Mixtapemotions

  • “Untouchable” by Luna Halo, Thursday, April 11, 2024 (partial repost)

    One of the biggest challenges of writing about music that I often run into is there isn’t always a lot to talk about. Just because it’s a good song, doesn’t mean that it is a conversation piece. New music is particularly hard to write about. It takes a lot of research, and it takes quite a few listens over some time to pick up the nuance. Furthermore, I mostly write about old music because I have memories associated with it. These memories are acquired over time, and can’t be forced onto a song every Friday with the new release cycle. But when a song has layers of meaning, or in this case, layers of history, not only is it easier to write about, but also I can connect with the song on a deeper level. I won’t be able to get into all of the layers that I want to in this short post, but I’ll see what I can accomplish. 


    I’M CAUGHT UP IN YOU. First appearing on Sparrow Records, Luna Halo debuted as a Christian Rock band. The band was formed in 1999 by brothers Nathan and Cary Barlowe who had been part of a Beastie Boys/DC Talk-inspired group Reality Check, which had disbanded in 1998. Luna Halo’s debut album Shimmer had the hit “Superman” and the song “Hang On To You,” written by fellow labelmate Delirious. The band disappeared and changed members, but reassembled in Nashville to relaunch with their sophomore, self-titled record. The band announced that they were no longer a Christian band, and were in fact, a different band. The Barlowe brothers liked the name Luna Halo, keeping it for their next musical project. The band’s greatest accomplishment, however, was Taylor Swift‘s cover of “Untouchable.” Luna Halo never released a follow-up album, and “Untouchable” launched guitarist Cary Barlowe’s career as a country music songwriter. 


    YOU’RE UNTOUCHABLE, BURNING BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN. In 2019, Taylor Swift announced that she would be re-recording and releasing new versions of her back catalog. This was a response to her failed attempt to buy back her masters which Scooter Braun had sold for $300 million.  This would allow her music to be used without her consent and without her making money from the appearance of that song. In 2021, Taylor released the first of these projects, a re-imagination of Fearless, her 2008 multi-platinum sophomore album, which rocked both the Country and pop charts. As we saw last year, Swift now shrugs off music executives’ conventions and takes control of her own musical direction. Taylor’s Version of Fearless is a long album. She released all of the bonus tracks from Fearless: Platinum Edition and some cut tracks from that era that never made it to recording.  Taylor Swift’s version of “Untouchable” highlights the lyrics of the song, which Swift slightly changed. While the verses are short, we get the image of a teenage girl in awe of someone she thinks is “untouchable” to her. It’s quite a different meaning when a late-20s  Nathan Barlowe sings about a girl who’s out of his league. However, in 2024, very little seems “untouchable” for the superstar Taylor Swift. The star has seen the world, famously dated in Hollywood and the music scene. She’s become the celebrity who goes from hometown hero into her gated mansion. The star herself has become “untouchable” to many, yet you still hear of her doing incredible things for her fans.  What’s the untouchable dream for Taylor? Is it justice from the music industry?


    Luna Halo Original Version: 


    Taylor Swift’s Saturday Night Live version: 





     

     

  • “The Love that Carries Me” by Jonezetta (repost), Wednesday, April 10, 2024

     The season 2 Labeled podcasts finale concluded the story arc of Tooth & Nail Records’ start from collecting likeminded, DIY-spirited bands to a marketably lucrative record business backed by major- label distribution, a slowing in the market and uncertain times, then back to a purely indie label. As the story goes, the label had signed two bands for general rock radio, The Classic Crime and Jonezetta. These bands were not intended for Christian radio, like how The Juliana Theory had been half a decade before. In 2006, at the time of this marketing strategy, the label was losing some of its most successful acts to major labels. Could the new signees save the label?

    WHEN THE CHORUS DIES, DOES IT KILL YOU TO BE ALONE? Neither bands reached the level Tooth & Nail had planned for them. The Classic Crime has had a successful career, but mostly because the label accidentally marketed them to Christian radio. Jonezetta, however, wasn’t played on RadioU, but I think I bought their first album Popularity in the Family Christian Bookstore after listening to the sample CD that sample CD player in their stores is the reason why I listened to more Christian Rock when I was a teenager because CDs were expensive and it was always disappointing to buy a record and only like one track). Jonezetta was marketed as the Tooth & Nail version of The Killers, Jonezetta got on tours with Anberlin, MuteMath,   Shiny Toy Guns, and Family Force 5. The record Popularity was filled with fun hooks and ‘80s styled dance rock tracks, but “The Love that Carries Me” is in the center of the record, setting a calmer tone on the record. The keyboard and groove of the song seems to be a transition to the sound the band achieved on their next record, Cruel to Be Young. 

