The band released their second studio album on February 24, 2009 entitled Masterpiece Theatre.
It takes some real cojones to include the word 'Masterpiece' in your album title, but Josh Ramsay isn't too worried. "I suppose I could be digging myself into a hole calling the record Masterpiece Theatre," he chuckles, "but it's tongue-in-cheek. And I'm not the kind of person that people would assume as being an egomaniac. I hope not, anyway."
Given his feverish imagination and comprehensive musical gifts, Ramsay could probably get away with a little egomania. And with the release of Masterpiece Theatre, the frontman of Vancouver's Marianas Trench makes a iron-clad case for a prodigious set of talents - both his own and those of his bandmates, guitarist Matt Webb, bassist Mike Ayley, and drummer Ian Casselman.
Marianas Trench had already elevated itself above the rest of the pack with a 2006 debut, Fix Me, that showcased a knack for colouring outside the lines of factory-issue millenial punk, shrewdly-built pop, and super-adrenalized modern rock. The single and in particular the video "Shake Tramp" was enough to demonstrate these qualities, coupled with Ramsay's uninhibited urge to be the complete song-and-dance man.
But with both the industry and the fans beating down the door for a quick second album, the Trench decided to put on the brakes. "All of a sudden you have six months to do your next record," Ramsay sighs. "So I really had to just put my foot down and say, 'No, I need the time to do this.' I was not interested in putting something out for the sake of putting something out."
Two years later, Marianas Trench has re-emerged with Masterpiece Theatre. And not surprisingly, it's a work of soaring ambition and decisive technical prowess – that easily might not have happened. "It's one thing when you're Chad Kroeger and you just finished writing 'How You Remind Me'," Ramsay states. "I didn't have some mega-platinum song to back up my argument with, so I was lucky that the band and the label trusted me enough to do it."
By "it", Ramsay means he was allowed to indulge a high-concept fantasy for the band's sophomore album, which is built, for starters, around a song called "Masterpiece Theatre". Adopting Brian Wilson's notion of the 'pocket symphony' and then running with it, the three distinct versions of “Masterpiece Theatre” dotted across the record feature an almost perfect balance between the vocal theatrics of Queen and the more hymnal qualities of the Beach Boys.
By the time “Masterpiece Theatre” is reprised for a final, climactic time, every other song on the album is quoted and incorporated into an intricately constructed dramatic revue that swings from pristine pop, to propulsive riff rock, to quasi-doo wop, to robotic new wave, and finally into a wholly satisfying thematic payoff.
"You know in the climax of a musical, there's always that medley at the end, and I thought that would be cool on a rock record," explains Ramsay, "but it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. I wrote it in the studio as we recorded it, and it took about three weeks."
After a beat, he adds, "But really it took me two years because it draws from all the songs on the whole album."
Bassist Mike Ayley readily admits, "I don't think any of the three ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ songs could have gone on Fix Me had they been written at the time. ‘Masterpiece’ 2 and 3 in particular are amazing songs that really explore the potential of Josh's writing. You really have to hear them to get it. It's like trying to explain ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to somebody who has only heard Kanye West and Katy Perry."
Ramsay agrees. "I really wanted to have a 'Good Vibrations'/'Bohemian Rhapsody’ style song on the first record,” he says, “but I don't think I was a mature enough writer to have written it yet, and I still feel like I was in over-my-head when we did this one, and I just barely made it."
Ramsay is unnecessarily modest; the whole of Masterpiece Theatre demonstrates a startling compositional maturity compared to the Marianas Trench of two years ago.
"Beside You" is a panoramic exercise in big emotions, with a dash of the Dream Academy's "Life In a Northern Town”. "Acadia" begins with a clipped, bright acoustic guitar, and blossoms into something like the Who reconsidered by U2, reimagined for the net generation. In the crunchy "All to Myself", the power ballad "Lover Dearest", and the strident "Good to You" (in which he duets with Kate Voegele), Ramsay pulls out the kind of honeyed vocals more attuned to modern RnB than white, adolescent rock.
"I always had that aspect in my voice but the first record just didn't have songs that were conducive to me singing that way," he states. "I think it's from growing up listening to a lot of Michael Jackson. With these songs, it made sense to stretch out a little more."
On "Cross My Heart" and "Celebrity Status", the band conjures up a kind of perfect pop crossover. Producer Dave 'Rave' Ogilvie was responsible for the latter track, which cops a move he used on Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People" with three drummers (Casselman, Ramsay and Shane Wilson) playing at once - much to Ramsay's delight. "He's just worked with so many great artists which makes his well of tricks and ideas so vast," he says.
True to Ramsay's quest for "more diversity on this album" - not to mention the indulgence of his record label - Rave was just one of four prominent guest producers eventually roped into Masterpiece Theatre. Their collective resume includes Nine Inch Nails, Sum 41, Iggy Pop, Avril Lavigne, and Hedley among others.
"I feel really fortunate to have worked with all those guys," Ramsay says, "coz they all bring really unique things. Dave Genn and I have a really good working relationship with each other, and he has such a unique style with arrangement and stuff. Greig Nori was a really pleasant surprise. As far as I can tell, he wanted to work with us because he liked our video. The whole time he was just trying to get me to dance around like an idiot. And Raine Maida, man? Raine's a trip!"
Bassist Ayley also credits Maida for encouraging the band to “find a personality-identity that wasn't as evident when we started the production process," while also praising Ramsay for his production efforts. Ramsay took charge of four songs on the finished record. “Josh is really about capturing the emotion and power which isn't surprising considering all the feeling in the writing,” he says.
