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.
Sicker Things
Marianas Trench Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stupid reasons, useless feelings
I wasn't that surprised (It's always part of my)
Awkward attempts to stay gone
I remain unknown
Chorus:
I'm bleeding where I bled
I'm hiding where I hid
I'm entertained in sicker things
And everybody said
I'm burning out instead
The softer side of unbearable
Feel castrated, Complicated
Feelings fleeted, Mind mistreated
I wasn't that prepared(I wasn't that aware)
Just wanted to disappear
I remain unknown
Chorus
Come Around, coming down
Giving a frown, to the sound
When I hit ground
I hate the way that I say
When I know that I don't give a fcuk
About it anyway
Stay awake, Feeling cold and tired
Resignation - life's frustration
I should have thought ahead
And I remain unknown
Chorus
I'm sicker than I thought
I'm fighting what I fought
I'm right back where I started from
Backwards leaving, game we're beating
The lyrics to Marianas Trench's "Sicker Things" express the internal struggle of feeling trapped and wanting to escape from life's frustrations. The first verse describes the feeling of being stuck in a daily routine, going through the motions but not feeling any real sense of purpose. There is an attempt to step away from this cycle, but it feels awkward and ultimately unsuccessful. The character remains unknown, unable to break free.
The chorus speaks to the pain that the character is feeling. They are bleeding and hiding, trying to escape the reality of their situation. The sicker things that they are entertained by could be interpreted in a few different ways - perhaps they are indulging in unhealthy behavior or thoughts, or maybe they are finding solace in forms of art or media that others would consider disturbing. Regardless, the character is burning out and struggling to find the lighter, softer side of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Backwards leaving, Daily beating
Leaving in the wrong direction, feeling defeated every day
Stupid reasons, useless feelings
Being hurt for no real reason, holding onto feelings that don't serve a purpose
I wasn't that surprised (It's always part of my)
Feeling used to being hurt, expecting it to happen
Awkward attempts to stay gone
Trying to leave but struggling to do so smoothly
I remain unknown
Feeling like no one truly knows or understands you
I'm bleeding where I bled
Reopening old wounds and feeling the pain again
I'm hiding where I hid
Going back to old habits of hiding from the world
I'm entertained in sicker things
Finding comfort in things that are unhealthy or disturbing
And everybody said
Being judged by others despite their lack of understanding
I'm burning out instead
Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed instead of being able to cope
The softer side of unbearable
Finding a way to cope with unbearable pain and emotions
Feel castrated, Complicated
Feeling powerless and overwhelmed with complex emotions
Feelings fleeted, Mind mistreated
Being unable to hold onto your emotions and feeling like your mind is betraying you
I wasn't that prepared(I wasn't that aware)
Feeling unprepared and blindsided by painful emotions
Just wanted to disappear
Wishing to escape from everything that's hurting you
Come Around, coming down
Feeling like you're spiraling out of control
Giving a frown, to the sound
Reacting negatively to the world around you
When I hit ground
Succumbing to overwhelming emotions
I hate the way that I say
Disliking how you react to stress and pain
When I know that I don't give a fcuk
Not caring about the problems you're facing
About it anyway
Feeling hopeless about your situation
Stay awake, Feeling cold and tired
Being unable to sleep due to emotional exhaustion and feeling drained
Resignation - life's frustration
Giving up on life and feeling frustrated with the world
I should have thought ahead
Regretting not taking steps to prevent your current situation
I'm sicker than I thought
Realizing that your mental and emotional state is worse than you initially thought
I'm fighting what I fought
Struggling with the same problems you thought you had already overcome
I'm right back where I started from
Feeling like you've made no progress despite your efforts
Backwards leaving, game we're beating
Feeling like you're going in the wrong direction in life and losing at the game of life
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.