A Monster Monster is on the loose.
The Almostโs second album for Tooth & Nail/Virgin Records began taking shape just as soon as the band came off the road after touring for their 2007 debut, Southern Weather, including a stint on that summerโs Warped tour.
That album, which debuted at 39 on Billboardโs Top 200, earned them a Top 10 single at Alternative radio, and a spot on MTVโs Discover & Download, was essentially the work of a single individualโUnderoath drummer Aaron Gillespie, who wrote all the songs, played all the instruments and then recruited a band to play them live, starting with fellow Floridian Jay Vilardi, a veteran of several well-known area bands like Metal Bladeโs Phoenix Mourning and Orlando-based Hand to Hand.
โMy job was to teach everyone the songs,โ explains Vilardi, who describes himself as the bandโs musical director. The addition of Philadelphia-based guitarist Dusty Redman, himself a veteran of Tooth & Nail bands like Beloved and Dead Poetic and Salt Lake City bassist Alex Aponte rounded out the line-up.
The now thoroughly road-tested band was intent to make their latest a completely collaborative effort, melding their talents into a whole that was more than the sum of its individual parts. The process began with Vilardi, Redmon and Aponte e-mailing files back and forth to Gillespie, who was busy penning lyrics and coming up with musical ideas of his own while touring with Underoath, before all four of them got together in the studio to jam and work out the arrangements.
It was a system that resulted in a powerfully cohesive album that melds their diverse songwriting skills, from the thudding, Raw Power-like stomp of the title track and โYoung Again,โ to the stark acoustic blues and closing psychedelic jam of โMonster,โ the techno-rock laced with tribal drums of โBooks & Booksโ and the melodic Coldplay/U2/Kings of Leon arena-rock anthem, โHands.โ
โIt turned out to be a really good process because we wound up with a tremendous amount of material we can use,โ says Vilardi.
โWe jammed on these tracks for hours before we actually laid anything down,โ nods Gillespie. โThis now feels like a real band. Everyone gave up a piece of his own agenda for the good of the final result. And thatโs how you end up with something special. It was a relief for me because it took a lot of the weight off my shoulders. They supplied the bricks and we built the house together.โ
The guys also enlisted the help of steel guitarists Chris Scruggs (grandson of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs) and John Davis (Superdrag vocalist/guitarist) while in the studio. Both Scruggs and Davis helped they guys broaden their musical pallets on a few tracks like โWestโ and โHand Grenade.โ
โIt was whatever each of us could do for the song,โ agrees Redmon. โThere were no ego issues, no one screaming, โIโm Eddie Van Halen!โโ
Gillespie says the songs are about the dark side of the human condition, battling your demons to come out the other side, starting with the albumโs title.
โIโm giving in to you,โ he roars in โLonely Wheel,โ though in โNo I Donโt,โ which segues from an acoustic beginning to an anthemic rock chorus, he admits, โIโm learning how to wait.โ The hard-hitting โYoung Againโ and the country-flavored โHand Grenadeโ (โOh to be young/It sounds like so much funโ) are both about lost innocence, while โSouls on Ten,โ with its piano flourish and urgent intensity, has a Springsteen feel and the grungy garage-rock of โSummer Summerโ offers an elegiac nod to vintage Neil Young with Crazy Horse.
โIt didnโt start out as a concept album, but by accident, I think it became one,โ says Aaron. โItโs about the โmonsterโ that lives inside of all of us, which we have to fight to get rid of. Itโs a battle you live with every day. In the end, when that stops, the question remains, can you now live your life? Can you get all of who you are, can you find a place that makes you happy?โ
That catharsis comes across loud and clear in the final song on the album, dubbed โMonster,โ which starts with Gillespie alone, accompanied by a single dobro. โLearning how to see/In this weird change of space/Iโm learning to believe in this lifeโฆ I feel you helping me.โ The song builds until, about two-thirds of the way through, the rest of The Almost come in, embarking on a spontaneous acid-soaked jam, recorded live, that provides the ultimate release.
โEverybody needs that,โ says Gillespie. โFor some people, itโs drinking, others run, some throw baseballs. I play music. Thatโs what I do. That gets rid of the garbage in my life.โ
โItโs about how terrible we can be at times,โ says Vilardi. โItโs hard to be a person today who stands for something. It doesnโt make you betterโฆ sometimes it even makes you worse.โ
On โHands,โ the band prove they can create an arena- and radio-ready rock anthem, with its martial beat, chiming keyboards and lush โ80s new wave fizz.
โItโs like an Achtung Baby vibe,โ nods Dusty. โThat song came out of nowhere. We demoed it, then got into the studio and started playing it and just got real excited.โ
โI like working with a song structure,โ says Gillespie. โIn Underoath, thatโs not what we do. We create moments, which is important, but The Almost is something different.โ
โMonster Monsterโ and โYoung Againโ demonstrate Jay and Dustyโs love of classic garage punk, like The Stooges and The Velvet Underground
. โWe really want to put the middle finger back in rock,โ says Vilardi. โWe love the attitude of bands like Guns N' Roses.โ
And thatโs strange, because it turns out that rebellion doesnโt conflict with being on Tooth & Nail, where the support of community is almost as important as the religious implications.