Oddly enough, Ramsay also wanted Disney's in-house genius Alan (Little Mermaid) Mencken to twiddle the knobs for the climactic version of "Masterpiece Theatre", but admits, "it's a pretty tall order to get an Academy Award winner to come and work on your record."
Still, the album is certainly not diminished by the few things Ramsay didn't get. And once the world gets a load of this Masterpiece, Mencken, Pharrell Williams, Phil Spector... you name it. They'll probably be lining up.
Only The Lonely Survive
Marianas Trench Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'd rather hurt here than be happy
Somewhere else
No one will scar me like you do
But no one will ever be compared
Compared to you
The heart gets slo-o-o-o-o-o-ow
You never kn-o-o-o-o-o-ow
To stay or go
But I know
A love like this will end in tragedy
You know
Every kiss suspending gravity
Burns us both
To love this close
We lose ourselves
And I know we won't
Get out alive
But only the lonely survive
And I'm sure you thought of someone else
Somebody not as complicated as myself
He'll never scar you like I do
No
But he'll never know you
Not the way that I knew you
The heart gets slo-o-o-o-o-o-ow
We all heal tho-o-o-o-o-o-ough
You never kn-o-o-o-o-o-ow
To stay or go
But I know
A love like this will end in tragedy
You know
Every kiss suspending gravity
Burns us both
To love this close
We lose ourselves
And I know we won't
Get out alive
But only the lonely
Survive
Only the lonely survive
Only the lonely
(Survive at all)
Me and you get low
So why do you let go
Our undertow pulls us both though
A love like this will end in tragedy
You know
Every kiss suspending gravity
It hurts like hell
To love this well
But no one falls the way we fell
We'll burn alive
Only the lonely survive
Only the lonely survive
Only the lonely survive
The lyrics of Marianas Trench's Only The Lonely Survive demonstrate the painful aspects of love in a conflicted relationship. The singer expresses that they would rather feel the hurt of being with their partner, no matter the cost, because no one else can compare to them in a romantic sense. The heart gets slower when dealing with the aftermath of heartbreak but people still heal. The singer has to decide whether to stay and face the consequences of a tragic ending, or leave their partner and try to find happiness elsewhere. However, it becomes apparent that the relationship is too addictive for the singer and their partner as they both continue to love each other despite the pain and turbulence.
The lyrics explore the complexity of a relationship with someone who has the power to hurt and heal the singer. It also conveys the internal struggle of knowing that the intensity of the relationship will ultimately cause the pair to crash and burn. It's essentially a love letter to the partner who holds the singer's heart captive, despite the inevitability of ending in disaster. The song is an excellent reminder that some relationships are challenging to fathom, provide joy and pain at the same time, and that it is often challenging to leave them.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know how you feel yourself
I am uncertain about your emotions
But I'd rather hurt here than be happy somewhere else
I would rather endure pain with you than be content without you
No one will scar me like you do
No one will leave as deep an emotional wound as you
But no one will ever be compared compared to you
Nobody will ever measure up to you in my eyes
The heart gets slo-o-o-o-o-o-ow
The process of emotionally recovering takes time and is slow
We all heal tho-o-o-o-o-o-ough
Despite the slow process, we all eventually heal
You never kn-o-o-o-o-o-ow
The future is unpredictable
To stay or go
To stay in the relationship or leave it
But I know
I am certain
A love like this will end in tragedy
Our relationship will end badly
You know
You are aware
Every kiss suspending gravity
The physical and emotional connection between us is strong
Burns us both
Our intense love causes us both pain
To love this close
Our relationship is incredibly intimate and emotionally vulnerable
We lose ourselves
We lose our sense of self in the intensity of our love
And I know we won't get out alive
Our relationship will not have a happy ending
But only the lonely survive
Loneliness is better than a painful relationship
And I'm sure you thought of someone else
You have considered leaving me for someone else
Somebody not as complicated as myself
Someone who is simpler and easier to deal with
He'll never scar you like I do
He will not hurt you as deeply as I have
But he'll never know you
He will not understand you the way that I do
Not the way that I knew you
My knowledge of you is unique
Me and you get low
We both go through difficult times
So why do you let go
Why are you giving up on us?
Our undertow pulls us both through
Our relationship carries us through the difficult times
It hurts like hell
Our love causes us immense pain
To love this well
Our love is intense and all-consuming
But no one falls the way we fell
Our love is unique and unparalleled
We'll burn alive
Our intense love flames will ultimately destroy us
Only the lonely survive
Loneliness is preferable to a destructive relationship
Only the lonely survive
Being alone is better than being in a painful relationship
Only the lonely (survive at all)
Survival is only possible for those who are willing to be alone
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Josh Ramsay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marianas Trench
Phantoms is out now! http://smarturl.it/MTPhantoms 💪
Binkle Bonkle
Can you come to Australia for the Suspending Gravity tour?
PLEASE??
I love your music more than you will ever know!
💖💖💖
Ash Wynne
Cool excited
Deborah
@Sue Taylor Even just watching live videos is of the shows is awesome. I imagine in person was even more phenomenal! And funny thing March 11th that was my birthday!
Sue Taylor
Derpy Panda Lover, I just saw them in Oshawa on March 11th...Of course, this was on the set list and let me tell you they didn't disappoint. Awesome Show. They just keep upping their game. Fantastic.
Christina Marie
No matter how many times I hear Marianas Trench I still get goosebumps. It's never enough.
Jaden States
@Patrick Culliton I was gonna make this comment. Absolute gold
Justin Brossart
Patrick Culliton i see what u did there
goldvlogtv
Christina Marie SAME
Patrick Culliton
Seems like you haven't had enough