for sure. ive also been kinda looking back and seeing what lyrics hold up better compared to their peers. TEN, Thursday, JEW, Circa, MCR, MCS, and Rise Against all hold up well lyrically and dont really have many sexist/toxic/gross lyrical passages, if any at all. like Audrey said i dont mean for it to be a pat on the back sort of thing or a "well at least MY favs arent problematic" kind of sentiment but i think that the above bands i mentioned are far more diverse topically than most of the third wave emo peers are. theyve all tackled a wide array of topics that arent just relationship based and that probably contributes to it.
I really like how mewithoutYou handled some of those early songs by writing sequels from a much healthier/more positive perspective.
YES this was one i forgot to mention which is fucked up since some days theyre like my favorite band. i love that Aaron doesnt shy away from the fact that A-B Life has some problems with it lyrically and hes written a lot of songs in response to how toxic he was during that time which i love
Well, yeah, that too. Part of that for me though is the ambition and maturity they showed when the genre as a whole lacked those qualities.
I was thinking about this in the wake of seeing mwY on their AB tour. I think I have heard over the years that a lot of the lyrics on that first album deal w an abusive relationship? Which doesn't excuse the content, but made me consider the messy ways we process our own trauma, esp considering it's still common for abuse to be down played if you're a victim and a dude. Not to derail the thread, but I think it's good that so many of us have gone back and reevaluated things we may have let slide because maybe we didn't think about it critically enough or the nostalgia has faded and what not. I know I thought of TEN, as well, considering a lot of Drive Thru bands. This band definitely made a conscious effort to be a little more multidimensional, esp by LP2
As much as I like TMTMTP Ace’s vocal delivery on that record outside of Decoration bores the hell out of me. He’s way too mellow even on the louder songs.
I’ve written essays about why his delivery on that record suits it perfectly. I’ll refrain from doing it again but I will say that the melodies and harmonies throughout give me chills, which is impressive for vocals that stick more in mid-range. I can’t promise you’ll love it immediately or at all, but I can promise if it hits you like it hits a select few you might have a new favorite record.
one of my absolute favorite posts ever is @nohandstoholdonto old post on AP where she describes why Aces ho-hum vocals match so perfectly with the chaotic loud rock of The Mechanic and how well that transitions into The Mother.
Hey, what can I say? Feeling/expressing utter indifference while the world feels like it’s crashing down around you is something I only relate to more with the passing of time. ugh here I go again It’s a conceptual thing, and for me it works on multiple levels.
My take: in currents > TMTMTP > imbue > TRTC. Got into em with mother so TRTC doesn’t do much for me.
I'm glad in currents is someone's favorite! Always felt like I didn't give that one enough attention even though it's great
i love in currents, very important record to me. digital age can go away but it’s 100% other than that. would love to hear call off the bells, wearing the tie, or like a kid at a show one of these days