Musings about bands and lyrics

Gary at the FFAF concert in Orangevale 2.7.9

While driving home today from work I was listening to a most excellent band called Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Gary turned me on to this band. Gary is pretty good at recommending music as he knows what I will like (usually). RJA was a little hard to get used to, but I find that I love their tunes. They remind me of Funeral for a Friend (another Gary recommendation) but with lyrics I can understand.

RJA's music is catchy and upbeat, but with enough rock in it that I'm not totally bored. The weirdest thing about their music is that the lead singer enunciates his words so clearly that I can understand nearly every word he says. I find this to be most unusual as most music I've heard (save for Disney music) is impossible to decipher. They tend to be a bit cliche in their lyrics, but most bands fall into that trap from time to time. I appreciate that I can comprehend what their meaning and intent are; I'm not sure if I'm terrible at decoding metaphor or if other bands have way obscure lyrics.

Speaking of obscure lyrics... I put RJA and FFAF on an "on-the-go" play list on my iPod (hence the reflection and comparison of bands - that and I'm really digging both bands in general right now). This made me realize how obscure the words some people choose can be. I feel that FFAF sometimes falls into the category of "too obscure," but I'm placated by their amazing guitarist so I usually don't even think about it. They could, however, be more cut and dry than I know because I don't think I can ever understand a thing their saying (do they mumble? Is it their accent which I can't hear when they're singing anyway?). On one song Gary looked up the lyrics so he could see what they were saying. Then, he decided that maybe it was about a homeless person based on one line entirely ('tin can in hand, waiting for God to come around'). I agree that this is the most probable explanation. It's nice to know that the person who wrote many of the lyrics for the band said himself that they are, "fucking obscure" and I am somewhat comforted by this.

In all, I find that both bands are highly enjoyable for different reasons. I feel that the vocalist is the most amazing feature of RJA and the lead guitarist is for FFAF. Both bands have a great overall sound and nothing is bad in either, but those two things out of each band win for me. Hmmm... when I think about it I really do like the vocalist for FFAF. He has a great quality to his voice that makes it pleasant to listen to the music. I suppose I'm just irked that I can't ever understand what he's saying.