    SORRY, SORRY BUT MY WORDS MEAN NOTHING. “The Love that Carries Me” is a song about a misinterpreted song. In the vein of the title track, “Popularity,” many songs on the album deal with the superficiality of popularity. It’s a hipster irony of being “too cool for radio,” but secretly chasing it. The speaker states that “words mean nothing” and that the song is nothing more than an addictive ear worm for kids until they move on to the next thing. But “The Love that Carries” is much more than a trend; it is not a commodity; it is not fast fashion. The album examines popularity from a mid-2000s emo band perspective in ways that groups like The All-American Rejects and Taking Back Sunday arguably did better in their lyrics. “The Love that Carries Me” criticizes the popular kids who keep friendships and relationships to the surface and cast friends aside when things get difficult, and there’s a subtle comparison in the lyrics to people who do that to those who buy records and only scan for the catchy tracks. We cannot regard friends in the way that they are fleeting, otherwise we won’t be loved in the hard times and we will miss out on the deep connections that make us human. I certainly could try to be better friend, to pay back those who have pushed me along. So let’s all think of ways to be a better friend.

    Read the lyrics on Genius. 

  • “All of Me” by Watashi Wa, Tuesday, April 9, 2024 (updated repost)

    Watashi Wa was a band signed to Tooth & Nail Records in the early ’00s. The band was formed in 2000 when the members were still in high school. After releasing two albums on Bettie Rocket, a small label, the band signed to Tooth & Nail in 2002. The next year, they released their LP The Love of Life. The band broke up two years later and singer Seth Roberts went on to form the band Eager Seas. Roberts negotiated with the label to fulfill Watashi Wa’s contract with his new band; however, Eager Sea’s debut record undersold the label’s expectations. The label decided to re-release the record as Watashi Wa’s final album titled Eager Seas, including the band’s most recognized song “All of Me” on the record. Roberts went on to form the band Lakes and signed to The Militia Group.  

    IT WAS WRITTEN IN A LETTER TO ME. Maybe it was an abundance of incredible releases in 2003 that made Watashi Wa’s The Love of Life fall unnoticed from the shelf. I hadn’t even heard of Watashi Wa until I saw the band appear on a Tooth & Nail sampler given away with Further Seems Forever How to Start a Fire, and I bought the album at a discount several years after its release. In 2003, Tooth & Nail alone had released Anberlin‘s and Mae‘s debut albums, Beloved, Lucerin Blue, the first FM Static record, Spoken’s  A Moment of Imperfect Clarity, and Thousand Foot Krutch‘s Phenomenon. There were other Christian albums that I bought that year, too, like Skillet‘s Collide, Big Dismal‘s only album, and Delirious‘s Touch. Then there was Evanescence‘s Fallen, which I also bought in the Family Christian store before it was removed. Maybe also there was a lack of promotion. The band didn’t have a Christian Rock radio single unlike most of the bands listed. Years later, Watashi Wa’s music is fine. They are a mellower Tooth & Nail band in a time when edgier pop-punk was what was making the label sore. Seth Roberts talked about his perspective of how his band fit into the arc of Tooth & Nail’s success on the Labeled podcast. Roberts talks about how he tried to make music that paid tribute to his musical heroes in Tooth & Nail history but ultimately failed to produce a record that drew the attention to make a profit for the label. Now sixteen years later, Watashi Wa is back with another tribute to Tooth & Nail’s glory days. I hope that this time around the band will get the recognition they deserve.

    MAYBE IT’S CRAZY. Seth Roberts has told the story of Watashi Wa’s first run on Tooth & Nail Records on several podcasts, such as Labeled. The band recorded The Love of Life with legendary producer Gggarth, known for his work with Kiss, Rage Against the Machine, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and later for recording other Tooth & Nail albums such as Beloved’s Failure On and The Orange County Supertones’ Chase the Sun. The band hadn’t even signed with Tooth & Nail Records but the label had enabled the band to record their album before signing the contract. Watashi Wa was a band at the beginning of Tooth & Nail’s imperial era when the label had money to spend on up-and-coming bands. But with this new ear, calm bands faired not as well as heavy bands. On labeled, Roberts talked about the band’s lack of bands willing to tour with a calmer band being a factor in the eventual demise of Watashi Wa, though band members leaving in pursuit of personal goals was also a contributing factor. Roberts revived the band in 2022 and after People Like People, the band is planning to release new music soon.

