I woke up on October 23rd, jumped out of bed, and typed as quickly as I could into the Spotify search bar so that I could listen to the 17-track album that I had been waiting to hear for over a year.
Hands down, Canadian rockers "Marianas Trench" hold the spot in my heart as one of my all time favorite bands. Their most current album, "Astoria," dropped about a month ago and it did not disappoint.
Honestly, I was worried about this album before I listened to it. After being kind of disappointed by their 2014 singles, "Pop 101" and "Here's To the Zeros," which were very pop oriented, I was concerned that "Marianas Trench" was going to shift to a more mainstream sound in "Astoria." Thankfully, they did not.
The album itself, based loosely on "The Goonies" and '80s pop, has 17 tracks and follows a storyline just as their previous album, "Ever After," did. The difference between the two, which was slightly disappointing, was that "Astoria" was not one large song the way that "Ever After" was. The five instrumental interludes, though, allow the album to flow in a story-like way.
After a thorough listening to "Astoria," I can happily say that I enjoyed it just as much as "Masterpiece Theatre" and "Ever After." Lead singer Josh Ramsay's vocal range is astounding, as per usual, and every song gives me "the feels."
"Astoria"
What I enjoy most about "Astoria" is all of its different sections and, of course, the beautiful harmonies that Josh and Matt create. At almost seven minutes long, the album begins in a similar way to "Ever After."
"Burning Up"
This track is upbeat and reminds me of '80s pop. My favorite part is the line when they say "killer queen" and mimic the iconic band "Queen's" intricate harmonies. The whole song seems to have a "Queen" influence.
"Yesterday"
"Yesterday" is more of the '80s pop sound that actually makes me want to dance, which I don't ever do.
"One Love"
This song was the single released before the album and, the end, was the song that made me love it. Josh's vocals and dynamics give me goosebumps and never fail to impress.
"This Means War"
I absolutely love this song. The way that Josh uses war as a metaphor for a troubled relationship is very impressive and effective. I love the sections where "fire in the hole" is repeated in the background.
"Dearly Departed"
I have decided that this is my favorite song on the album. "Marianas Trench's" acoustic songs tend to be my favorites. Josh references multiple songs from every album in the bridge, such as "Porcelain," "Cross My Heart," "Stutter," "Truth or Dare," "Good to You," "Haven't Had Enough," "All to Myself," "Beside You," "Ever After," and "No Place Like Home." All of these songs are either from "Masterpiece Theatre" or "Ever After." Josh tweeted recently that he included references to all of these songs in "Dearly Departed" because they were all written about the same person. It is such an honest and open song and it will really make you think.
"Shut Up And Kiss Me"
"Shut Up And Kiss Me" is a fun, upbeat song that bears no resemblance to "Shut Up And Dance" by "WALK THE MOON." Please do not confuse the two.
"Who Do You Love"
This song makes great use of a cappella at the beginning and bears resemblance to one of their earlier songs from "Masterpiece Theatre."
"Wildfire"
Everything about this song is great--the vocals, the beat, just everything.
"While We're Young"
This song inspired me to make the most of my life while I'm a young college student. Being young is your time to grow and make mistakes. The synth in the background gives the song an interesting touch.
"Forget Me Not"
"Forget Me Not" is a beautiful piano-based song that gives me the same feeling as when I am listening to "Beside You." It's a good song to listen to in bed when you're feeling particularly emotional.
"End Of An Era"
This song is the icing on the cake. The entire song mimics "Masterpiece Theatre III" and uses music and lyrics from many different "Marianas Trench" songs. It is so incredibly beautiful that I can't even handle it. Listening to it for the first time was best eight minutes of my life.It's the perfect way to end the album.
I am excited to see if the band will be releasing videos for this album in the same way that they did for "Ever After." "Marianas Trench's" music videos have always been well crafted, so hopefully they will be working on some in the near future.
"Astoria" is a story about gut-wrenching heartbreak and separation and I highly recommend that you give it a listen, even if you have never heard of "Marianas Trench." They are a very underrated and talented group of guys that deserve more attention in the United States.
"Always will love you still, but Astoria must end."
