Mixtapemotions

  • "Last Hope" by Paramore, Sunday, October 16, 2022

    Fleetwood Mac might be the most turbulent rock band in terms of member changes, feuds, and internal relationships going awry because of infidelity. The conflict, lawyers, and affidavits surrounding Paramore, though, feels akin to the ‘70s rock band. In his series Deep Discog Dives, YouTuber Nick Canovas summarized the controversies surrounding Paramore. Perhaps the biggest rift in the band is between former lead guitarist Josh Farro and lead singer Haley Williams. After the band’s third record, Brand New Eyes, Farro publicly expressed his opposition to the lyrical direction Williams was taking the band.

    I DON’T EVEN KNOW MYSELF AT ALL. Like many bands in the pop-punk scene in the ‘00s, Paramore began their career with ties to the Christian Rock scene. Most of the bandmates grew up Christian, and it seemed natural to integrate their beliefs into the band’s lyrics. But by the band’s breakthrough record, their sophomore Riot!, the lyrics shifted away from Christian themes. The band justified the lyrics on their biggest hit, prior to “Ain’t It Fun,” “Misery Business”: “God, doesn’t it feel so good” on top of an already risqué track about early adult sexuality with hints of sexism. With the success of “Misery Business” came a furor with Christian audiences. Christian audiences appreciated the publicity Paramore gave other Christian bands. The band brought Christian bands on tour with them. Williams contributed vocals to Christian Rock bands like The Chariot and mewithoutYou. But the lyric on Brand New Eyes, “The truth never set me free” in the song “Ignorance” caused guitarist Josh Farro and his brother, drummer Zac Farro to quit the band, though Zac eventually rejoined. Upon quitting Paramore, Josh posted a blog post stating of Paramore’s members: “We fought her about how [Hayley’s] lyrics misrepresented our band and what we stood for, but in the end, she got her way.” He also proliferated the rumor that Williams’ direction was due to manipulation by the band’s manager and the label.

    GOTTA LET IT HAPPEN. The “salt in the wound” from losing the band’s guitarist has been the subject of many Paramore songs. “Last Hope” is probably partly about Josh, but also about keeping faith when everything seems so transitory. In 2010, Williams wrote in the band’s live journal about what keeps her grounded. She writes
            [S]ometimes you get run down. sometimes life throws dirt in your eyes and it stings
            and you can’t see for a few minutes. even after you get it out your eyes are all red and
            your vision is shitty… but eventually, whether through tears or maybe just time…  you
            start to see even clearer than before. life is not always good. which is why music exists.
            why [I] believe God exists. and why there’s always a pint of coconut milk ice cream in
            my freezer. 
    It’s nearly impossible to agree on a vision. And with Williams and Paramore’s current guitarist Taylor York starting a relationship, it’s hard to say that the next Paramore episode will be drama-free. “Last Hope” reminds us to keep an eye out for any spark of hope when it feels like we’ve lost our way. In the end, it will be okay.


    Live performance:

    Official Audio:












  • “Listen” by Sent By Ravens, Saturday, October 15, 2022

    Sent By Ravens released two LPs on Tooth & Nail Records before going on an indefinite hiatus ten years ago. When fewer and fewer of their label mates claimed to be a Christian Rock band, Sent By Ravens fully embraced the genre. The band’s name comes from 1 Kings 17:6 when the prophet Elijah fled to the wilderness under threat of death from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. According to the story, Elijah was fed by ravens carrying bread to him. 

    YOUR WORDS WON’T ALWAYS BE GRACEFUL. Sent By Raven’s second record Mean What You Say is a response to hate hidden behind the mask of Christian rhetoric, specifically Westboro Baptist Church, the hate group that protests funerals in order to gain attention and condemn others they see who are not living to the standards of God as dictated through their narrow reading of the scriptures.  As so many Christian Rock bands broke up or changed their worldview, Mean What You Say examines the state of Christianity in early ‘10s. This was a time before mainstream Christianity was completely intertwined with right-wing politics, but there were certainly clues of what would happen. Groups like Westboro Baptist Church were seen as fringe groups, but the mainstream of Christianity was starting to look more and more extreme as attitudes towards race, gender, and sexuality were changing. Reacting to televangelists and mega church pastors is as old as Christian Rock itself. Stryper and Audio Adrenaline and others were subjects of sermons and wrote songs against whom they called false prophets. “Listen” is a song about the failures of a mega church pastor. He has lost sight of the central message he preaches, the love of God. The song serves as a warning that after the preacher’s death, the institution that he founded too will die. 

