Bring Me The Horizon Hero's Journey

“If you came here to see spandex and big hair, this ain’t your band”, Metallica’s “war cry” throughout the early eighties. While the rest of the hard rock bands wanted to get rich and a lot of women, Metallica, as in the words of former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, “Our hole existence pretty much was guitar, dominating the world and getting liquored up”.

This song particularly is confusing in its general direction and message, but perhaps that is what makes it so tangible and why Weezer was so successful. It is relatable in that it is not an ethereal, untouchable piece of art, but still art in its’ own right, because Weezer plays it close to the vest by presenting the song more as a stream of consciousness; both jumbled and erratic; as opposed to a finely-tuned, edited entertainment

I see my eyes slide shut as my hands begin to to reach for the stars. Lily’s body is pressed against mine and we move in sync to the waves of Alexia’s chorus. All of her songs have the most exquisite familiarity to them. Several songs in they announce that they will be playing a song titled “30 Seconds of Sh*t”, a song perfectly fitting its title. We are already at the front of the crowd, which I am immediately grateful for. During this song is the only time their crowd gets rougher, pushing and moshing, teenage angst finding its release. “Goldilocks Spot,” which I’d argue is their most popular song, has beautiful lines such as “I’ll medicate with the way your eyes see,” and “How many of you stayed when my angels fell.” “Word Salad” is an ode to depression, with lines like “Lack of contact with who you are will leave a little more than a

After the group’s first track heats-up on the local airwaves, Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) approaches Eazy E about taking N.W.A’s label, Ruthless Records, to a high plateau of success – inevitably leading to a wildly successful, yet crazed tour. Along the way, the abusive tendencies of the police fuel the lyrics that launch N.W.A into the stratosphere – in terms of popularity and

Opening with “Book of Revelations,” a dramatic collection of noise reminiscent of a town square at midnight puts into motion the story of angst. Percussion, guitar rifts and light keys make this a well-articulated track that Pyke’s vocals roll over. Mesmerising in its ability to trap you in its melody, this song reminds you just how good Pyke is.

I initially came across this band when they were first starting to gain popularity and cross into the main stream with indie rock/pop. The title of the song hints at what they are going through and at what’s to come in their future as a band. In the chorus, the lyrics are: This seems like their acknowledgment of the fact –with the release of this album—that they are going to get screaming and blindly adoring fans that don’t really care about them as musicians. The hysteria or Lisztomania from these fans sometimes represent a riot because they loose control of themselves. The band understands how the music industry works, so they want to enjoy their new found success and fame until the masses become bored or tired of them. This is also a cue I took when I first heard to lyrics to just enjoy the moment and not think too much about the meanings behind the music. We were all just going to enjoy the ride that is music. In the end, like most songs in this genre, the cheery and fast paced nature of the song works to mask the sad undertones that an in depth look at the lyrics can

The English brothers have created a name for themselves within the past few years through their collaborations with some of pops biggest names, (Lorde, Sam Smith) as well as solid tracks featuring their own uniquely smooth sound. Mixing dance and pop, their futuristic sound helps stand out in the otherwise saturated EDM field. With the lack of obnoxious drops and more of a focus on overall production and vocals, Disclosure’s music can appeal to those who aren’t the biggest fans of dance or pop music. Give their 2013 album Settle a listen, focusing on key tracks such as ‘When A Fire Starts to Burn,’ ‘Grab Her!’ and ‘White Noise’ feat.

Themed mixtape titles notwithstanding, Wave[s] is a pretty fitting name for Mick Jenkins’ new tape - the nine-song, 28-minute affair features a variety of musical and lyrical techniques and topics, all of them growing and receding in a quite understated manner. From the dark, spacious “Alchemy” to the sunny, shifty “Your Love”, Wave[s] is well-versed in its production choices - the tape features production from the likes of KAYTRANADA, Lee Bannon, and the Chicago-based THEMpeople collective. Lots of these eclectic songs have interesting parts to them; in most of its various explorations, Jenkins anchors the tape with an expectedly strong lyrical contribution. Yes, Wave[s] lacks a certain cohesion, which is expected for a mixtape; however, there is still an unplaceable aura of sleepiness that pervades the tape, one that can’t be dismissed by the type of release it is. Wave[s]’ wide-ranging tastes, along with Jenkins’ generally brilliant flow and lyrics, means that many of these songs are very well-executed, regardless of their intent. However, just as many feel aimless, or at the very most, a beautiful puzzle with all the pieces jumbled up. Jenkins comes through with a few memorable tracks on Wave[s], but the tape can’t help but give off a sense of disinterest.

The lyrics are seriously brutal, as some of the most direct references to the album’s darkness: “Lately I been panicking a lot / feeling like I’m stranded in a mob / scrambling for Xanax out the canister to pop” and "I just want my time and my mind intact / when they both gone you can't buy 'em

The albums’ title track and its reprise bookend the album with the ending of the album on vinyl will end with a reversed loop of a conversation on the run-out groove, much like how the album starts (Rolling Stone). In turn, the widespread attention of such a conceptual album helped form the music genre “Progressive Rock.” In the early stages of the genre, the albums released by these type of bands would be built around a unified concept , while also incorporating an eccentric twist on Rock, most commonly in the form of a fluctuating time signature (“Unusual Time Signatures in Music”). The lyrics of King Crimson’s 1969 debut album In the Court of the Crimson King: An Observation by King Crimson is laced with surreal, fantastical lyrics with an underlying theme of anti-war, while the instrumentation incorporates a strong jazz influence (Cook). This theme of anti-war can most notably be found in the album’s opening song “21st Century Schizoid Man,” which makes a blatant stab at the Vietnamese War in the lyric “Innocents raped with napalm fire” (Cook).

A comparable approach is used in the melodious and patiently-driven “Bright Abyss”, another fantastic original that quickly connects to our senses through a sober, alert, and provocative instrumentation. The emotional grandeur brought into its final section, which is magnified by voices, has become McCaslin’s signature over the

Masseduction opens with “Hang On Me”, with a pulsating beat, soft violins & bells and Clark’s airy, unearthly voice singing what sounds like a drunken

Years from now, when critics are discussing Womack's vocal gifts and impressive body of work, this is a song that will stand out. It's one of those life-affirming songs that makes you pause and take stock of how you're living. It's filled with lovely poetry that will make listeners think. It's a great song, and Womack does it justice. Her sweet, vulnerable voice perfectly captures the tender sentiment of the lyric.

In this book, Sheffield reflects the idea of challenging practices as most of these fans get close to music from experiencing it. Similarly, while reading, it was enjoyable to make a playlist of the songs and other artists mentioned in the

It’s dark, very crowded and everyone has their first in the air during the hot summers night. “Can we start again. Go back to what it meant back then. Open minds and open hearts. The things that set us apart!” Everyone goes crazy at the same time and the crowd erupts. These are lyrics from one of my favorite bands, their name is Bane and you probably haven’t heard of them but you know that is alright I can give you a brief history. Bane is a hardcore punk band who emerged in the late 90’s. They come from Worcester, Massachusetts and mostly play music that to the ears may sound a bit abrasive but when you read the lyrics they should uplift you, make you stronger.