  • “Wasted Nights” by Acceptance, Monday, April 8, 2024 (repost)

    When Acceptance released “Cold Air,” in the summer of 2020, I was immediately taken by the catchy, ’80s New-Wave electronica meets The Outfield-style harmonies sung by lead singer Jason Vena. However, the rest of the album failed to pack the punch that their 2005 debut and 2017 sophomore record had. Acceptance had become known for their lyricism, Vena’s near-perfect execution in his mid-to-high range vocals, and often haunting/ mysterious guitar parts–all mixed and produced by Aaron Sprinkle. However, what Wild, Free offered was clipped guitars, electronics, and gruffer vocal takes by Vena. There were certainly some highlights, but other than “Cold Air,” there hasn’t been much to come back to–except for a song that got stuck in my head today: “Wasted Nights.”

    I THINK WE MET AROUND THE FIRST OF MAY. Billy Power had an interesting interview with Jason Vena back in 2015, in which Vena talks about how his first marriage dissolved while he was on the road with Acceptance. Vena explains that the two of them were high school sweethearts, yet distance proved too much for the couple. He spoke fondly about his second wife in this episode. They met after Acceptance had broken up and Vena had quit music for a day job. Knowing Vena’s history makes me wonder which relationship he’s talking about in this song. To some extent, if you give more in a relationship, you receive more. This is not always true because everyone is different, and of course, this is not taking into account abusive situations. However, any given two people are not necessarily compatible. Relationships take time, and the payoff can be a fairytale romance or a bitter divorce after the seven-year itch. One line from How I Met Your Mother that I think about is when Ted is comparing his break up with Robin to “the emotional equivalent to an English degree.” You’ve learned the other person’s subtleties, yet it won’t work in the next relationship. But then I think about if you don’t break up with that person. Wouldn’t it be pretty rewarding to study up for that A? Or should you aim for a C?

    A FADED MEMORY THAT I STILL KEEP IN MY HEAD. There are two types of people: process people and product people. Product people see task A and complete it right away and take a break until it’s time to solve task B. Then, there are process people. Process people start many tasks at once and work a little here and there. Both types like their styles. I’m a process person. I often have five things going on at once. I watch TV while cleaning my house, but often miss scenes because I have to go into the other room. I have a planner full of tasks to complete by December, but if I have to move the task to next year because some other goal is important, I’m ok with that. Lately, I’ve been challenging myself to completion, but honestly, for process people, we fear success. We want to constantly be in the process. So what happens when a process person dates a product person. You learn to cool down because it’s the weekend. The task for the other person is finished, and you need to learn to calm your racing mind. You need to learn the virtue of being lazy.

    Read the lyrics on Genius

  • “Awakening” by Switchfoot, Saturday, April 7, 2024 (updated repost)

    Everything Switchfoot has done musically rests in the shadows of their 2003 album, The Beautiful Letdown. While Letdown was sonically superior to their prior albums, the once surf-rock band still needed to finish evolving after their commercial blockbuster record. I’m biased to think that Nothing Is Sound is lyrically and musically superior to Letdown, but that may be because of how Letdown lost its novelty over the countless plays on youth group trips, on Christian radio, then on rock and alternative radio, and finally on pop radio and in some TV shows. Subsequent Switchfoot releases garnered less attention.

    LAST WEEK SAW ME LIVING FOR NOTHING BUT DEADLINES. Two albums after Letdown, Oh! Gravity. attempted to bring Switchfoot back; this time with an experimental album with a flair for the avant-garde. The poppy second single stalled on the adult contemporary chart and was never released to pop and alternative radio as planned. But Switchfoot’s fidelity to their Christian fans continued to drive record sales and concerts. And while the Guitar Hero-themed, star-studded video for “Awakening” never impacted MTV or VH1, it certainly did well on TVU. The music video starred actors Tony Hale, Adam Campbell, and Jayma Mays. Hale plays a straight-laced office worker who challenges his friend, Campbell, to a game resembling Guitar Hero, on the console, and the guitar controllers are made of cardboard. It was fun to see Buster Bluth rocking out with guyliner and his tie around his head. And around that time there was also talk about how Hale was actually a Christian in Hollywood, though he wasn’t aligned with the evangelical coalition. Of course, Switchfoot’s lead singer Jon Foreman was also one of the more liberal voices in the mainstream Christian Rock community.