    WHEN WILL YOU LISTEN? Since my blog has been on such a Christian Rock kick lately, and to be honest I blog about Christian Rock a lot, I decided to start a playlist of songs that I find spiritual. I didn’t want to exclude “secular” songs, though. My beliefs have developed over the years, so I wanted to include some of the tracks that fit my spiritual journey. This playlist is nowhere near comprehensive. I only added tracks working back until May. I might finish it later. I intended this playlist to be something that I could play when I wanted to think about God or existence. I hope that these songs help you in some way. Here’s the playlist:

    Listen to “Spiritual” on Spotify

    Read the lyrics on Genius.

  • "Free Fallin'" by The Almost (Tom Petty Cover), Friday, October 14, 2022

    “Free Fallin’” is certainly bigger than any artist who has sung the three-chorded song. Today, we’ll look at a few versions of the song, but due to the Christian Rock theme of the last few days, ultimately I chose The Almost‘s version to be the official version for my blog. As pointed out in an excellent video by 12Tone (see below), there is a lot of meaning packed in the musical theory of the song, ultimately illustrating that there are pros and cons to being free. 

    ALL THE VAMPIRES  WALKIN’ DOWN THE VALLEY MOVE WEST DOWN VENTURA BOULEVARD.  Tom Petty released his first solo record Full Moon Fever in 1989. The first song recorded for the record and first track on the record is “Free Fallin’.” The song is one of Petty’s biggest and most recognizable tracks. It was also his last top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The simple ballad is partly a breakup song and partly a love song for his then home of Los Angelos. The Gainesville, Florida, native always kept a rebellious Southern flair in his music, but California was where he and The Heartbreakers forged their career. Freedom in this Tom Petty classic refers to a break up between the speaker and a “good girl.” The speaker claims not to miss her but also wants to “write her name in the sky.” The speaker is free, which feels good, but also without that “good girl” to ground him, he is heading for a crash. For Petty, that crash came  seven years later, in 1996, when he divorced his high school sweetheart Jane Benyo. He turned to using heroin, which he claimed was due to depression from the dissolution of his marriage. Petty’s new music lost cultural relevance in the ’90s, as many musicians fail to keep momentum over multiple decades. But by his death in 2017, and as of today with nearly 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, countless spins on classic rock stations, and movie placements, it’s safe to say that the rebel spirit of Tom Petty won’t be backing down anytime soon.


    I’M A BAD BOY FOR BREAKING HER HEART.  A staple at a John Mayer concert and covered countless times by everyone from Guns ‘N’ Roses to Coldplay, the legacy of “Free Fallin’” has become a late 20th century standard. Indie band The Pains of Being Pure At Heart even recorded a cover version of Petty’s entire Full Moon Fever. But today’s version comes from Punk Goes Classic Rock. The Almost covers “Free Fallin’.” Released in 2010, the cover coincides with the band’s 2009 sophomore record, 
    Monster Monster. A fellow Floridian, Aaron Gillespie the then former drummer for Underoath left the band to focus on his alternative rock band The Almost, during a turbulent time in Underoath. But Gillespie, like Petty, found that the freedom wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The Almost’s third record, The Fear Inside Our Bones failed, which caused Gillespie to pursue a career recording worship music. Worship music didn’t work out either, which led him to give up releasing his own music for several years, touring as the drummer for Paramore. All the while Gillespie was going through a change in his beliefs and a divorce. Finally in 2015, Gillespie rejoined Underoath and has been with them ever since, though releasing solo records and another Almost record in 2019 called Fear Caller.

