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.

Your Ghost
Marianas Trench Lyrics

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Just can't help but see your face
It's everywhere I turn
A specter I can't embrace
Even when our bridges burn
Bridges burn, yeah

It's like every time you vanish somehow you're still here
You never seem to manage just to disappear

And everything I see comes crashes down on me
But the ghost of you is always near

I can't get myself together
I've been running for forever
From your ghost, ghost
I never need to wonder
If I'll ever be from underneath your ghost, ghost
You are just enough out of reach
Just where I can see
I won't give up your ghost
I can leave this place forever
But I know I'll never sever
From your ghost
From your ghost

(Forever, forever)
From your ghost
(Forever, forever)

It comes to me in my sleep
Somewhere before the dawn
My haunted heart is uneasy
Evermore, ever drawn, ever drawn
Yeah

It's like every time you vanish somehow you're still here
You never seem to manage just to disappear
And everything I see comes crashes down on me
But the ghost of you is always near

I can't get myself together
I've been running for forever
From your ghost, ghost
I never need to wonder
If I'll ever be from underneath your ghost, ghost
You are just enough out of reach
Just where I can see
I won't give up your ghost
I can leave this place forever
But I know I'll never sever
From your ghost
From your ghost

Ghost
(Forever, forever)
From your ghost
From your ghost
(Forever, forever)
From your ghost
From your ghost

Get myself together
Running for forever from your ghost
I never need to wonder
If I'll ever be from underneath your ghost
You are just enough out of reach
Just where I can see
I won't give up your ghost
I can leave this place forever
But I know I'll never sever
From your ghost
From your ghost

From your ghost
(Forever, forever) From your ghost
From your ghost
From your ghost

(Forever, forever) From your ghost
(Forever, forever)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Marianas Trench's song "Your Ghost" delve into the haunting presence of a past relationship that continues to linger and impact the singer's life. The opening verses express the omnipresence of the person's memory, symbolized as a ghost that cannot be embraced even as bridges burn between them. The image of the ghost serves as a metaphor for the lingering emotions and memories that refuse to fade, no matter how hard the singer tries to move on.

The lyrics convey a sense of frustration and longing as the singer describes how the ghost of the past lover continues to resurface, even when they try to vanish. The repetition of the phrase "And everything I see comes crashes down on me, but the ghost of you is always near" highlights the inescapable nature of the haunting presence, causing emotional turmoil and unrest. The ghost serves as a constant reminder of what once was and what could have been, keeping the singer trapped in a cycle of reminiscence.

The chorus emphasizes the internal struggle of the singer, who can't seem to shake off the hold that the ghost has over them. The repeated lines "I can't get myself together, I've been running for forever from your ghost" reflect the ongoing battle to break free from the past and find closure. The imagery of being just out of reach from the ghost signifies the torment of being so close yet unable to move on completely, leading to a perpetual state of yearning and uncertainty.

In the final verses, the singer acknowledges the persistent presence of the ghost, even in their sleep and dreams, further emphasizing the haunting quality of the memories. The line "My haunted heart is uneasy, evermore, ever drawn" encapsulates the emotional turmoil and inner conflict caused by the lingering presence of the past lover. Despite the desire to leave the past behind and move on, the singer realizes that they may never truly sever ties with the ghost, resigning themselves to its eternal influence on their life. The repetition of the phrase "From your ghost, from your ghost" echoes the enduring struggle and inability to break free from the haunting memories, ultimately accepting that the ghost will always be a part of them.

Line by Line Meaning

Just can't help but see your face
Despite trying, I can't avoid thinking of you

It's everywhere I turn
Your presence surrounds me constantly

A specter I can't embrace
I can't fully accept the memory of you

Even when our bridges burn
Even after our connection is destroyed

Bridges burn, yeah
Our relationship is irreparably damaged

It's like every time you vanish somehow you're still here
You may be gone, but your influence remains

You never seem to manage just to disappear
You never truly leave my mind

And everything I see comes crashes down on me
Memories of you overwhelm me

But the ghost of you is always near
Your presence haunts me constantly

I can't get myself together
I can't regain my composure

I've been running for forever
I've been trying to escape for a long time