You and Spectrum Pulse got me into this band, and I could never be more grateful. Love this album, and I am happy to add this to the canon of classic ;)
Happy to see you return! Makes me wonder if you’re up to heading backwards and reviewing Ramsay Fiction’s album Cooler Than Me now that we have every track located. It’s always neat to see how an artist got their start, after all. But I really liked Haven for what it was, it’s a sturdy album that left me speechless at points while also letting me down at others.
I first got into Marianas Trench when a peer of mine from North Vancouver moved across the strait to my hometown of Nanaimo British Columbia. I wasn't a big fan at first, as I perferred Montreal based band Simple Plan at the time, but this Vancouver-based-band and your reviews of it has made it this big and absolutely worth it in the first place!
This makes it into my personal top three as an MT record...however I do think Josh's instance/belief that his songs be autobiographical may be holding him back just a bit. The late Scott Hutchinson dabbled in fictional storylines on Frightened Rabbit's third LP "Pedestrian Verse" (on the outstanding opening track "Acts of Man" and the heartbreaking "State Hospital"); Lights did on "Skin & Earth"; Taylor Swift famously did on "folklore" and "evermore" and Brandon Flowers (a dude who's been married and has kids with the same person for a decade and a half) did on The Killers' recent album "Pressure Machine." I think because so many of the beats have already been hit (to the point where "Ancient History" literally recalls "Yesterday," etc.) in the relationship (and with both "Astoria" and "Phantoms" in their own way kind of ending the chapter) I think maybe even fully leaning into the "Hero's Journey" and making a one-off entirely fictional record could've taken the shackles off that requirement that the songs have to be about him.
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how Josh becoming and being a father will lead to new music about being a parent and the ups and downs throughout it, but as you said, Josh’s songs being really autobiographical may be holding him back. With Haven being more explicit in this regard, it would be quite interesting to see them go full force into a fictional story for the next album, allowing for Josh to expand and explore creatively beyond his comfort zone of writing what he knows. It’s way too early to say, but it really makes you wonder what will happen now going forward after this.
@@ZoulStar Yep and it's not like you can't inject autobiography into the fictional either (i.e. Roman à clef). Lights said that the songs inspired on "Skin & Earth" by the accompanying graphic novel she did was rooted in real life experiences (she said she'd tell her producer that a song like "New Fears" was about a character meeting another character when really it was about her fear of becoming a mother); There's rabbit holes you can dive into dissecting whether Taylor's "folkmore" is really fact disguised as fiction and of course "Ever After" loosely does this but most of the songs on that record are not explicitly in that fictional universe.
@@ZoulStaryeah I remember listening to the album finding it confusing hearing Josh commiting to the fictional storyline in the lyrics in one song, then having the fiction take a backseat lyrics wise and instead singing about a relationship likes he's done on all the other albums
This is one my sister's and my favorite bands and she texted me, "I like the new MT album. It's got all the archetypical Josh songs. Sad ballad, slightly slutty pop song with oldies themes, and Bohemian Rhapsody 10 minute brain dump with other MT song callouts." I thought that was a pretty good summary.
They’re my favorite band as well that’s why I love parts of this albums but feel so let down by some of it. Here’s a few thoughts. -The album it’s all over the place sonically, it can’t decide if wants to be Pop, Synth pop, Pop punk or a movie score. - it’s Josh Ramsay solo project, there’s no need for 3 songs where’s there’s no guitars, just Josh, strings and piano. It feels self indulgent at points. - Too much strings being the main melody. A lot of moments where could’ve have been more guitars, bass, even drums but it’s just Strings carrying the songs. -Guitars absent or completely buried in the mix where you can’t distinguish from synth or strings. There’s huge gaps between guitars lines, barely any leads to give texture and moments of guitars with more gain last about 8 seconds before the strings come back and the guitars disappear. - I’m Not Getting Better it’s Blank Space by Taylor Swift but worse. It’s the worse song they ever made. The mix is terrible, the melody is generic and the guitars are lazy. - Haven and A Normal Life are masterpieces that show what the band can do when Josh is not obsessed in making a hit pop song. -There’s so much good in this albums, great melodies, hooks, lyrics, Josh’s incredible vocals but the instrumentation doesn’t complement the songs sometimes. It lacks more bite, more guitars, better production, less strings. I can’t stop listening to songs like Haven, Ancient History, Now or Never, A normal life, Turn and run, but this album could’ve been so much better with more of a rock instrumentation and less reliance in string arrangements. Down to you is literally Stay by Kid laroi. I love this band, they are very dear to my heart. Even though I was disappointed with the album because of decisions not quality, I still find a lot of enjoyment in the album. I just wish they were more of a band and less of Josh solo project.