    The Almost cover:


    Tom Petty original:




    John Mayer cover:



    The Pains of Being Pure At Heart cover:

    “Understanding Free Fallin’”:





     

  • “To Fly” by Day of Fire, Thursday, October 13, 2022






















    In Christian Rock in the ‘90s and ‘00s, nothing spelled success as a conversion testimony. Founding Day of Fire, Josh Brown brought with him the testimony of a near drug overdose before turning to Christianity. Starting his music career as the lead singer of the Nü Metal band Full Devil Jacket, Brown toured with Nickelback, Creed, and others and even played at the infamous Woodstock ’99.


    EVERY MORNING THERE’S A BROKENNESS YOU SWALLOW. After a fairly successful debut album released in 2000 that spawned two radio singles, Full Devil Jacket was about to record their follow-up. While on tour with Creed, Brown overdosed on heroin but survived. After his near-death experience, Brown quit music, becoming a Christian and rebuilding his life. In 2004, Brown’s new band Day of Fire signed to Essential Records, Sony Music’s Christian imprint, and released their self-titled album. Much of the album contrasts the darkness of Brown’s past with the hope he found in Christianity. The album was well-received on Christian Rock radio and won a Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year in 2005. The story of rebirth, watching a spiritual baby grow from spiritual sensorimotor to spiritual preoperational, particularly from someone in the world, was confirmation that evangelism worked. Day of Fire recorded three records between 2004 and 2010 and went on hiatus after Brown reconnected with Full Devil Jacket for what had started as a one-off reunion to raise money for deceased lead guitarist Michael Reaves, who died of cancer.


    YOU WERE MADE TO OVERCOME. In 2015 Josh Brown told the Jackson Sun that the reason he left the music industry in 2000 was to get sober, but he felt that he left his bandmates in Full Devil Jacket not “the right way.” After playing a benefit, Full Devil Jacket released Valley of Bones with Brown on lead vocals. Full Devil Jacket didn’t become a Christian Rock band, but Brown still claimed to be a believer. He stated: “Every record I’ve done since the beginning, it’s one line of thought.” Day of Fire was one of my most played CDs in my Junior year of high school, particularly on Tuesday nights when my sister and I took a Sociology class at the local community college. We played that record until Falling Up’s Dawn Escapes was released and took over for the rest of the year. Day of Fire’s follow-up records lacked the smoothness of their debut, and so I never listened to them more than a few times each. Weaving together Old Testament imagery and rock songs about depression and addiction the album felt like the perfect soundtrack to a Christian high school drama. “To Fly” ends the record, reiterating the band’s message: you are more than your addictions. “You were made to overcome.”


    Read the lyrics on Genius.





     

  • “Letter to Myself” by Furthermore, Wednesday, October 12, 2022 (updated repost)

    Sticking with the theme of often forgotten RadioU minor hits, Furthermore was another group that only released two records, 1999’s Fluorescent Jellyfish and 2003’s She and I. Furthermore was a trio consisting of vocalists Daniel Fisher and Lee Jester and DJ Jason Jester. The group arrived on the precipice of Tooth & Nail Records‘ golden age and left the roster shortly after releasing She and I. Fisher went on to play in several bands, and apparently released several other projects under Furthermore after the group’s Tooth & Nail run, including a single in 2020 and several singles earlier this year.

    BEFORE YOU SAY GOODBYE. Furthermore is a vestige of when Tooth & Nail signed artists without thinking about the financial consequences. Christian Rap was a burgeoning market for Christian audiences, but rock, punk, and hard music eventually became much of the label’s focus. Christian Rap tended to be more evangelistic, whereas many of the rock bands tended to less focused on evangelism. Furthermore certainly wasn’t to everyone’s taste; Christian labels pushed far too many Eminem-influenced groups and far too few black Christian rappers in the early ’00s. Like many of Tooth & Nail’s odd-ball-out musical acts, Furthermore was sent on tour to open for punk bands like All Wound Up and The Dingees. Furthermore clearly has rock influences–guitar and keys lay the backdrop for Fisher’s rapping as does Lee’s singing. The tracks on Fluorescent Jellyfish aren’t too serious. Their standout track “Are You the Walrus?” which has a video illustrating the song is a humorous song about going to grocery store and the speaker being mistaken for a Beatles-esque guru. She and I, though, while also containing light-hearted lyrics, deals more with serious relationships, domestic violence, and mental health. 

