Marianas Trench is a Juno award nominated Canadian pop rock band from Vanco… Read Full Bio ↴Marianas Trench is a Juno award nominated Canadian pop rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada signed to 604 Records. The band was formed in 2001 and released their first full length album Fix Me on October 3, 2006. Some of the demos the band sent out four years before appear on the album. The band says their biggest musical influences are Queen, Foo Fighters, The Beach Boys and Ben Folds Five.

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.

While We’re Young
Marianas Trench Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's easier not to know

Wonder why does it
Hurt to try when the
Last goodbye's never
What we're here for

So sing it back if you're with me
I wanna hear how your heart speaks
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
And I've been so lost without you
And are you lost without me too?
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives

Little complacency took you away from me
We both want it but love is not enough you see
Sultry disdain, in a perfect frame
Little by little by little by little bit
You slipped away to a mile from an inch
And I don't know how
We ended up here now

Wonder why does it
Hurt to try when the
Last goodbye's never
What we're here for

So sing it back if you're with me
I wanna hear how your heart speaks
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
And I've been so lost without you
And are you lost without me too?
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives

God I wish, God I wish now
We could go back to where we came
God I miss, God I miss you now
And I can't even say your name

So sing it back if you're with me
I wanna hear how your heart speaks
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
And I've been so lost without you
And are you lost without me too?
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives

While we're young, while we're young
While we're young, while we're young

Overall Meaning

In "While We're Young" by Marianas Trench, the lyrics describe a moment of tension and regret in a relationship. The first verse acknowledges the weight of hurtful words that cannot be taken back and the resulting silence that hangs in the air. The singer reflects on their own actions, admitting to lying and questioning why they do so. They suggest that sometimes the truth hurts so much that it's easier to avoid it altogether.

The chorus reflects on the fleeting nature of youth and the idea that it should be a time of joy and exploration. The singer longs to hear their partner's true feelings and desires, emphasizing the importance of communication and honesty in a relationship. There is an implicit concern that both parties may be lost without each other.

The second verse points out that a sense of complacency led to the gradual separation of the couple. Despite both parties wanting the relationship, love alone is not enough. The mention of "sultry disdain" and slipping away "to a mile from an inch" suggests a gradual drifting apart that the singer does not fully understand.

The bridge expresses the singer's deep longing and yearning for the past. They wish they could go back to where they started and miss their partner to the point where they can't even say their name anymore.

Overall, "While We're Young" conveys the bittersweet realization that time is passing and the relationship is not what it once was. It captures the desire for open communication, the pain of separation and regret, and the nostalgic longing for happier times.

Line by Line Meaning

The way your words hang in the moment suspended when
The way your words linger in the air, holding a weight and tension

You say something you can't take back again
You say something hurtful or regretful that cannot be undone

A heavy hush takes hold
An intense silence fills the space

The quiet won't let go
The silence persists, refusing to fade away

I was there watching you
I was there, observing your actions

Watching me, missing you
Observing me while longing for your presence

I've been lying and I don't know why I do
I've been deceitful, but I don't understand my motivations

Maybe the truth hurts so
Perhaps the truth is painful

It's easier not to know
It's simpler to remain ignorant

Wonder why does it
I wonder why

Hurt to try when the
It's painful to make an attempt when

Last goodbye's never
The final farewell is never

What we're here for
What we're meant to experience

So sing it back if you're with me
Repeat it back to me if you understand and agree

I wanna hear how your heart speaks
I want to understand your true emotions

While we're young, while we're young
During this youthful period

This should be the time of our lives
This is supposed to be the most exciting phase of our existence

And I've been so lost without you
I have felt incredibly lost, missing you

And are you lost without me too?
And do you also feel lost and aimless without me?

Little complacency took you away from me
Our passivity and contentment resulted in our separation

We both want it but love is not enough you see
Both of us desire our relationship, but love alone is insufficient

Sultry disdain, in a perfect frame
A heated resentment, presented in an ideal facade

Little by little by little by little bit
Gradually, in small increments

You slipped away to a mile from an inch
You distanced yourself from us, moving further and further apart

And I don't know how
And I don't understand how

We ended up here now
We arrived at this point in our relationship

God I wish, God I wish now
Oh God, how I desire, how I yearn now

We could go back to where we came
We could return to our beginning

God I miss, God I miss you now
Oh God, how I miss you now

And I can't even say your name
And I am unable to utter your name

While we're young, while we're young
During this youthful period

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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The way your words hang in the moment suspended when
You say something you can't take back again
A heavy hush takes hold
The quiet won't let go
I was there watching you
Watching me, missing you
I've been lying and I don't know why I do
Maybe the truth hurts so
It's easier not to know
Wonder why does it
Hurt to try when the
Last goodbye is never
What we're here for
So sing it back if you're with me
I wanna hear how your heart speaks
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
And I've been so lost without you
Are you lost without me too?
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
Little complacency took you away from me
We both want it but love is not enough you see
Sultry disdain, in a perfect frame
Little by little by little by little bit
You slipped away into my prominence
And I don't know how
We ended up here now
Wonder why does it
Hurt to try when the
Last goodbye is never
What we're here for
So sing it back if you're with me
I wanna hear how your heart speaks
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
And I've been so lost without you
Are you lost without me too?
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
Got a wish, got a wish that I
Can just get back to where we came
God I miss, God I miss you now
And I can't even say your name
So sing it back if you're with me
I wanna hear how your heart speaks
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
And I've been so lost without you
Are you lost without me too?
While we're young, while we're young
This should be the time of our lives
While we're young, while we're young
While we're young, while we're young