Vessel Carries Me Back to My Roots

Album: Vessel

Band: Twenty One pilots

Hello participants of English 102 and anyone else who managed to fall upon this oddly specific yet broad blog. So for the style of finding this album was similar to the last one, except the number was chosen by the time. It was 3:22 when I started looking for an album at the local record store, Papa Jazz. So I went to the 22^nd album in the third crate from the left of the wall. There it was, in all its beauty, “Vessel” by Twenty One Pilots.

Okay, so this album is really cool, like really cool. It has something for almost anyone. There are a lot of cool things happening throughout it that I think should be talked about.

But before I get into the album, this band deserves a decent introduction, because without it, the album doesn’t mean much. Twenty One Pilots was formed in Columbus, OH in 2009, but the two current members, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dunn, came together in 2011. They released two album called “Twenty One Pilots” and “Regional at Best” before signing a record deal with Fueled By Ramen and releasing “Vessel”. The band is a stretch in a lot of different directions. They have rock, pop, punk, alternative, and electronic vibes to them that puts them into a lot of categories but also none of them. My favorite thing about Twenty One Pilots in general is the lyrics. I think they’re so damn cool and deep yet easy to listen to. If you look past this album a little bit, they released another album and got a Grammy award the other week, in their underwear (here’s a video). So basically, they’re quirky, original, and getting a lot of attention now.

Okay, here we go, let’s get into this album.

Vessel is one of those albums that I can listen to all the way through over and over. It’s honestly that enjoyable. There are some really cool ways that the songs connect to tell a larger story than what each individual song can do. Alright, so I think the best thing to talk about first is the top of the album, the title. There’s no titular track, which is different, and I always focus on the title when that happens. This album with name "Vessel" is a ship that carries a lot of purpose and good intentions. It is quite literally a vessel in which the band is spreading ideas and their message. I don't know, I think that's like cool as shit. 

Okay, so next, there’s the overarching idea of depression and insecurity. The first part that sticks out is the idea of being different. The structure of songs like “Car Radio” and “Trees” are strange and unique, but the journey they take you on doesn’t have any extra bumps because of the strange structure. “Car Radio” doesn’t really have a structure, it was written before Tyler learned the common way to write music, so this my favorite part is that this is how Tyler thinks music happens organically like it is on the track, which is then translated to the other tracks on the album. Along with the structure, there’s also a lot of darkness and “voices” that they love to sing about. Darkness is mentioned in every song is some kind of way, so obviously, it is pretty important to Tyler and Josh, and so it becomes important to the audience. Another thing that is really cool about this album is the way it naturally makes you invest in the story. It does this through a lot of vulnerability in the lyrics as well as a beat that is easy to learn and engage.

Along with the darkness, there are also a lot of rays of hope in the album. Songs like “Truce” and “House of Gold” have a lot of light and are general upturns in the music, which with “Truce”, it ends the album on the question of light and hope, which is what Tyler wanted to end the album as life ends, in a sort of question.

Finally, my favorite thing about this album is the really lowkey religious implications in the album. They’re actually everywhere, including Twenty One Pilots’ first self-titled album, where there were whole songs based on Christianity. Tyler is a really religious person, but he always denies that his music is based in religion. But with lyrics like, “I'm not free, I asked forgiveness three times/ Same amount that I denied, I three-time MVP'd this crime” referencing Peter denying Jesus three times after he died and before the next morning, I call bullshit. Really, Tyler? Of all things to deny, this is what you choose? Anyway, Tyler references being Christian a lot throughout this album. Now let’s talk about this, this is smart, this is how you get people to invest in your music. When you start comparing and referencing God, you automatically reach a different level of seriousness and commitment by the audience. Its smart, honestly, you skip a couple steps in growth when you’re backed by a religion. Is it also kinda cringey and predictable, but I appreciate it.

Okay, so that’s what I think of this album, it is cool as shit. Like so very cool and interesting and just so fun to listen to. Honestly, I am so happy that I found this album and got to dive into it.

Anyway,

See you on the flip side.