Hello Friends, Happy Wednesday!
Hope MLK day treated everyone well with a wonderful long weekend! No Friday class means an extraaaa long weekend for yours truly, four days is almost too excessive, don't you think?
Ok good, because I don't think it is either.
I know it's been a full two months since I've written, and honestly the main regret I have about lagging so much is that I have SO much music to catch up on writing about! I've had so many good post ideas that I failed to actually write, oops...
However, I'm beyond excited today because I'm sharing with you guys something that I've been looking forward to for three whole years now: Young the Giant's sophomore album, just released yesterday, and entitled Mind Over Matter.
Young the Giant is particularly special to me because I fell in love with their music from the very first time I was introduced to it three years ago, courtesy of one of my best friends, a fellow music enthusiast. There's just something about their mellow, laid back sound mixed perfectly with subtly complicated drum rhythms and absolutely killer harmonies that just WORK. I've never been able to stay away, and I've certainly never gotten bored with a single one of their tracks.
Fun Fact: YTG originates from Southern California, specifically the Irvine area, which happens to be the city that neighbors my own hometown. When they first formed in 2004, their original name was The Jakes, an acronym of the then-four-member group's names. (Totally worth checking out stuff from The Jakes, it's so young and raw and awesome.)
Another Fun Fact: the guy who does my hair, my friend Forrest, personally knows every single member of the band. Like they're homies. Forrest traveled with them for a few months of their last tour and was their stylist on the road. How lame, right? Pshhh.
Young the Giant released three single tracks off of "Mind Over Matter" before the full album was released yesterday (January 21st), including the title track "Mind Over Matter." Arguably the catchiest of the album's 13 tracks, it begins with a piano slide, some synth, and gentle violin as well. Lead vocalist Sameer Gadhia's airy falsetto starts off the song, then builds and becomes harsher as he leads into the chorus, which includes some of my personal new favorite lyrics:
You know you're on my mind
And if the world don't break, I'll be shaking
'Cause I'm a young man after all
And when the seasons change, will you stand by me?
'Cause I'm a young man built to fall
Simple, but so fitting and well chosen to truly exemplify the message and meaning of the song: a young man trying to focus his efforts and thoughts on the real world, yet despite all of the place he's traveled around the world, and the mantra of "mind over matter" that he keeps repeating to himself, his desires and yearning for a girl cannot escape his thoughts. He is weak for her, based on the condition that she promises to stand by him when he undergoes struggle and difficulty out in the world, because, as he says, he is "a young man after all."
"Mind Over Matter:"
A beautifully honest lyric, if you ask me.
Upon listening to the full album all the way through several times now (and still counting), my favorite track so far, aside from the three singles ("It's About Time," "Crystalized," and "Mind Over Matter") is "Firelight."
"Firelight" instills a feeling of nostalgia in me, perhaps because I'm always a sucker for the slower and more mellow songs off any Alt-Rock album, but also perhaps because it makes me feel content and peaceful, and takes me back to the overall sound from Young the Giant's first album. "Firelight" consists of fluid guitar chords being plucked softly and skillfully behind Sameer's soothing vocals. The mood that this track creates is undeniably felt; it is one of sultry, seductiveness and much mystery as well. While the song begins slowly and simply, harmonies begin to build after the first minute or so, and odd chords are used here and there, to ensure that the song is not predictable to the listener. Because the track itself is about five and a half minutes in length, it allows the band to work with many different patterns, themes, and sounds. The last minute contains no vocals, yet has the rhythm of the track pick up in speed a bit.
"Firelight:"
I sincerely hope you guys give Mind Over Matter a listen; it's well worth your while. Young the Giant is moving up in the music world extremely quickly, so hurry and get on that band wagon so that you can be a part of something fantastic as it continues to grow and become even better!
Also worth noting: YTG will be starting their tour on February 4th in Ventura, California! That's only about a two hour drive from SLO, folks, so if anyone wants to tag along with me, let me know!
Happy Hump Day! :)
<3 Syd
