"Fooled By Ramen" Month Part 1: Twenty One Pilots

You can check out the sequel review for "Blurryface" here

History

Hello everyone and welcome to the first part of "Fooled By Ramen" month. This week we're going to be taking a look at the one of the newest bands to join the label known as Twenty One Pilots. The band started from humbling beginnings when friends Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salih formed the band in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. The band's name originates from studying Arthur Miller's All My Sons in which a man commits suicide after causing the death of twenty one pilots during World War II. Eventually after their first self-titled release, Nick and Chris left the band because of scheduling conflicts and Tyler was joined by Josh Dun. The duet created a second self-release entitled Regional at Best which dropped July 8, 2011 eventually attracting record label attention with a sold out show. It was not until April 2012 that they announced they were to become apart of the label "Fueled By Ramen" and released a three song EP that year. After extensive touring with Neon Trees and Walk the Moon they say down in the studio to write a new album. That album is the one we are looking at today, Twenty One Pilots' mainstream debut album entitled Vessel.

You know what sells albums? Pictures of old men!

The Singles

So far there is only one single on the album which may honestly be the only single considering it was released last year in August to luke warm airplay. I find this very sad as the only single for the album, entitled "Holding on to You," is by no means the worst song on the album but it is certainly not the best on the album. Quick side note, does anyway find it funny that the second song on the album is almost 95% of the time the first single? Just some food for thought there.

Now for the single itself it is a pretty fun song, with a wavering keyboard part that gently flows in and out before the drums launch in and turn the sound on it's head. What I mean by this is, lyricist, Tyler Joseph comes out of the gate swinging with his hip-hop inspired verse work. It's here that the band shine as being something very different from what the market has been churning out for years which sadly as we'll see not all artists on "Ramen" can hold this honor. One part I would love to point your attention to is the lyrical repeat in the bridge to which Joseph is begging the mass market to stop praising songs with little to no lyrical depth in them as we were "gifted with thought." Some more food for thought. 

The Album Itself...

This band (and subsequentally this album) were brought to my attention by a fellow music lover and a friend of mind who had heard them through the grapevine and thought I would enjoy. And you know what? He could not have been more right! I feel that Twenty One Pilots were the band The Flobots wish they had been as they write song bigger and better with two members than most bands now a days do with 3+. This album is a testament to what one can do with pure willpower, synthetic instrumentation, and a dynamic drummer. It should be noted that very little if any guitar parts are in this album leaving the melodies to be crafted by multitudes of synths and bass lines.

The opener "Ode To Sleep" starts well enough with a very ominous before cutting down for completely except for twirling air and Joseph's vocals. Then something strange happens, the whole song shifts to an upbeat bass walk complete with background claps and bright piano creating a much happier tone. This song goes in many different directions and it a fun ride every single listen through as it cuts between the two sounds creating an awesome album opener.

 "Migraine" starts with a vocoder effect that makes the vocals sound incredibly robotic without reverting to the tale tell autotune sound effect. It's here I'd like to note not only does Joseph have a great tonality in his vocals but he also is very poetic in his lyrical styling. It's a refreshing part of the album as he adapts his styling throughout the song (and others) that unknowingly keep the attention of listeners as they hear him variate his tone slightly making him stand out as a true performer. His ability to get in character isn't the only amazing this as Joseph did a majority of the instrument though I'm sure Dun had a say on what would and would not work in some songs.

I do not know what I love about this but my is it badass...

House of Gold seems to be a track that sticks out to people whenever I ask them about the band and can you guess why? IT FEATURES A UKELELE... What the hell is this world coming to? Yes, I have a huge dislike for the ukelele as it seems all the douchey characters that used to play "Wonderwall" to make the women swoon slowly flocked to the ukelele to show how comfortable they are with their masculinity. But we aren't here for that debate... Maybe another day... Anyway the song itself? It's quite good and has a sweet sentiment to it ("She asked me son when I grow old will you buy me a house of gold?"). Of course does that make it an incredibly song? No but it's damn better than a majority of songs on the market and I dare you to listen to this song twice without humming along! SERIOUSLY DO IT!

Oh "Car Radio" do I love you so much. I feel like this song has to be about more than a car radio but what could it possibly be? Maybe the car is a representation of him ("I hate this car i'm driving there's no hiding....") and the aforementioned "Car Radio" is actually his heart that he can't find the will to move forward and truly find peace in what has left him... Or maybe I'm reading to far into things. Either way this is an amazing song an instantly won me over as Joseph slowly seems to go more insane as the instrumentation gets more and more presence in the song eventually leading to Joseph just screaming "NOW I JUST SIT IN SILENCE" repeatedly. All in all one of my favorite song on the album with a surprise dance floor breakdown/bridge.

A good majority of the rest of the songs leave me reminescent of other songs such as "Semi Automatic" sounding like a Passion Pit song I swear I've heard and "Screen" oddly like a mixture of "Boston" by Augustana and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (yes the ukelele returns). Though needless to the sound alikes these songs are both great representation of the variety of styling Twenty One Pilots can pull off. "The Run and Go" has an oddly country sound to it which unlike other bands "Ramen" has signed it pulled off nicely in this old-timey saloon sounding tune.

"Fake You Out" and "Guns For Hands" are songs I cannot understand are not singles. These songs are screaming for airplay as they offer a danceable hook, an awesome blend of Passion Pit and Awolnation, and the first a great message about youth. I feel like these songs should be sent out to a mass majority of people so we can start requesting them all over the nation and cause mass chaos among radio stations when they realize the amount of requests for a song that wasn't officially released to them. You get on that internet. 

Listen to it!!!!

To be honest the rest of the album is just as great as I've been preaching and I am deeply saddened that a band as revolutionary, or at least in sync with what the music market needs, is not as famous as other bands and artists releasing songs with minimal musical craftmenship. Honestly if I have not convince you to go out and buy this album than click the video above and just give it a minute of your time as this is true alternative rock genius. From the poetic hip-hop inspired lyricism by Tyler Joseph to the incredibly addicting production behind a majority of the songs on the album don't let this pass you by. Be a hipster and know them before there popular! Yea I know that sounds horrible who wants to a hipster anymore? But seriously give Vessels by Twenty One Pilots an honest listen.

Sadly the awesomeness of "Fooled By Ramen" month cannot continue with a slight misstep or two so next time we take a look at A Rocket to the Moon's Wild and Free. Pray for my soul...

 

DECODED: 9.0 out of 10

As always please like, share and comment below!

BUY IT:  Holding On To You, Migraine, House of Gold, Car Radio, Fake You Out, Guns For Hands

 

HEAR IT: Ode To Sleep, Semi-Automatic, Screen, The Run And Go, Trees, Truce

TRASH IT:  NONE

*As with all things, the opinions expressed our purely that of the author and should be taken as such.
** All images, music, and information used are for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.