    MAYBE IT’S CALLED AMBITION. “Awakening” is a song about being revitalized. Many of Switchfoot’s songs are anthems to “Dare You to Move.” Today, “Awakening” gives me energy. This year has been busy and the winter has seemed long. There have been several setbacks as I have tried to reach my goals. But “Awakening” reminds me that tomorrow is a new day, and I can do this. It doesn’t hurt that it’s almost midterm season and several of my responsibilities are being put on pause. Still, “Awakening” puts me back on track to chase my original goals. Like “More than Fine,” “Awakening” is a morning song. Both songs are about having a great day, and the intentionality it takes to make that day great. While I’m writing this post at night, it was a pretty good day. And because today is Sunday, I want to take that positive attitude into the new week. I know that I can do this! Let’s have a good week!







  • “Live Forever” by The Fold, Saturday, April 6, 2024 (repost)

     We all have to pay the bills, and musicians are certainly no exception. Randy Torres formerly of Project 86 works in sound design. Dan Koch of Sherwood writes music for adverting. Stephen Christian is a music pastor. All of these examples, though, have kept the band separate. The Fold released two records on Tooth & Nail Records, but never achieved the greatness of their label-mates, save a Grammy nomination for the packaging of their sophomore record. Though having a smaller fanbase than other Tooth & Nail bands, The Fold started partnering with brands, writing theme songs, most notably Lego’s Ninjago, for which they performed exclusively for seven years. 

    I SPENT A LONG TIME BUILDING LADDERS TO THE STARS. Today’s song comes from The Fold’s 2013 independent record, Moving Past. “Live Forever” is the album’s fourth track. The themes on the album are somewhat humanist and somewhat Christian. The subject of “Live Forever” is not about one’s eternal resting place in heaven, but rather it’s an assertion that “I can’t live forever.” The song doesn’t correct its theology, but rather realizes that death is restful after years of toil, particularly toil caused by fruitless tasks such as “building ladders to the stars.” And coupled with the album cover artwork reminding me of Charon as he sculls his boat along the river Styx, we come to trust death as a natural process. The upbeat tone of “Live Forever” keeps the lyrics from falling into a depression. Practically, who wants to live forever? Who wants to outlive their peers? For much of human existence, early death was a reality. Thirty-five was once considered old, but yet we’re living long and longer these days. And now there’s talk of trans-humanism, scientific advancement that will allow us, or the most wealthy of us, to upload our consciousness to the cloud and download it onto a younger body. If this ever happens, people will have to grapple with problems eighty years often cut short.

    THESE BONES DON’T STAND A CHANCE. I fear the future every day. I fear poverty. I fear losing my loved ones as I get older. I don’t think a teenager ever thinks they will wake up in a thirty-three year old body, but I’m fearing how fast the calendar pages are turning. I’ve heard people say they think life is long. I don’t remember the last time I was bored. It seems there’s always something to fill up my time. And yet, I wonder, does there come a point when you say, I’ve lived a good life; I’m ready for it to end? On my darkest days when I think I’d rather be dead than face what’s up next, but on the way to work I almost step in front of a bus and I start fighting for my life. I think about the sad story I heard yesterday about one of my former coworkers’ daughters died from a genetic disease after she spent her young life studying and working very hard as nurse. It’s horrible to hear about someone dying in their 20s. There’s so much life she couldn’t live. Dying at sixty has us saying “she was too young.” We don’t want the day that we finally have to say goodbye to our loved ones—grandparents, aunts and uncles, and our parents. Mental illness aside, there’s never a good age that we can say, “I’m glad to have lived this long and I hope that I die tomorrow.” Perhaps it’s our mind that wants to live forever, but our bodies protest in the end.

    Read “Live Forever” by The Fold on Genius.

