20 Stories Falling - Existence (November 10, 2017) Album • Page 4

Why not!

 

There you go guys! Nate will be listening to and reviewing this album and OOS!

@teebs41 @bradsonemanband @CSWAPPO

 

No pressure! Lol

 

HOLY CRAP! Dude! Thank you so much! WOW! I'm so stoked

 

The more I listen to this record the more I regret not including it on my AOTY list for 2017. If "The Other Side Of This" doesn't make you feel anything, you're not human

 

Even though @bradsonemanband never held up his end of the bargain, I just ordered the vinyl record for this.

 

haha shit, i was hoping you would have forgotten

but either way, I FUCKIN OWE YOU! thanks a ton for buying a record!!!! we'll get it sent out to you ASAP!

 

Make sure you tell all your friends that the actual Larry David supports you

 

hahaha will do

 

DUDE! Thank you so much! That's really sweet of you! I'll ship out your order tomorrow!

 

I was given the pleasure of reviewing the album:

20storiesfalling: Existence

Which includes our very own @CSWAPPO and @bradsonemanband

Music has such a powerful effect on all of us, whether it's the ability to elicit emotions, get us through a stressful situation or bring us back to a place in time when we first heard of a band, a song or went to a show. From the moment I hit play I was instantly transported back in time to when I first got into the scene and heard albums by Armor for Sleep, Thrice, Matchbook Romance, Hidden in Plain View and Dredg. 20storiesfalling has done something incredible and have not only recreated what those bands paved for future bands like themselves, they have also cemented their place among those bands.

The production on the album is incredible with the use of it's atmosphere and ambience and brings to mind the aforementioned Dredg. They did this utilizing the talent of Randy Cordner to find the passion and drive within themselves. The album will leave you emotionally exhausted yet inspired and ready to conquer to the world.

Colton and Brad have been amazing in sharing a lot of what was put into this album, lyrically, musically and production wise. Every instrument can be heard so clearly and each one of them is the given the chance to showcase their talents. Colton's vocals are front and center and I jokingly compared him to Andrew Jordan of Matchbook Romance and he said that they draw a lot of inspiration from the band and their producer pushed them in that direction sound wise. When he yells, I even went to so far as to compare him to Dustin Kensrue, which I still believe is true. Brad had even mentioned that Armor for Sleep's, What To Do When You are Dead, really inspired them as well and the whole time I was listening I kept nodding my head in agreement.

I won't go through the album track by track because I think this is an album that deserves everyone's attention and I don't want to spoil it for those that haven't listened. I will pick a handful of songs that I personally love the most. As I said before, Brad and Colton were amazing in talking about the writing process in this record: their inspirations, favorite songs, and even the meaning behind the songs.

Coming into Focus, the intro instrumental song, instantly made me stop what I was doing and I knew from that moment this record was special. They shared with me that it is the automation of the EQ and produces this very surreal, floating ambience and leads directly into:

Yeah, You're Right, that immediately comes in with this Dredg like atmosphere and shows so much restraint on the bands part, allowing the lyrics to speak for themselves. Colton had shared with me that this is one of those songs that can be open to so much interpretation but to him it meant questioning the existence of God and also, as a band, having to prove yourself to people that have no idea who you are and what you sound like. The echoing vocal effect on the final words give you goosebumps:

"There is no one out there
And this doesn't even matter
anymore?"

I love how the last two minutes or so of the song bring back in that ambience and just feel like floating in clouds.

Skeletons is a straight up rocker and instantly reminds me of Armor For Sleep with the guitar riffs, catchy lyrics and backup vocals. We even get a little rage from Colton! Lyrically, it's about calling someone out who uses other people as camouflage to get what they want. Something I think that resonates with a lot of us.

"Cause I can only bite my tongue for so long,
And i can't say it like i do in this song,
Everything you promised us was all wrong,

Underneath your big disguise there's evidence and alibis,
Pull the trigger on me,
You choose the fate of us all and where you wanted to be"

The Other Side of This is amazing with how stripped down it is. I love the acoustic style of the guitar and when the band comes in around the two minute mark, it is just breathtaking. The ambience comes in again and the backing vocals are just jaw dropping. This song shows the beauty in simplicity. Lyrically, it about the thought of almost losing a loved one. More importantly, trying to focus on the end goal, rather than the current state of trauma you're experiencing.

"We're Gonna Get Out On The Other Side Of This,
We're Gonna Grab A Drink And Try And Reminisce,
We're Gonna Find Our Way Our Way Out Of This Darkness,
We're Gonna Call Our Friends And Apologize For This,
We're Gonna Let Go OF All Our Bitterness."

At the end of the day, forget all the petty things, life is not worth dwelling on the insignificant things that don't really matter.

Title track, Existence, is another track that really spoke to me in so many ways and instantly reminds me of Armor for Sleep and the Thrice like breakdown at the 1:30 minute mark is amazing. I love the effect on the guitar to make it sound so huge and atmospheric. Lyrically, this album hit close to home with a loved one being diagnosed with a life threatening disease and the questioning of why does this person get news so devastating while another does not. I have been pretty open about the fact that at 10 years of age I was diagnosed with leukemia and having survived it, I live everyday thankful for everything. Having a son and another baby on the way, I hope I can impress upon them the fact of living everyday to it's fullest and treating others like you would want to be treated.

"What is my purpose here?,
And where do i fit into all of this?,
Why do I feel worthless here?,
Is there anyone listening?,

I'm lost in everything,
As I have been suffering,
My world's been crumbling,
And all that is comforting,
Is consistently smothering,
I am broken and stuttering."

The last song I want to touch on is, CoCo. I find myself tearing up as I write this because it speaks of losing the person mentioned in Existence. To lose someone who has not experienced all this life has to offer and who didn't even reach their first birthday is heartbreaking. The band tried their best to mimic that chaos that was ensuing in the room as this person passed away. As someone who works in an intensive care unit, I know exactly how this feels. The use of the drums to recreate the slowing heartbeat is so brilliant and so impactful.

"While my agonizing selfish thoughts rendered me totally lifeless.
Our hearts were shattered as you begin to drift off into the brightness..."

"...I was tired and couldn't hold on for that long
And I was so strong for so long
I proved you all wrong..."

I will leave the rest of the album for everyone to check out.
Once again, I feel so lucky to have been able to review this and I can't thank Brad and Colton enough for giving so much insight into the making of this incredible record.

 

Everyone remember, @CSWAPPO turns 30 this year. So when you see them on tour, buy him all the shots you can.

He doesn't even get real drunk until around 12 shots.

 

hahahaha

 

I apologize for calling Colton Carlton in the reviews. I fixed it in the threads if you would like to repost it. I am so sorry Colton!

 

Carlton says it’s cool

 

He has to do the Carlton on stage now. It’s a necessity

 

I feel SO BAD! Haha! I am glad you guys made something positive out of it!

 

What a beaut!

 

Now that’s a good lookin photo right there! Enjoy!

 

Thank you so much for picking our record up!

 

While we are on tour, we browse Chorus.

 

And we also get bored at coffee shops

 

Here's a cool video of footage from one of the shows of our tour!

 

Hi friends! We have a couple new merch items. Sunglasses and a new shirt design. Check em out!

Merch from 20STORIESFALLING