    A RELATIONSHIP MAY SAVE YOU, OR ENSLAVE YOU. COUNT ON BOTH TO HAPPEN. “Letter to Myself” is a bit clunky as a rap track at the beginning, but there is something about this pre-Emo rap track that brings me back to 2003. It sounds like a modified English class assignment: to write a letter to yourself to read when you are XX age. The lyrics of the song deal with falling in love and dealing with depression, and the lyrics read as a reminder for the speaker to stay grounded. The lyrics could even be read as a suicide prevention note. But listening back to the lyrics, it’s interesting that as a Christian Rock hit how the focus of the song is about the speaker grounding himself and watching out for himself, rather than reaching out to a higher power, and I completely missed that as a 14-year-old. I think back to the letters to myself, the embarrassing composition notebooks of half-written poems and song lyrics and guitar chords. I think about how important my faith was to those letters and how different everything is now. I don’t have those notebooks anymore because they’re not something I brought with me to Korea. However, I would like to look over them this winter when I go home. I wonder how shocked 14-year-old Tyler would think of 35-year-old Tyler.


    Read “Letter to Myself” by Furthermore on Genius.

  • "Let Go" by Edison Glass, Tuesday, October 11, 2022

    Edison Glass was a Christian indie band from Long Island, New York. Forming in 1998 as Mannafest (not to be confused with the Christian rapper Manafest), the band released three records. Then they released an EP called Starting Over as Edison. Starting Over produced a hit, “Forever,” that found its way to RadioU and its video to RadioU’s sister music television channel TVU. The video for “Forever” is no longer available online, but it was one of the typical low-budget videos of live footage with studio sound often played on TVU at the time by independent bands or low-budget labels.  


    SLEEPWALKING. After releasing Starting Over Edison signed with Credential Records and changed their name to Edison Glass. The band derived their name from the inventor Thomas Edison and the composer Philip Glass. As Edison, the band equated creating music as a kind of experiment in the garage. The music business for them was “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” But adding Philip Glass to the band’s title added sophistication. Along with John Adams, Glass is considered to be a minimalist composer, reacting to the avant-garde musical movements throughout the 20th century. Glass’s works are accessible modern Classical works, and the composer has scored several films with his signature sparse style. Besides Edison Glass, the minimalist style of Glass and Adams seems to have influenced other Indie artists in the mid-’00s such as Deas Vail and Copeland among others. Edison Glass released their first record A Burn or a Shiver with three singles in addition to a reworked version of “Forever.” The album was successful and the band played the major Christian festivals.

    OPEN YOUR HEART, AND LET IT SING! Edison Glass released Time Is Fiction, a follow-up to A Burn or a Shiver in 2008 with the lead single “Let Go,” which was also part of a four-song EP titled Let Go released the year before. They toured the U.S. with Blindside who were promoting their Black Rose EP in 2007 leading up to the delayed release of Time Is Fiction. They released a video for “Let Go” complete with a phone number for fans to dial to leave messages for the band. But after the charting on TVU’s Most Wanted, the band disappeared. But disappearing–never confirming a break-up, leaving Wikipedia pages with over a decade of silence is the norm for bands of this era– a soft break-up rather than a messy musical divorce. Perhaps it was fuel prices and the economic collapse that killed many bands or maybe it was the robbery during the Blindside tour, but Edison Glass has been mostly forgotten in the scene. Whatever it was, Edison Glass left us with some interesting music and two interesting videos: “This House” and “Let Go.” Today’s song is unconventional, not following the typical verse-chorus-verse structure but rather packing the energy of a verse and exploding into a finale. The video is reminiscent of the cheap videos on Fuse when Indie Rock was king. It’s a fun part stop-motion animation video/ part live-action video. So today, enjoy an indie-forgotten gem. You may have failed in the past or missed an opportunity. Today, we should let go of it. 
     