  • "Pieces" by Red, Friday, April 5, 2024 + End of Silence Track by Track (Repost)

    I talked about my history with Red in 2021 when I talked about their single “Breathe Into Me.” The band’s debut album, End of Silence, starts strong before getting monotonous. Somewhere after the album’s hooky hit songs “Breathe Into Me,” “Let Go,” and “Already Over,” the mysterious “Lost,” and the worshipful “Pieces,” the album suffers a sameness that makes it a little hard listen to in its entirety. Today, we’ll look at what went wrong on this album. 

    1. “Intro” (End of Silence). In terms of albums with introductions, The End of Silence does well at establishing the mood of the album. It’s not a skippable track. The unintelligible voices are probably studio conversations dubbed mysteriously, though Spotify has lyrics posted. A melancholy piano plays and strings are added to the short piece. The song leads into “Breathe Into Me.”
    3. “Let Go” ups the hard rock sound of the previous song. The soaring chorus leading into the abrasive second verse shows off the vocal prowess of lead singer Michael Barnes, who interestingly isn’t credited as a writer for many of the songs on the record. 

    4. “Already Over” feels like a pop song in the Evanescence vein. In some ways, the song sounds like wrestling with God, but the speaker feels the object of the song is “suffocating” him. The band, though, has talked about the song being about addiction and the chorus being a different “you,” meaning giving the addiction over to God. The introduction with the strings and the piano are blended with distant-sounding screams of lead singer Michael Barns to remind us that we’re not listening to garden-variety Top 40 when the driving beat takes us into the first verse. The chorus brings back the guitars, and the song no longer sounds like a ballad. 

    5. “Lost” Red again takes down the momentum on this track. The lyrics seem to be a worship song but also seem to be about a struggle with identity. Completely “lost in you” seems like a positive thing in the context of the song, but there is a clear struggle. And how is this erasure of identity any different from the “suffocating” in “Already Over”? It’s interesting to think about how I feel about this song now versus in 2006.
    6. “Pieces” is the slowest song on the album other than “Already Over, Pt. 2.” The song talks about the Christian theme of being broken before finding Christ, a common theme on this record.

    7. “Break Me Down.” The record picks back up with “Break Me Down.” The elements of the first half are present in this song, but it feels bland.  In fact, 
    8. “Wasting Time.” Copy and paste the description from “Break Me Down.” The back half of the album has a few different parts–acoustic guitars on “Break Me Down,” beginning a song with a breakdown on “Wasting Time”–but it’s mostly the same tempo, screaming, strings for effects, piano adding a haunting effect. It feels like a “Waste of Time” to talk about. 

    9. “Gave It All Away.” Ctrl + V. Interesting experiment: Put “Gave It All Away” after “Pieces” and see if the album feels slightly less dull. Maybe if I could have done this I would have listened to the album the whole way through in the car.

    10. “Hide” adds a bit extra vulnerability in Michael Barnes’ voice, mostly absent since “Let Go.” The song turns into an instrumental called “Nocturne,” which essentially ends the album. Was it a memorable album for anyone who doesn’t have nostalgia for it? Even when it came out, I felt that Christian Rock was losing my attention as I started listening to other, non-nu-metal-influenced bands. Rob Graves created a nice composition and a cohesive album, but I think the failure is the lyrics. There’s nothing specific about the struggle or addiction. The hits often give us the general idea, but a great album fills in specifics with its non-hit tracks. So tracks 7-10 feel like the same vague struggle with nothing new to say about it. 

    11. “Already Over, Pt. 2” changes some of the lyrics and plays the song acoustically. It’s an epilogue for the album that seems to feel like a kind of salvation.  My review of this album stands as just okay, a little monotonous, but bursting with potential. But rather than closing the matter, I’m interested in some of the themes of music production and lyrics, and the history of this band that I want to explore in either a reworking of this review, exploring another song in-depth from this album, or tracking the progression of the band on future albums. But for now, this review is over. 




  • “Lost Boys” by Mike Maines & the Branches, Thursday, April 4, 2024 (Trigger Warning: Suicide)

    In December 2022, I opened up my Instagram one morning as I often did after my 5 a.m. alarm. There was a post from mikemainsmusic, who hadn’t been very active on social media. Mike Mains and the Branches hadn’t released an album since 2019 and had only released a few singles between 2020 and 2021. In the post, Mike Mains wrote about his suicide attempt in 2021. He wrote: “1 year ago today I attempted to take my life. I am here because of my wife Shannon.” He went on to say that we wrote the post “to encourage those who’ve danced with this dark devil.” After his suicide attempt, he wrote that he “bought a one way ticket to the desert to get help.”

