Now, before you ask what the fuck is going on, I've had this plan in my head for a while. You'll see that the reviews and subsequent backpedal on this album are both gone (oh no!) and although it was my first ever post on this blog I think it's time I made a proper review for this record, seeming as at the time I panned this album and didn't give it the time to percolate and grow on me like I do with newer projects. I instantly said I disliked this record, ran with my impulse opinion, and let that dominate the review with little to no praise, causing me to go back and write a rushed and half baked retrospective. This time, we're doing it proper. Plus, we now have some solid background to this album, with the new 'I Am Clancy' video introducing the audience to the reason why this one is not like the others. Not only was it Dema propaganda Clancy was forced to perform, but it was even revealed the album name is an anagram of 'Clancy is Dead'. With all this new information in mind, welcome to my retrospective review and track by track breakdown of Twenty One Pilots' 2021 album Scaled and Icy.
1. Good Day - 3:24
This track opens nice and happily. The drums are easy to listen to and bright, as well as the easy going piano chords. Vocals from Tyler Joseph are crisp, the lyrics are also cheery, and is an absolute change stylistically from the predecessor Trench. It signifies a seismic shift, and in the small bridge, that hidden sadness is shown before the orchestral section kicks in to bring it back to it's almost forced cheerfulness. This song, according to Tyler Joseph is written from the cheery perspective of what he'd probably be going through if he ever lost his family - cover it up with some forced happiness and probably help it along with 'a buzz and a light'. It swings nicely, and in terms of openers, is no rager, but I'd argue it's an easy listen, and by no means a bad start. It sets the easier approach for the rest of the record, and that's all you need.
2. Choker - 3.43
Choker is a brilliant track. Similarly upbeat, this one focuses around a really nice electric repeated bassline and hi-hat centric drum beat. The vocals again are clean and easy, and lend to the almost cinematic nature of this song in the echoey chorus. You really get a taste of Josh Dun's skill in this next section as it strips itself back to a wonderfully complex drum section, vocals and a piano, before again growing back to the electronic beat. This song really thrives on the juxtaposition between the lively instrumentals and more downbeat vocals. If we're referencing the narrative here, it seems like an admission that Clancy knows no one is coming to free him from Dema, so might as well keep playing their games. It again strips back to an emotional piano section before then going into a halftime breakdown, dragging out that emotional beat until the end of the track. The spoken section is a nice addition, and although mildly unnecessary, I like it as a little something different thrown in.
3. Shy Away - 2.55
Another lively track with Shy Away. Similar to Choker this one is based around another easy drum beat, but lyrically is in the same upbeat air. Joseph really flexes his vocal range on this song, hitting some really nice falsettos throughout the chorus sections. The vibes are immaculate, and has your head bobbing along to the really lovely beat. The extreme vocals are a surprise, but as they bleed into the breakdown and then hit straight back into the chorus with the underlaid extreme vocals, you realise all the moving pieces in this song work so well together. The bass weaving through the mix, the bright drums and simple clean synths, it all melds together to make a really impressive track. Again, it's easy listening, and shines in it's seeming simplicity, but actually pretty complex makeup. And, if you fancy a treat, go listen to the live version of this track, that second chorus scream really makes it.
4. The Outside - 3:36
What a song. The Outside is a head bopper, and when it's placed around an absolutely slamming drum beat and kickass electronics, you can't help but love this song. It's a blinder of complex lyrics and absolute musical genius. The way the bass compliments the vocals and adds some brilliant complexity, and the electronic synths really add a brilliant extra layer. It continues to develop in the stripped back chorus that again hits into a new section with added background muted guitars. It's built in such a funky way that really lets all the elements of it hit every feature they need to and work as an effective and conducive whole. The rap portion is also brilliant, Joseph's vocal delivery is a lot more solid than previous tracks, and his flow is also good. He's clearly coming back to the rapping with more confidence, and it oozes from his words. The added sliding bassline in the background is absolutely insane, and again just enhances the funk. This track is a serious highlight, and if you haven't seen the music video, you should, it leads on from the one for Saturday and is yet another insanely good visual aid for the narrative.
5. Saturday - 2:52
Saturday brings some insanely good vibes. All parts emotional banger, this track is more veiled complexity within an easy-going frame. Set behind a funky bassline and almost surf guitar, this song is another great pop track that's joy is utterly infectious. Through it's upbeat chorus, verses that ooze confidence and cool, and the final bridge phone call that ushers in the most insane high note since Brendon Urie shredding his vocals onstage, Saturday is a solid track. It nails this albums vibes with easy music with a really good easy vibe that's enhanced by another brilliant drum performance from Josh Dun and some more sweet chunky bass.
