A Monster Monster is on the loose.
The Almost’s 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 summer’s Warped tour.
That album, which debuted at 39 on Billboard’s Top 200, earned them a Top 10 single at Alternative radio, and a spot on MTV’s Discover & Download, was essentially the work of a single individual—Underoath 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 Blade’s Phoenix Mourning and Orlando-based Hand to Hand.
“My job was to teach everyone the songs,” explains Vilardi, who describes himself as the band’s 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 “Young Again,” to the stark acoustic blues and closing psychedelic jam of “Monster,” the techno-rock laced with tribal drums of “Books & Books” and the melodic Coldplay/U2/Kings of Leon arena-rock anthem, “Hands.”
“It turned out to be a really good process because we wound up with a tremendous amount of material we can use,” says Vilardi.
“We jammed on these tracks for hours before we actually laid anything down,” nods Gillespie. “This now feels like a real band. Everyone gave up a piece of his own agenda for the good of the final result. And that’s 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.”
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 “West” and “Hand Grenade.”
“It was whatever each of us could do for the song,” agrees Redmon. “There were no ego issues, no one screaming, ‘I’m Eddie Van Halen!’”
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 album’s title.
“I’m giving in to you,” he roars in “Lonely Wheel,” though in “No I Don’t,” which segues from an acoustic beginning to an anthemic rock chorus, he admits, “I’m learning how to wait.” The hard-hitting “Young Again” and the country-flavored “Hand Grenade” (“Oh to be young/It sounds like so much fun”) are both about lost innocence, while “Souls on Ten,” with its piano flourish and urgent intensity, has a Springsteen feel and the grungy garage-rock of “Summer Summer” offers an elegiac nod to vintage Neil Young with Crazy Horse.
“It didn’t start out as a concept album, but by accident, I think it became one,” says Aaron. “It’s about the ‘monster’ that lives inside of all of us, which we have to fight to get rid of. It’s 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?”
That catharsis comes across loud and clear in the final song on the album, dubbed “Monster,” which starts with Gillespie alone, accompanied by a single dobro. “Learning how to see/In this weird change of space/I’m learning to believe in this life… I feel you helping me.” 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.
“Everybody needs that,” says Gillespie. “For some people, it’s drinking, others run, some throw baseballs. I play music. That’s what I do. That gets rid of the garbage in my life.”
“It’s about how terrible we can be at times,” says Vilardi. “It’s hard to be a person today who stands for something. It doesn’t make you better… sometimes it even makes you worse.”
On “Hands,” the band prove they can create an arena- and radio-ready rock anthem, with its martial beat, chiming keyboards and lush ‘80s new wave fizz.
“It’s like an Achtung Baby vibe,” nods Dusty. “That song came out of nowhere. We demoed it, then got into the studio and started playing it and just got real excited.”
“I like working with a song structure,” says Gillespie. “In Underoath, that’s not what we do. We create moments, which is important, but The Almost is something different.”
“Monster Monster” and “Young Again” demonstrate Jay and Dusty’s love of classic garage punk, like The Stooges and The Velvet Underground
. “We really want to put the middle finger back in rock,” says Vilardi. “We love the attitude of bands like Guns N' Roses.”
And that’s strange, because it turns out that rebellion doesn’t conflict with being on Tooth & Nail, where the support of community is almost as important as the religious implications.
“Music should reflect who you are,” says Aaron. “I believe there’s hope in finding who you are. That’s my conviction. At the same time, I want anybody, no matter their affiliation, to react to the music in the same way. I don’t want people to feel they’re being judged.”
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.
“We plan on hitting it as hard as we can,” laughs Vilardi. “We’d like to leave and not come back for two years.”
“We’re just beginning now to establish our identity,” concludes Dusty. “There were a lot of people now who are finding out about Underoath through The Almost.”
Now there’s a transformation for you.
Southern Weather
The Almost Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then I will not be content to sing along
If I'm the one that's making you so out of touch
Then why don't you just go ahead and
Why don't you just go ahead and
Blame it on this southern weather
Blame it on anything
You can blame me for everything
If I'm the cause of all your sickness and pain
Then I'll bury my face in the all of dirty shame
If this is just what's getting you so out of touch
Then why don't you just go ahead and
Why don't you just go ahead and (go ahead and)
Blame it on this southern weather
Blame it on anything
It's not like you to ask small favors
You can blame me for everything
This is my last plan to
Bury all of your charms
This is my final rush
To reach for you
Blame it on this southern weather
Blame it on anything
It's not like you to ask small favors
You can blame me for everything
(You can blame me for everything)
Blame it on this southern weather
Blame it on anything
It's not like you to ask small favors
You can blame me for everything
You can blame me, blame me
You can blame me, blame me
The Almost's song "Southern Weather" seems to describe a frustrated relationship where one person is always blaming the other for their problems. The singer is tired of being accused of causing their partner's negative emotions and wishes they would take responsibility for their own feelings. They offer to take the blame for everything, even if they know it's not fair. The recurring phrase "blame it on the southern weather" could represent a desire to externalize problems and avoid confronting the real issues in the relationship. The singer seems resigned to the fact that this is just how things are, and they will continue to be blamed for things they can't control.
The final lines of the song suggest a sense of desperation and a last-ditch effort to save the relationship. The singer wants to bury their partner's charms (possibly meaning their attractive qualities that keep the singer coming back despite the issues) and make a final attempt to win them over. However, it's unclear whether this effort will be successful or whether the relationship will continue to be plagued by blame and accusation.
Line by Line Meaning
My thoughts are just something I will not
I refuse to keep my thoughts hidden
Be content to sing along
I won't conform to what you expect me to do
If I'm the one that's making you so all uptight
If I'm the reason for your stress and tension
Then why don't you just go ahead and
If that's the case, why don't you just
Blame it on this southern weather
Attribute your mood to the climate in the South
Blame it on anything
You can find any reason to justify it
It's not like you to ask small favors
You normally don't ask for help
You can blame me for everything
I'll take responsibility for all of it
If I'm the cause of all your sickness and pain
If I'm the one who's hurting you physically and emotionally
Then I'll bury my face in the olive dirty sheet
I'll be ashamed and hide my face in the soiled bedsheet
This is just what's getting used to, all of such
This is what I've become accustomed to
This is my last plan to bury all of your charms
This is my final attempt to forget all the good about you
This is my final rush to reach for you
This is my last desperate attempt to have you back
You can blame me, blame me
You can point fingers at me and hold me accountable
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Aaron Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
valerie waite
Here in 2020. My late son's favorite band. Lost him to leukemia 8 years ago. On loan to me for 20 beautiful years. Miss you and love you Justin! I'll see you soon!
Frank Mull
Love you brother
Working it out Druley
Much love
Nomad
@valerie waite You're a great mom. My family wouldnt even consider anything like that if it were me :/
Cameo64
🥺 hope you are doing well
gumborambo
So sorry for you loss, at least he a had a great soundtrack for life.
XxIrisxX
Tearing up to this because it brought back memories when everything was so simple when i was in middle school
Steve Zack
"God has his hand on everything to where he'll take care of the problems, that's not for you to worry about."
I love it! This video has been there for me at so many different ups and downs in my life!
Michael Tra
Agreed! This is the epitome of timeless music
PALLIDE MEAM
Oh boy! Such true spoken words, coming from that mans mouth. Sure is a tear jerker💖💖💖