Twenty One Pilots, a band from Ohio that consists of singer/songwriter/pianist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun, have seamlessly combined alternative and indie music with powerful rap. Their new album “Vessel” was released on January 4, and quickly reached number 58 on the Billboard 200 soon after its release. “Vessel” was released under the major label Fueled By Ramen, whereas their last album, “Twenty One Pilots,’ which was much slower, was released independently.
Joseph’s raspy voice is captivating as the album starts out with the song “Ode to Sleep.” It begins angrily, with a heavy bass almost consuming the fast rap Joseph spews. But out of the blue, it smoothly transitions into a syncopated piano rhythm, accompanied by lyrics about hallucinations and insanity.
Following “Ode to Sleep” is the band’s hit song “Holding On To You,” which was on the Billboard 200 soon after it came out, at number 33 for four weeks. I discovered this song on the Bay Area radio station, Live 105.3. The DJ described the son as “…a hyper Eminem mixed with alternative indie-pop.” This song really shows Twenty One Pilots’ potential, with pure vocals and empowering lyrics.
Out of the 123 songs on “Vessel,” the song “Car Radio” is by far one of my favorites. What starts off as a slow, almost nostalgic song about how music helps people deal with pain, quickly transforms into an upbeat song about a man angry at the world, with Joseph saying, “I have these thoughts so often I ought/ to replace the slot with what I once bought/ because somebody stole my car radio/ and now I just sit in silence.”
The album closes with the piano ballad “Truce,” which is the shortest song in the album and is much different than all the others. Joseph’s voice is very strong in this song, and sounds very similar to that of Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of the alternative band the Killers. “Truce” has very simple yet beautiful crooning lyrics:”Stay alive, stay alive for me/ you will die, now your life is free/ take pride in what is sure/ to die.”
Joseph came up with the band name while studying the play “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller. “All My Sons” tells the story of a man who commits suicide after he knowingly sends people faulty airplane parts during WWII, causing the death of 21 pilots. On the band’s website, Joseph describes the moral dilemma behind the man’s decision. “I feel like we are all constantly encountering moral crossroads where the decisions that benefit the ‘now’ will have consequences down the road; but the decision that might seem tough and tolling right away will ultimately be more rewarding,” Joseph wrote. He said that he draws inspiration for his music from stories such as “All My Sons.”
Overall, Twenty One Pilots are off to a very good start in their music career. With the release of their second album “Vessel,” their songs are bursting with emotion and strong rhythms, and are to leave a lasting impression. “What is our purpose for playing music?” the band stated on their website. “We are constantly asking ourselves that question. The answer can change all the time, but for right now we are just going to stick with something as simple as ‘we want to make people think.’”
4.5/5