After two albums for Tooth and Nail where the band explored more anthemic avenues, the quintet found itself re-examining its hard rock and metal roots on its third record for the label. The resulting album is an 11-song sonic attack that knows when to slow down the pace and when to pounce back like a slap to the face. "We didn't intentionally go for a heavier sound," guitarist Jef Cunnigham said. "We just wrote what came to mind and I think it turned into some of our best material."
Late last year the band's hectic touring schedule slowed enough for them to start working on the record, though they had a few geographical obstacles to overcome before starting. With members spread across four states, each created a secret Myspace for a non-existent band where they would post song ideas for the others to listen to.
Singer Matt Baird would download these parts to his iPod, where he began to craft the lyrics for the record. His finished work centers on topics like redemption and restoration, and reaches its pinnacle on the album's tenth track, "When Hope is All You Have," which began as a phrase he used during his father's funeral just before recording began.
"There are songs about healing and hope and about moving on after we've made mistakes," Baird said. "I felt some pressure in writing, hoping my parts would turn out as good as the music. But I think it all came out better than I could've imagined." After their internet-aided pre-production, the band decided to set up shop in a one-room cabin in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee for over a month to mold those song ideas into the core of the album. After three weeks of work, Baird joined the band for the final two weeks to add his lyrics to the fray.
With songs in hand the band then headed to Lakeside Studios in Knoxville for a month-long session with producer Travis Wyrick (P.O.D., Disciple), who also produced 2005's "Last Chance to Breathe," a record that helped the band expand its fanbase as it ventured into poppier leanings.
"I'm blown away by the finished record," Cunnigham said. "We wrote these songs to please ourselves, to write songs that we wanted to play live and we ended up with a few that were heavier and harder than anything on the last two records." Wyrick and the band have created a sound less reliant on overdubs and layering and more focused on bringing the band's live show to mind with a more sparse sound that still rocks as hard as ever. Maybe more so. "We wanted to experiment with heavier songs and think further ahead in the lifespan of the band," Baird said. "And with these heavier songs it really feels like a step toward the future and a reflection of the past."
Seasons Change
Spoken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And for the first time I understand what I am without you, so I try to hold on to you.
I have wandered so far away from your embrace, and still the season's change.
And for the first time I realize what I am without you.
The first verse of Spoken's song Seasons Change presents the idea of a newfound world, a life without a certain person. The persona is seemingly introspective, and for the first time ever, sees himself or herself sans the other person. A realization is made in the process, and the persona tries to cling on to what has been lost. The second sentence is quite telling of this, and it can be interpreted in two ways. It can either be taken figuratively or literally. Figuratively, the persona tries to hold on to the memories of the person no longer present in his or her life. On the other hand, literally speaking, the persona could be going through a process of adjusting to a new life without the presence of another person. The persona wanders far away from the embrace of another, which is a telling sign of how deeply things have changed.
The second verse of the song emphasizes how change is a common thing in life. As the seasons change, so do people and the world around them. The persona realizes that they are becoming someone different without the person they were with before. As the seasons change, so do the colors of the world. This is symbolic of how people go through life cycles and how we all evolve as we move further along. The use of the seasons is also important because it is a natural process that happens over time. Change is an inevitable occurrence that happens to everyone, and the realization that the persona has is that without the other person, things are vastly different.
Line by Line Meaning
Today I opened my eyes to a whole new world.
I woke up to a new reality without you in it, everything seems different and unfamiliar.
Another state of mind, a life without you.
I am in a different mental and emotional state, trying to cope with my life now that you are not a part of it.
And for the first time I understand what I am without you, so I try to hold on to you.
I have come to the realization of who I am without you, but I still desperately cling to the memories and hope of having you back.
I have wandered so far away from your embrace, and still the season's change.
Despite the distance that has grown between us, time moves on and things inevitably change - even if my feelings refuse to.
And for the first time I realize what I am without you.
I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am not the same person without you in my life.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruce M. Axtens
on Wind In My Sails
I35. The highway.