Band: Twenty | One | Pilots
Album: Vessel
Genre: Alternative/Schizoid Pop (among others.)
Label: Fueled By Ramen
Release Date: January 4th,
2013
I have just recently discovered this band, and I found
them because I’m subscribed to Fueled By Ramen’s Youtube channel. This is not
the type of band that I generally listen to, but they caught my attention, and
have been played on repeat for quite a while since then.
I haven’t heard very much about them (although I don’t
tend to play a lot of attention to media/music news), but I don’t think they’ve
been getting very much attention. They are rather recently labeled, though, and
this is their first CD release under an actual label, so maybe they’ll garner
some more.
Twenty One Pilots
is compiled of two people, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. Their name, Twenty One
Pilots, comes from the play All My Sons
by Arthur Miller (Amazon | Goodreads). This is all described here by Tyler, but basically, they took
the name because of the moral crossroads that the main character comes across,
and how people tend to come across circumstances where choosing the easier
option could be better for the now, while the harder option could turn out
better in the long run/later.
Previous to this CD (Vessel,
the one I’m specifically going to be talking about), they’d self-published a 14
song album back in 2009, titled Twenty One
Pilots, which is available on iTunes and Amazon in digital form.
They’ve been labeled as one of MTV’s Artists of Watch in
2013, which is encouraging.
Their music is labeled alternative, which is pretty
accurate. Their music tends to have faster beats, sometimes in-your-face
lyrics, and rap. I, personally, usually dislike rap, a lot. But for some reason,
I really enjoy it. It took me a couple listens to really fall for it, but I
have. I mean, this is probably only the second band that I have on my iPod who
sings rap.
I think that this is a bit different from the bands
Fueled By Ramen usually signs (some of their other bands include Paramore, Fun., and A Rocket to the Moon, among many others), and it’s a bit more rap than what I normally
hear from alternative bands. It’s not particularly explicit, and the singer isn’t
screaming, but there is actually meaning behind all of the lyrics.
Now, saying that, I know that people to say all the time
that there isn’t any meaning behind songs, particularly rap or pop songs, and I
know that that isn’t necessarily true. But there are a lot of songs out there
that are that way. And these aren’t those kinds.
I love the lyrics. I love the meanings behind them, and
I love the music that goes with them. There’s some beautiful piano/keyboard
sounds, and so many other instruments mixed in, and it’s just so pretty. I’m
rather horrible at explaining the sounds that are made, I’m sorry; but it makes
me want to dance and sing the words loudly with the band when I hear the songs.
This isn’t the type of band, or songs, that I can see
getting mixed in with all those somewhat like it. I’m sure there are people out there
who will disagree (there always are), but I think that it does stand out. Or,
that it would stand out, if it got enough attention to.
The target audience is probably mostly young adult to new
adult age (meaning, I don’t know, 16-25?), but I’m sure there’s a good amount
of a variety that listen. The lyrics aren’t particularly explicit, or
offensive, but I do think that they have addressed some, at least somewhat,
controversial topics.
I would have to say that the music, not even including
the lyrics, is one of the bands definite strengths. The music is catchy, fun, unique,
and definitely dance-worthy. The lyrics are a strength as well. The songs are
well put together, and easily stick in a person head on a never ending loop. The
band has called their music schizoid pop, and I think that’s a very accurate
description. It’s also been said that they have a rap, hip-hop, and dance music
mixed in, and I wouldn’t disagree with any of that.
On the topic of genre mixing, one of the writers for Under the Gun Review, Grace Duffy, says
that, “It can all become a cacophonous mess
that makes you want to rip your headphones into shreds, or it can become an
eclectic, eccentric marriage of invention and ingenuity. Vessel, needless to say, belongs in the latter
category.” And then on Amazon, with its total 27 reviews for the CD, are
all rated at 5 stars; on iTunes, with 777 ratings, 732 of them are 5 stars.
I would agree with most of this. I think the album has a
great mix of genres, beautiful music and lyrics that I have been happily
listening to on repeat.
A weakness of theirs? I don’t know, maybe that they
haven’t gotten as much recognition as they should be?
How did I engage with this product? I’ve liked their
Facebook page, subscribed to the band and their label’s Youtube channel. I’ve
bought many (not all, yet) of their songs on iTunes, and I will definitely be
watching to see their future videos and releases.
Summary:
Twenty | One | Pilots is a band that doesn’t seem to be getting much attention, but
I believe should be, and the attention they have gotten seems rather positive.
I think they’re original, that they do stand out and will leave an impression. From
writing this, I’ve learned some more about the two people that make up the
band, as well as what their name means (which I was previously rather
interested in). I also found out that they’ve been called ‘schizoid pop’, which
I think is a brilliant genre title.
Other songs of theirs:
Youtube Playlist of their songs.
Here are some places to find them:
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