that on your behalf trusty reader(s?).
That's all for now. More next week, and I promise not to disappoint.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Comedy = Music?
I've been thinking about this one for a little while and figured I'd go ahead and throw it out there.
I think stand up comedy is a lot like music.
A good joke, like a good song, progresses from an introduction, through the rising action/setup (verse/chorus/verse), to a punchline (climax), while periodically being punctuated by tangents/rants (bridge/breakdowns). And just like in music, there can be really really bad jokes whose structures are nonsensical or maybe some that just plain don't make sense. Trying to make a connection between these kind of "bad" jokes/comedians, I wonder if the fact that bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, August Burns Red, and Norma Jean (old-good NJ, not new-bad NJ) can make discordant, caustic music sound good, there is some sort of unseen brilliance behind comedians that make these bad-according-to-the-definition-of-popular-comedy type jokes. Maybe it's a little more deliberate than I would initially think.
I'll tell you what, I'll give this some good hard thinking and get back to you on this one. Unfortunately, that's all I've really got for you this week.
Soooo...here's to a poor excuse for a posting! More later.
I think stand up comedy is a lot like music.
A good joke, like a good song, progresses from an introduction, through the rising action/setup (verse/chorus/verse), to a punchline (climax), while periodically being punctuated by tangents/rants (bridge/breakdowns). And just like in music, there can be really really bad jokes whose structures are nonsensical or maybe some that just plain don't make sense. Trying to make a connection between these kind of "bad" jokes/comedians, I wonder if the fact that bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, August Burns Red, and Norma Jean (old-good NJ, not new-bad NJ) can make discordant, caustic music sound good, there is some sort of unseen brilliance behind comedians that make these bad-according-to-the-definition-of-popular-comedy type jokes. Maybe it's a little more deliberate than I would initially think.
I'll tell you what, I'll give this some good hard thinking and get back to you on this one. Unfortunately, that's all I've really got for you this week.
Soooo...here's to a poor excuse for a posting! More later.
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