Copeland Band • Page 116

I think that was me lol

 

it was! much thanks for that again.

 

I think I got that disc as part of the vip ticket to their show in San Diego. Their VIP perks were always top notch — early entry, pre-show acoustic set, signed poster, pin, photo meet and greet, Q&A session.

 

I totally agree with ESR being a perfect melancholy/depressing album. And yet when I listen to it I don’t feel more depressed. It purges the emotions and there is an underlying tone of hope that I can’t describe. It’s like the soundtrack from a dream that you can’t quite remember and leaves you longing for something you can’t put your finger on

You could write whole essays on the Copeland discography

 

I’ll have to relisten. It didn’t grab me as much as best worst-case, which was immediate for me.

 

Pre-hiatus Copeland especially, I feel, has a very hopeful and light quality to it, even in the darker moments. I guess confronting those more depressing thoughts in that way is a sort of therapy for both the artist and the listener.

I did write an essay; had to refrain from saying more than I needed to lol. That was probably the most I've actively enjoyed writing in my life. Made me feel like a little nerd.

 

There is a lot of hope and beauty in ESR. I don’t feel like it’s too depressing at all. Especially compared to Ixora which is a much more devastating listen IMO.

 

I was fortunate to find out about Anberlin/Copeland/Lydia all around the same time, back on Myspace. I think they were doing tours together back then, around when Cities came out. I was far too young to go to a show in those days, and that will forever gnaw at me, especially with what Lydia, and now Anberlin have become.

In rankings I'd have to go:
Ixora
Blushing
ESR
In Motion
YAMS
BMT

IM/YAMS may swap depending on the day but I think the rest are pretty solidified. That's no shade on BMT either but as time has gone on and I, and the band, have grown it shows its age even if its still great.

ESR I think was the start of something that ended up more evident in the later era/albums of the band. There were missteps, (glances awkwardly at Kite) but it was a bridge to them moving into a deeper and more unique direction. More experimentation, more in depth production, and yes a lot of darkness to it compared to BMT/IM.

YAMS is a weird one for me. I had a hard time going into it off the dark feels of ESR. In some senses they pulled back, in others they pushed forward. It took me until almost Ixora's release to really appreciate it. And I'm glad I do now.

I never thought we were getting more Copeland post YAMS, so everything since has been gravy to me. And when Ixora came out I was absolutely floored. It was not easy to get into at first, but it was such a huge step in what the band had done or shown they could do. Aaron is a master of soundscapes, he has production talent in spades, he is to me, a Sapone level talent. And it ends up being the secret sauce that I think lets Copeland punch so far and above what one would expect.

What other band is going to do things like Ixora's twin versions / sound syncing? A complete flex of arrangement and production skill.

Blushing builds upon that in some seriously scary good ways. While Blushing may just go a tinge too far for me down the rabbit-hole Copeland was pursing during that 'era', it is a monster of an accomplishment as a record. Everything that Copeland has been, turned to 11. Even when it becomes a little too much, its still so so so good. I actually would love to get a bit more of a dramatic/extended cut of Waltz on Water. I don't know why but the track has always struck me as 30 seconds too short.

And then there's the goddamn orchestral shows...Insane.

"The American Radiohead" comparisons are apt to me, and I don't think the band gets nearly the credit/recognition they should. The stories people are sharing of Paramore and other bands having love and appreciation is nice though, I think at least amongst peers these guys have got to be rockstars, even if there isn't more mainstream appreciation for them.

I'd love to see them play with AFS on the upcoming tour but don't think I'll be able to. I did get to see them on their initial tour for Ixora, and I had one of the beautiful limited enamel pins on a leather jacket I had been cultivating with pins and patches for years. Left it at a show accidentally, and its gone forever now. I hope someone out there got to appreciate it after.

 

I saw them in Fresno, CA for some tour post Ixora my and they OPENED with Not so Tough and had the girl singer their too (Cassidy Rae? Is that that her?).

 

Looking back on it, seeing them on the YAMS tour with the classic Lydia line up is one of those “wow I can’t believe i saw that” line ups

 

I don’t really dislike it, I actually quite enjoy it while I’m listening to it, it’s just the one I listen to and reach for the least. I don’t have that same connection to it for whatever reason.

 

For real though. Also the Copeland / I Can Make a Mess / Person L / Deas Vail lineup was amazing.

 

I am big jelly. Pre-breakup Lydia is mythical.

 

this tour played the most random venue in Knoxville

 

I was so fortunate to see both of those tours. I was so sad Copeland broke up but that “final” show is a core memory.

Agree on Lydia too, saw them twice within a few months

 

If I could have, I would have loved to have gone to the Jack's Mannequin / The Hush Sound / Copeland / Daphne Loves Derby tour. 3 of my favorite bands in one, sheeesh.

 

The first two times I saw Copeland were Cornerstone, Florida 2006 and 2007. They headlined a stage with The Chariot as main support in '06 (with Underoath headlining the other stage right after), and were main support to As I Lay Dying in '07 (with Underoath headlining the other stage right after). In hindsight, this is absolutely hilarious to me because no one thought it was weird and Aaron did Some Will Seek with them both times. I think As Cities Burn played before them in 2006 and maybe August Burns Red in 2007? Copeland totally fits right in.

 

this would have been my 06-07 dream come true

 

Well, all this Copeland talk has me listening to them a ton and desperately wanting a new album haha

 

Man what I would give to hear that version again. I remember it adding so much more to that song. It was beautifully devastating.

 

some of my all time favorite days from high school.

 

i think i sold the entire northeast on BMT by its incessant playing in the coffee shop i used to work at in 04/05

 

Was Lovedrug on this tour too? I definitely saw this, but I know there was another band that played between Lydia and Copeland.

EDIT: It was Lovedrug, thanks Google. Apparently Lights was also on this tour? No recollection of her being at my date though.

 

Strangely I came to Copeland through I'm Safer in an Airplane: a good song but hardly one I'd call ideal for an introduction. I spun ESR a few times but it wasn't until I caught wind of Ixora, hearing Ordinary and then Disjointed, that I was hooked. I picked up ESR and YAMS, then managed to catch a pair of shows for Ixora and then Blushing. Would love to hear the next chapter of their sound one of these days...

 

I still remember the day Ordinary came out so clearly. I never thought they'd release anything again and they came back with this absolutely perfect song, must have listened to it 100 times that first week alone. damn life was good then