6. Never Take It - 3:33
This track shifts up the paradigm a bit, with a nice opening arranged across a cool vocal landscape and clap track. It hits another really nice verse that really pops in terms of it's instrumentals, before a solid chorus that really show the punchy drums in the mix. The lyrics are also brilliant, and are pretty deep in contrast to the more chill lines seen earlier. Now you know me, I love a song that changes and isn't afraid of reinventing itself, and that song does that in a major way. It hits a bridge that really strips it all back and let's another thick bassline take prominence. It hits the final chorus that is filled with solo-ing guitar and some more brilliant bass, creating an amazingly complex closing moment, bringing back the vocals from the opener as well as that impactful clap track. It's a brilliant track that really nails it's internal rise and fall, and is once again more proof this band knows what they're doing.
7. Mulberry Street - 3:44
Ah yes, Mulberry Street, a song that has something of an odd space in my mind. Although the song is, by design an absolute bop, and has one of the catchiest chorus' of any Twenty One Pilots song, it's core message is pretty hardly debated. For some, it's a song about trying to find bliss in the every day, referencing a Dr Seuss book that notes Mulberry Street leads to Bliss St, whereas others think it's a bit of an off colour swipe at people on prescription medication for mental health issues. I don't reckon it's the latter, but it's caused this track to sit in an odd place in peoples mind. As a song, it's really boppy. The bass is strong and sits in the forefront of the mix and is an absolute treat to hear bubbling just under the surface. The lyrics are again good, filled with some really brilliant moments of sincerity that resonate wonderfully among the brighter instrumentation. That chorus is so ridiculously catchy, and with the added falsetto embellishments it creates overall a really good track that's well made. As a song, really easy going, and even though it's contested as to what it's about, it's a nice track that gets the head bopping.
8. Formidable - 2:56
This song is another bright track that flourishes in its simple instrumentation and complex lyrics about love and devotion. It strips itself down in the chorus' and is such a good vibe that centres around another brilliantly complex drum motif that sounds like either a really nicely tuned snare or a lot of rim clicks. It keeps growing and growing, stripping itself back at times, and others building itself up in a really lovely way. It's a simple track that is an undeniable bop, and is a definite highlight for me.
9. Bounce Man - 3:05
Bounce Man is a funny one, because again narratively we have no idea what this song means or where it lies in the overarching narrative. However, if we're looking at it as just a song, it's decent. It's bright, a bit silly, but really is another decently built track. Something about the lyrics make it feel like a bail bondsman talking to a friend they've had to bail out of a tricky situation, so yeah in the grand narrative I have no clue what the fuck is going on. By no means a highlight, with some of the lyrics feeling a little too sarcastic or out of place (I'm looking at you 'Homie just sued me') but nonetheless a fun little track.
10. No Chances - 3:46
If you want a violent and moody track, look no further than No Chances. It's built around a really intimidating electric bass that drives deep and foreboding. The gang vocals are orchestral and threatening, and in contrast to the stripped back clean vocals in the later chorus sections, people have believed this is a conversation posed between Bishops and Banditos, or even Bishops attempting to convince you their motives are true and pure. Narratively this one hits hard, and you know what, musically it's the same story. The flow from Joseph is again more proof of his strength rapping, and the lyrics really add to the cryptic backdrop of this entire record, especially the second verse. It again nails it's own rise and fall, and is a really brilliantly complex track that is unashamedly different from the rest of the pack.
11. Redecorate - 4:06
I'm going to say it. Know that I mean it when I say this song is, in every sense, perfect. The laid back drums and gentle electric bass, the introspective lyrics that tear you apart. Based on real life pain mixed with the narrative of Dema, Tyler Joseph examines the thought of an early grave through the metaphor of a tidy room, one that will ultimately cease to exist once they are gone. With hard hitting emotional and sonic elements, tied together with enough emotion for a musical gut punch, this track is one hell of a way to finish this album. It's mournful, it's moody, it's all things we love from this band repurposed into a style not really looked at yet on this album. Furthermore, the rap section is potent, full of punchy lyrics and hard hitting electronics. As the song plummets into the final climatic chorus, full of underlying synths and layered vocals, it creates such a tapestry of confusion and pain that suit this song down to a T. This song is the emotional closer this record needed, bringing back that feeling of real suffering and loss shown in Trench and mirrored once again here.
(Twenty One Pilots - Image courtesy of NME)
Overall: This record really is a stunner. At the time, being a huge Trench fan, I was quick to dismiss this cleaner, less edgy effort off as something that wasn't true to the Twenty One Pilots style. But upon relistens, and some time to let it sit and let me really enjoy it, I can safely say this record is one of my favourites from these guys. It's a reinvigorated look at their style and sonics, with some amazing lyrical breakthroughs and as always stunning performances from both Joseph and Dun, wrapped up in a narrative break that allows the overarching world time to breathe - whilst also dropping hints along the way. If you too listened to this record on release, and thought it wasn't your style, I urge you to go back and really listen to it this time around. I guarantee you won't regret it.
Highlights: Shy Away, The Outside, Saturday, Formidable, Redecorate
Rating: 8.5/10
Comentários