- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: Trophy Scars
Album: Never Born, Never Dead
Label:
Playtime: 28:19 min
Genre: Rock
URL:
Rip date: 2011-07-24
Street date: 2011-07-20
Size: 55.58 MB
Type: Normal
Quality: 261 kbps / 4410Hz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
"Listening to Never Born, Never Dead without also taking into account Trophy
ScarsÆ previous EP, Darkness, Oh Hell, is to rob yourself of an integral part
of what makes NB,ND so perfect. Where Darkness was a semi-fictional
apocalyptic journey through a mans drug addled summer, full of, well, literal
darkness with only small handfuls of light, NB,ND fits perfectly as a
companion piece; pondering the cyclic nature of love, existence, and memory,
it goes beyond the tunnel vision of DarknessÆ scope and creates a large,
sweeping concept that exudes a charming sense of hope and thoughtfulness.
Throughout the record, Trophy Scars eschew musical norms and simply do
whatever is necessary to bring the album to its full potential. The lyrics are
the most obvious example of this: often singer Jerry Jones disregards what
someone would consider keeping his lyrics ôsaneö and goes off the wall with
crazy storytelling and silly, but endearing phrases. ôSnake Oilö details a man
still obsessed with an old flame, and instead of taking itself too seriously
approaches a tired clichΘ with cute wit:
I saw my old lady
Down at the the grocery store
I said "who you buying them groceries for?"
She said "it aint your business no more"
ôI don't care
What's his nameö
She says "Baby -
You just got yourself to blame."
Elsewhere, the lyrical content ties together the pattern of lovers continually
meeting and falling for each other, whether it ends in bliss or venom.
ôMessengersö takes an interesting twist on the Stagger Lee story, detailing
perhaps the first æawakeningÆ our main characters have in regards to one
another. However, the most poignant part of the story comes between ôAngelsö
and ôNever Deadö, as the band bridges the youthful innocence of puppy love in
ôAngelsö and the climax of their immediately tragic ultimately serene story
arc in ôNever Deadö, all connected by one of the most PERFECTLY utilized
samples IÆve ever heard (Lost fans will flip a ***n and probably cry. No
seriously, good chance youæll well up a bit. Even if you're not a Lost fan.
Probably an equal chance).
Where the concept is the heart and soul of Never Born, Never Dead, the beauty
of the album is in its composition. No single member of the band ever tries to
overstep anyone else, and the result is a sound that feels vibrant, lush, and
exotic. The album utilizes many different kinds of instrumentation, but none
of it is ever shoehorned in, rather they all compliment each other. ôNever
Deadö is the perfect example, a song that slowly builds until pretty much
every instrument Trophy Scars had in studio is playing, but unlike what they
may have perhaps done in a past time, everything is being played to compliment
and punctuate everyone else. ItÆs a thing of beauty to hear the emotional
(think ôComfortably Numbö-like) guitar solo transition into the dense
explosion that ends ôNever Deadö.
In the end though, all of that crazy orchestration and songwriting only serves
to highlight the simple elegance of Never Born, Never Dead. Regardless of what
the story may be behind the album, regardless of what instruments they use or
how they put them together, or even what they may have expressly meant to
produce, Never Born, Never Dead succeeds because it taps into some deeper
meaning of what music can be: a sprawling, emotional, spiritual and ambitious
work that by not pretending to take itself seriously, becomes so much more
honest than 99% of music being put out today.
And if I told you we live forever
Would you ever believe?
I love you so much more than forever
But now it's time for sleep"
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. Ectoplasm ( 0:34)
02. Messengers ( 4:12)
03. Snake Oil ( 6:32)
04. Angels ( 5:23)
05. Never Dead ( 6:07)
06. Never Born ( 5:31)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -