Posted in Music on 10/03/2008 01:37 am by Wes
A lot of times, when I hear people talk about how much a band has matured, I mentally roll my eyes and nod in vague agreement. I hear this in conversation about bands pretty frequently, and most of the time I’m not so sure what it, y’know, means. There are plenty of bands that radically change their musical style over the years, or become more politically or socially aware. Or maybe they just improve as musicians. Mostly, though, it’s a way to say a band is good–or better than they used to be–while coming off as someone in the know.
But now I either have to throw out that cynical view, or lump myself in with the guys and gals who want to look intelligent and hip. And it’s Brand New’s fault.
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Posted in Music on 09/30/2008 09:55 pm by Wes
The Rock Opera is an unusual and rare musical form that I can’t say I’m especially familiar with. The Who’s Tommy is actually the only example I could name off the top of my head; and even then, the term is a little fuzzy. According to Wikipedia, a rock opera differs from the more common concept album (a la the wonderful Sgt. Pepper’s) by being, well, operatic. The album has to have some sort of storyline, as expressed by a singer or singers who personify certain characters in the narrative or recount their adventures.
Anyway, to the point of all of this. Thanks to a timely Penny Arcade update, I learned of the band The Protomen. They have recently released a demo from their new album, which I proceeded to listen to. That was all I needed. I was entranced, but Breaking Out couldn’t prepare me for the brain fucking The Protomen were about to give me.
The Protomen’s self-titled album is a rock opera through and through. The story is based on Mega Man, and the immortal conflict between Dr. Light’s creation and the evil robot-ruling Dr. Wiley. But The Protomen tells a tale far removed from the innocent 8-bit storytelling of the original Mega Man games. It’s a dark, depressing future in which Dr. Wiley controls humanity with an army of robots. Worse, humanity is unwilling to fight for its own freedom. The album practically exudes George Orwell. Hope lies with the proles, but they won’t stand for themselves…
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