โMusic should reflect who you are,โ says Aaron. โI believe thereโs hope in finding who you are. Thatโs my conviction. At the same time, I want anybody, no matter their affiliation, to react to the music in the same way. I donโt want people to feel theyโre being judged.โ
With the addition of drummer Joe Musten (Gillespie played all the drums on the album), The Almost is ready to hit the road and do what they do best, play for their increasing fan base around the country.
โWe plan on hitting it as hard as we can,โ laughs Vilardi. โWeโd like to leave and not come back for two years.โ
โWeโre just beginning now to establish our identity,โ concludes Dusty. โThere were a lot of people now who are finding out about Underoath through The Almost.โ
Now thereโs a transformation for you.
Say This Sooner
The Almost Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll just believe that I was all displaced
I'll get to speaking, let you know how I feel
I'll get to judging, make you see my appeal
No one will ever see things the way I do
No one will try
All my friends think that I'm gone, but I swear
I swear I'm not!
This makes me feel that
I'll never be quite normal
This makes me act like
I'll never get out alive
I'll get to acting, make you all believe me
I'll get to faking show you all how to grieve
No one will ever see things the way I do
No one will try
All my friends think that I'm gone, but I swear
I swear I'm not
I swear I'm not!
In and out is where it gets back to the place it does
Makes me feel like I just want to feel, just like it touch
No one will ever see things the way I do
No one will try
All your friends say that your gone, but you swear
I swear I'm not
No one will ever see things the way I do
No one will try
All my friends think that I'm gone, but I swear
I swear I'm not
I swear I'm not!
The song Say This Sooner by The Almost explores the nuances of communication, perception and identity amidst feelings of displacement and isolation. The first two lines of the song, "I can't believe I didn't say this sooner, I'll just believe that I was all displaced" convey a sense of regret and frustration about not speaking up earlier, and feeling out of place. The next two lines, "I'll get to speaking, let you know how I feel, I'll get to judging, make you see my appeal" suggest a newfound resolve to express oneself and be heard, going beyond just stating one's feelings to actively convincing others to see things from one's perspective.
Throughout the song, the singer grapples with the idea that no one can see things the way they do, and that all they can do is try to make others see their point of view. This is reinforced with the repeated refrain "No one will ever see things the way I do, no one will try." These feelings of alienation and frustration culminate in the bridge section of the song, "This makes me feel like I'll never be quite normal, this makes me act like I'll never get out alive," which portrays the pain of feeling misunderstood and the pressure to conform to the expectations of others.
Overall, Say This Sooner is a poignant and introspective song that highlights the importance of expressing oneself and being heard. It explores the challenges of communication and the complexities of human connection, inviting the listener to reflect on their own struggles with self-expression and acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe I didn't say this sooner
I regret not expressing my feelings earlier
I'll just believe that I was all displaced
I'll choose to think that my hesitation was due to circumstances beyond my control
I'll get to speaking, let you know how I feel
I'll finally communicate my emotions to you
I'll get to judging, make you see my appeal
I'll make an effort to convince you of my worthiness
No one will ever see things the way I do
No one will try
I feel misunderstood because nobody makes an effort to understand my perspective
All my friends think that I'm gone, but I swear
I swear I'm not
My friends think I'm behaving strangely, but I promise I'm still the same person
This makes me feel that
I'll never be quite normal
My behavior and thoughts make me think I'm not like everyone else
This makes me act like
I'll never get out alive
I behave as if I'm trapped and can't escape
I'll get to acting, make you all believe me
I'll get to faking show you all how to grieve
I'll pretend to be someone I'm not so that you'll accept me, or I'll pretend to feel emotions I don't actually feel
In and out is where it gets back to the place it does
Makes me feel like I just want to feel, just like it touch
I'm struggling to find a way back to where I belong, and I crave human connection
All your friends say that your gone, but you swear
I swear I'm not
Your friends think you've changed, but you insist you haven't
No one will ever see things the way I do
No one will try
I feel isolated because my perspective is unique and unappreciated by others
All my friends think that I'm gone, but I swear
I swear I'm not
My friends think I've changed, but I insist I haven't
I swear I'm not!
I'm telling the truth and hope you believe me
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AARON GILLESPIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Heather Dawson
Anyone 25 to 30 appreciates this type of music on a different level.
Wotay Kamara
Cuz itโs ACTUAL music it has meaning. music after these days I swear went down people of THIS music and before all should/would/are ashamed I bet, of todayโs SHIT!!!
E T
Its a forgotten genrea of our time
Donnie Dinkle
you arent lying
Nathan Woodin
You are so right man I miss underoath and all these bands coming out with new music so fucking hype and good. I can see all these tunes. We're getting old yall
Missy Darnell
25 to 35 ;)
Exodus
Youโre a legend, yes YOU. Coming back to this music video. A person of culture..I salute you.
CeceRyder
I give you a salute back my friend! This was the time for Fuse and for us to be alive. โค๐ฏ
Roodee
I salute YOU.
Athena Gates
Thank you