    DARLING, MY HEART IS FULL OF REGRET. After talking about his suicide attempt, Mike Mains told fans that he and the Branches would return with new music in 2023 and tour dates. Mains also talked about how his sobriety contributed to his mental healing after his suicide attempt with the Bringin’ It Backwards Podcast In June, Mains released the first singles from the upcoming album, Memory Unfixed. Like the band’s previous album, When We Were in Love, Mains’ latest album was released through Tooth & Nail Records. Mike Mains and the Branches have been touring with the album since, many dates of which are “living room shows,” shows that gracious fans open up their homes for intimate concerts. Memory Unfixed isn’t much of a departure in sound from When We Were Young. The lyrical difference between Mains’ second album, 2004’s Calm Down, Everything Is Fine and 2019’s  When We Were in Love is stark, with the former being a more straightforward Christian album. Both Mains’ third and fourth albums discuss suicide and marital issues frankly, which is seldom heard in Christian records. 

    I AM MOSES; MARY, TAKE ME DANCING IN THE RAIN. “Lost Boys” opens Mike Mains and the Branches’ Memory Unfixed. Alluding to the band of boys over whom Peter Pan leads in J.M. Barrie’s classic children’s book, “Lost Boys” sees Mains imagining himself as one of those lost boys trapped in Neverland. The song doesn’t strictly stick to the Peter Pan metaphor but shifts to the Old Testament story of Moses. Furthermore, the “good girls crying in their beds” feels like a channeling of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.” Peter Pan is a common motif in music from Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to Tyson Motsenbocker’s “Wendy Darling.” Each song that alludes to the children’s novel meditates on different parts of the story’s narrative. However, one of the most common purposes for the metaphor is to show the speaker’s arrested development. The metaphor only seems more relevant for millennials and Generation Z who are struggling to meet the benchmarks of an adult life laid out to us from our parents’ generations. The meditation on the Lost Boys of Neverland could have been a look at men and masculinity in the 2020s, but instead, Mains makes the song insular. He looks at one lost boy, rather than the collective. But if we look at the issues in the collective, one lost boy’s story might make a bit more sense.   



  • “Don’t Blink” by Relient K, Wednesday, April 3, 2024 (reworked repost)

    In 2004, Relient K had two breakthrough hits: “Be My Escape” and “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been.” The band attempted on the albums that proceeded Mmhmm with songs that could work on both Christian and pop radio, to limited success.  While Relient K’s music was often love songs rather than Christian songs, the breakup album, 2009’s Forget and Not Slow Down, marked a shift in the band’s overt Christian themes and started talking about adult relationships. The band followed up their sixth studio album with two covers EPs combined to form the album Is for Karaoke. The album features pop and rock covers in a pop-punk style. The band finally released their seventh studio album, Collapsible Lung, in 2013.  

    I PLAN TO TAKE THE RIGHTEOUS PATH. Rather than working with Mark Lee Townsend,  who has producer credits on every Relient K album except for Collapsible Lung, the band worked with Nashville-based producer Paul Moak and Nashville transplant Aaron Sprinkle. The album is bookended by “Don’t Blink” and “Collapsible Lung,” the only songs written solely by lead singer Matthew Thiessen and guitarist Matthew Hoopes. Other tracks on the album were co-written with friends of the band pop songwriters. Lyrically, the tone of the album sounds much more secular than previous Relient K albums. The album seemed to be mostly geared toward the general market, though it failed to send one of the radio-ready songs to the charts. The bookends of the album sound like a Relient K album, but the center feels like what happens when a band tours with lighter pop-rock bands like Hellogoodbye.