  • "Let's See It" by We Are Scientists, Monday, October 10, 2022 (updated repost)

    We Are Scientists formed in 2000 when two college students in Berkley, California, met at bass guitarist Chris Cain‘s Dawson’s Creek viewing party. Cain and guitarist/   vocalist Keith Murray became good friends. Their mutual interests included comic books, films, television, and stand-up comedy. The nerdy pair went on to create nerdy music, blending music and comedy into their live shows. The band’s biggest hit “After Hours” is from their second album,   Brain Thrust Mastery. The song was featured in the video game Tony Hawk: Ride and in the movie Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Today’s song, “Let’s See It,” was featured in an episode of Gossip Girl. “Let’s See It” analyzes a couple’s argument in terms of science, faith, and fate. “The evidence is gonna suggest that [the speaker] will let [the listener] down.” He “muster[s] the faith that [the speaker] won’t let [the listener] down.” But he must be resolved that “science will just have to surrender to fate.”

    I KNOW THE EVIDENCE IS GONNA SUGGEST THAT I WILL LET YOU DOWN. For one week in October every year at Mission College, evening activities shut down. “Sorry but the weight room is closed for TentsRevival,” the RA us. “That’s a great way to kill a workout routine,” my friend Mark said. It was only the fifth week of school and the third week since I had joined my roommate Mark and new friend James three nights a week in the basement of the dormitory. “Should we check out the meetings for our spiritual health?” James said with a smug smile. “Might as well see what all the hype is all about,” Mark said. “I want to go up to my room and get a jacket,” James said. When the trio met in front of the the large canopy spread out on the lawn in front of the music and communications halls, I was wearing a thin Skillet hoodie covering his t-shirt and the Floridians were wearing winter coats. Music was coming from the tent. Praise and worship music “He is mighty to save, mighty to save” was coming out for the from the tent accompanied by an acoustic guitar and woodblock drumming. The tent was pack and staff continued to put out chairs in the back. Students were pushing their way to sit in the front. I made a sideways glance to my friends. Like me, they were also looking for seats in the back and at the sides. “Amen!” “Amen!” “We love you Jesus!” students shouted after the song finished. After two more energetic songs and a worshipful slow song, the guest speaker, Daniel Ashcraft, took the stage in his tight jeans and slim-fitting pink lavender shirt with a skinny black tie. 

    I WOULDN’T SAY SOMETHING I DIDN’T MEAN. The handsome young pastor mesmerized the rows and rows of students in front of in front of us. Ashcraft was a well-skilled orator, using crowd dynamics to play into his conversational preaching style. He started by telling his testimony, about how he was a straight-edge punk rocker, kicked out of the house and on a motorcycle migration between San Diego to Seattle, sleeping in garages wherever he could, often eating from dumpsters or stealing food when he needed to, until one day he was caught stealing from this old surfer dude just south of San Francisco. Rather than pressing charges, the man invited him to the local Seventh-day Adventist church. “I was hungry and that man fed me. But he knew that I was hungry for more than bread.” The crowd erupted in cheers and intense “Amens.” Pastor curated a look, a preaching style, that said, “I’m not your parent’s generation of preacher,” yet preaching generally the same message the old men in suits on Sabbath said with their neck ties strangling them. “I don’t believe in rock music anymore. I sold my bass guitar so that I could study at the Believable Truths institute in northern California. You see, rock music is all about the glory of man. Even Christian rock it’s all about ‘look at me.’ I say, ‘don’t look at me, look at him.’” The crowd erupted in cheers. Later that evening, Facebook and Twitter had the quote: “Don’t look at me, look at HIM”–Pastor Daniel Ashcraft along with other quotes from the evening flooding students at Mission College’s timeline. After a twenty-five minute altar call for 1)first timers 2)rededication 3)call into ministry, the evening ended with several praise and worship songs. “Guys, I really gotta get to my calculus homework,” Mark said. James and I also slipped out during one of the last songs.

    Read the lyrics on Genius.  