    DON’T BLINK OR IT’S GONE. “Don’t Blink” opens up the “Prodigal” album where Forget and Not Slow Down leaves the listeners. Forget and Not Slow Down ends with Matt Thiessen’s mixed feelings about a breakup. Guitarist Matt Hoopes wrote “Don’t Blink,” inspired by nostalgic ‘90s rock. The lyrics reflect on his life and growing up. Like FANSL, “Don’t Blink” could be seen as a breakup song, though there is a bright hope in the lyrics. The song can come across as self-righteous when the speaker says he “plan[s] to take the righteous path,” particularly in light of the somewhat hedonistic lyrics in the album’s center, such as in tracks like “P.T.L.” and “If I Could Take You Home.” But “Don’t Blink” feels like it comes from an experience of a real person, whereas the center tracks in the album feel like they happened to a caricature or even to someone in a sermon illustration. Relient K is part of a certain youth group culture, but just as youth group kids grow up, the band grows up too. While the band’s 2016 album Air for Free would return to in-band songwriting and topics of faith and more Christian-sounding romances, albums like Collapsible Lung are puzzling. While it doesn’t seem like the band meant for it to be a Prodigal’s son story, the band’s failure to crossover brought them back into the Christian music industry. 




  • “Left and Right” by Charlie Puth ft. Jung Kook, Tuesday, April 2, 2024 + Charlie track by track

     

    Charlie, the third record from Charlie Puth, tells pretty much the same story as the previous two Charlie Puth records: the tales of being unlucky in love. The twelve tracks on the album come from a place of heartbreak, being used, and nostalgia for a good time in love. Musically, most of the songs are saccharine pop with Puth’s somewhat funk-inspired falsetto. Every record Puth has released has steadily raised in critical reception. Charlie holds an 81% on Metacritic; his debut, Nine Track Mind, holds a 37%. Today we’ll look at the tracks that make up Charlie. I am surprised at the difference in critical reception between the albums. Personally, I think that while his first albums lack maturity, the albums have more variety than the third record as we’ll see in more detail.


    1. “That’s Hilarious” kicks off the album with a heartbreak. Similar to Third Eye Blind’s break-up hit “Losing a Whole Year,” Puth laments “You took away a year / Of my fuckin’ life.” The song is ironic in that nothing is actually hilarious unless Charlie is talking about the tears his ex cries when she thinks about him. The music video shows Charlie on the verge of a mental break.

    2. “Charlie Be Quiet!” is a song about not revealing feelings too soon. In Puth’s songwriting, there are so many examples of heartbreak, so today’s song finds the singer shielding his feelings to not ruin a potential relationship. 

    3. “Light Switch” is the stand-out track of the album. As much as I’ve listened to Charlie, I feel that all of the tracks are trying to be this version of Puth. It’s musically the best the album gets.
    4. “There’s a First Time for Everything” finds Charlie missing an ex. Most of the songs are about Charlie being missed, but “There is a first time” for him missing his ex. The song starts out with ‘80s synth pop potential and the storytelling lyrics should set a scene, but Puth’s fast delivery fails to deliver an appropriate feeling. Like many of the songs on the album, the intro is the best part.


    5. “Smells Like Me” is a revenge song. The speaker hopes that his love still wears his jacket even when she kisses her new love. The guitar and synth in this song accomplish a retro sound more than the previous one, but Puth’s unmistakable voice and stutter make the song solidly a 2020s song.

    6. “Left and Right” is another example of a pop singer leeching onto BTS to get a higher chart position. The song is the highest-charting song from the album. The song is catchy but very simple.

    7. “Loser” Loser = lose her. I’m getting sick of this album after hearing Puth saying the quiet part out loud.


    8. “When You’re Sad I’m Sad” The lack of comma in the title makes me hate this song more than I should. I think lyrically it’s pretty good, but the composition is too simple. I’d love to hear a band like Copeland reinterpret this one.

    9. ““Marks on My Neck.”I never got hickeys. I don’t get how it’s a mark of pride. It seems animalistic, like how cats mate.  The symbolism of the song is pretty straightforward. 
    10. “Tears on My Piano” is one of the more interesting tones on the album with ‘90s harmonies. The song is partly inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops on My Guitar” and last month it was the basis for my Apple Music version of my Rain playlist. The song stands out more for its guitar riff than its piano parts. This is one of the ways that Puth could have done to make the album more dynamic.

    11. “I Don’t Think That I Like Her” is another storytelling song on the album. But it’s hard to get into these storytelling songs for lack of detail. Is this album about the same girl? Did this girl even exist? There seems to be a lack of feeling in the songs and the music itself is the object.


    12. “No More Drama” is the final break-up song on the album. Just as Charlie says goodbye to an ex, he says goodbye to the album. 

    As talented as Charlie Puth is, influenced by the great singer-songwriters from the ’70s and ’80s, I hope that he comes out with an album that shows off his talent.