  • "Ghost" by Yellow Ostrich + Spooky Season '22 Playlist, Sunday, October 9, 2022

     

    It’s officially spooky season, so I decided to make a playlist celebrating the spookier songs I’ve blogged about or artists that had a spooky song. The 31 tracks that I included perhaps won’t make you writhe in horror, but they have a loose connection to Halloween. Maybe there’s a lyrics or a creepy video, or maybe it was just a song that I listened to a lot in October. I will post the Spotify playlist below and links to the posts and the tracks so that you can read the spooky stories behind the tracks. 

    1.       “Ghost” by Yellow Ostrich

    2. “Closer” by Kings of Leon

    3. “Unholy” by Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras

    4. “I’m Pretty Sure I’m Out of Luck and Have No Friends” by Underoath

    5. “Two Graves” by Anberlin

    6. “Moonlit” by Falling Up

    7. “Panic Switch” by Silversun Pickups

    8. “Killer” by Chvrches 

    9. “Midnight City” by M83

    10 “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks

    11. “Foundation” by Years & Years

    12. “Control Freak” by Copeland

    13. “42” by Coldplay

    14. “Carlo Rossi” (Love in the Face of Danger) by Tyson Motsenbocker


    15. “Haunted” by Acceptance 


    17. “Running Up That Hill” (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush


    19. “Little Dark Age” by MGMT


    21. “Bad Love” by Key

    22. “Writing on the Wall” by Paper Route

    23. “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran

    24. “Babylon” by Lady Gaga

    25. “Monsters” by All Time Low ft. blackbear & Demi Lovato 


    26. “Zombie” by Watashi Wa ft. Anberlin

    27. “seven” by Taylor Swift

    28. “You Are Familiar” by Secret & Whisper

    29. “Dead Weight” by Pvris

    30. “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry ft. Juicy J
    31. “Vampire Spy Film” by Lovedrug

  • "Happy Not Knowing" by Carly Rae Jepsen, Saturday, October 8, 2022

    We’re a less than a fortnight away from both Taylor Swift‘s Midnights and Carly Rae Jepsen‘s upcoming release of her record 
    The Loneliest Time. Yesterday, Jepsen released the disco-infused ballad title track from the record, a collaboration with LGBTQ+ legendary singer Rufus Wainwright leading up to album’s release. I didn’t immediately love the song like “Beach House” and “Talking to Yourself,” but it seems that The Loneliest Season is shaping up to be a cohesive record about loneliness; perhaps more cohesive than her previous record,  Dedicated, which dealt with crushes, being in relationships, breaking up, and sex.
     

    WHERE THIS GOES, HOW THIS GOES. “Happy Not Knowing” is the sixth track on Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2019 record Dedicated. Listening back to the record puts me back in 2019. Everyone was talking about how great it was before Covid changed everything, but do we really remember? I remember everything feeling unfinished. We look back at 2019 thinking that times were good, but at the time we were looking forward to our own version of the Roaring ’20s, a time of greater prosperity. It was supposed to be the time that we shrugged off the “Little Dark Age,” and moved to a more inclusive world where hunger and want would disappear. It was a time when we would finally have more money to travel and spend time with the ones that we love. There were all these hopes that were dashed sometime in February or March of 2020. Then came three years of rebuilding what normal was. For me, I’ve been in a cycle of self-loathing and self- sabotage that’s held me back. I see my friends moving on, and I’m happy for them, but I worry about my dissected resumé, about all the potential that I’ve wasted, and I think it’s about all the things that I’ve left unfinished–the application to grad-school, the application for student loan forgiveness, the job I never applied for, the friendly getting to know how we can help you better survey before selecting a therapist from BetterHelp.com.

     

    I DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY. “Happy Not Knowing” is Carly Rae Jepsen’s declaration that it’s better not to know what could happen. The speaker opts to play it safe rather than risking it all for the unknown in love. When I think of today’s song, I think about couple of other songs on a concept, tossing around for a little while. First there’s the line from folklore‘s “this is me trying“ that says: “So I got wasted like all my potential.” When I listen to this song, I think about how Taylor Swift certainly didn’t wast her potential, and then I think about if it’s a question of perspective: perhaps no matter what you accomplish, you feel like you’ve wasted your potential. Then there’s Sasha Alex Sloan‘s “Hypochondriac,” a song in which the singer talks about “calling [her] doctor every day” because if she dies she won’t be able to be with her love. Before meeting him, the speaker lived recklessly. “Happy Not Knowing” is the antithesis of “Hypochondriac” to me. When it comes to the uncertainty of my future, I’d rather not know. I’d rather believe that everything will work out ok, but there’s a more self-destructive side to that. I’m terrified of failure. Just the thought of  vitriolic comments put me in a melancholy mood. And the truth is, more than being afraid of failure is that I don’t know if I could live in a world where I got the success I’ve dreamed about. More money, more problems, more responsibility.  I wish the best to my students, but for me, I’m happy not knowing what I could be. New Year’s Resolution 2023: fill out that BetterHelp.com questionnaire.

  • “Sprite” by COIN, Friday, October 7, 2022 (repost)


    Following up their 2020 album, Dreamland,

     COIN dropped three EPs in early 2021, leading up to their full album, Rainbow Mixtape, released in April. The band wrote and recorded their follow-up album after their 2020 supporting tour for Dreamland 
    was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Singer Chase Lawerence sold his house at the beginning of the pandemic and moved back to his childhood home in Virginia where he began writing music for the next record. The band recorded many songs, yet the songs didn’t seem to have a theme. “We broke it down to its elementary form and felt like colors represented the lyrical and sonic themes,” Lawerence told American Songwriter. Each song corresponded with a color and was released on three EPs, though the second and third are combined on Apple Music. Red-Orange, Blue-Green, and Indigo-Violet make up the three sections of the band’s fourth studio album

    SUNRISE IN ORBIT. Rather than telling a story, like in their 2020 song “Cemetery,” “Sprite” speaks poetically about Lawerence’s feeling of isolation. The song seems to be addressing a romantic relationship, perhaps someone the singer has cast aside in the past. “Sunrise in orbit” seems to be drawing a parallel between being in space and being disconnected from a loved one, or family. As children, many of us dream about growing up to be an astronaut. But what we don’t realize as children is that being an astronaut means long periods of being unreachable to loved ones. Under normal circumstances, a touring band might have thought about the isolation. “Sunrise in Harlem,” denotes a different city every night, different time zones, and a grueling schedule that has made many bands quit. However, many around the world knew isolation because of the pandemic. Last year, Nick Jonas released an album titled
    Spaceman which tackles the metaphor of living on another planet, away from the ones you love. I think that the imagery of looking at the world in space, along with the line “your eyes were never blue,” gives “Sprite” its color in COIN’s spectrum. 

    THERE’S NO PUDDING, BUT HERE’S THE PROOF.  The question, though, is why is the song called “Sprite”? The green-labeled soft drink produced by Coca-Cola is the most common usage of the word today. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary lists these as the following definitions: 1a) an elf or fairy b) an elfish person  2a) a disembodied spirit or ghost b) a soul. Other popular uses of the word are a kind of computer graphics, a British motorcycle or car, a classification of butterflies, a fairy in the Artemis Fowl series, a creature in Dungeons and Dragons, a Marvel universe character, a term for lighting, or a special melon cultivated in North Carolina. Maybe the song refers to the second definition, a disembodied spirit. Imagining the ghost floating around the earth, watching the sunrise every ninety minutes adds to the loneliness. In the middle of the pandemic, many of us turned to simple hobbies and things that reminded us of a simpler time. We reassessed our relationships. Chase Lawerence found that family and listening to ’70s R&B and George Harrison were exactly what he needed. For me, I revisited music from my teenage years and started to fall in love with modern artists who were incorporating sounds of the early ’90s. Under normal circumstances, I would say that nostalgia isn’t the best way forward. We love nostalgia because it’s a tried and true formula for our entertainment. It’s sweet and we don’t have to challenge ears, eyes, and minds with new material. Nostalgia might be the only thing keeping us from stagnation and fear. But eventually, we’ll see that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. And if it’s too sweet, we might just get sick of the nostalgic overload. Luckily, the carbonated, bubbly music of “Sprite” keeps the sweetness quite fresh.

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