@@Usedtobebillie That's honestly entirely fair, and I did worry for a bit that I wouldn't like this one. I can definitely see where you're coming from in some of the comparison points as well. Valid opinion, even if I don't feel the same way
Watched this review before their show tonight - glad to have been the one to make you aware of this albums rollout :)
You and Spectrum Pulse got me into this band, and I could never be more grateful. Love this album, and I am happy to add this to the canon of classic ;)
Happy to see you return!
Makes me wonder if you’re up to heading backwards and reviewing Ramsay Fiction’s album Cooler Than Me now that we have every track located. It’s always neat to see how an artist got their start, after all.
But I really liked Haven for what it was, it’s a sturdy album that left me speechless at points while also letting me down at others.
I honestly have not stopped listening to it since it dropped. Loved the way you described the theme of the album, going through each song.
I first got into Marianas Trench when a peer of mine from North Vancouver moved across the strait to my hometown of Nanaimo British Columbia. I wasn't a big fan at first, as I perferred Montreal based band Simple Plan at the time, but this Vancouver-based-band and your reviews of it has made it this big and absolutely worth it in the first place!
This makes it into my personal top three as an MT record...however I do think Josh's instance/belief that his songs be autobiographical may be holding him back just a bit. The late Scott Hutchinson dabbled in fictional storylines on Frightened Rabbit's third LP "Pedestrian Verse" (on the outstanding opening track "Acts of Man" and the heartbreaking "State Hospital"); Lights did on "Skin & Earth"; Taylor Swift famously did on "folklore" and "evermore" and Brandon Flowers (a dude who's been married and has kids with the same person for a decade and a half) did on The Killers' recent album "Pressure Machine." I think because so many of the beats have already been hit (to the point where "Ancient History" literally recalls "Yesterday," etc.) in the relationship (and with both "Astoria" and "Phantoms" in their own way kind of ending the chapter) I think maybe even fully leaning into the "Hero's Journey" and making a one-off entirely fictional record could've taken the shackles off that requirement that the songs have to be about him.
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how Josh becoming and being a father will lead to new music about being a parent and the ups and downs throughout it, but as you said, Josh’s songs being really autobiographical may be holding him back. With Haven being more explicit in this regard, it would be quite interesting to see them go full force into a fictional story for the next album, allowing for Josh to expand and explore creatively beyond his comfort zone of writing what he knows. It’s way too early to say, but it really makes you wonder what will happen now going forward after this.
@@ZoulStar Yep and it's not like you can't inject autobiography into the fictional either (i.e. Roman à clef). Lights said that the songs inspired on "Skin & Earth" by the accompanying graphic novel she did was rooted in real life experiences (she said she'd tell her producer that a song like "New Fears" was about a character meeting another character when really it was about her fear of becoming a mother); There's rabbit holes you can dive into dissecting whether Taylor's "folkmore" is really fact disguised as fiction and of course "Ever After" loosely does this but most of the songs on that record are not explicitly in that fictional universe.
@@ZoulStaryeah I remember listening to the album finding it confusing hearing Josh commiting to the fictional storyline in the lyrics in one song, then having the fiction take a backseat lyrics wise and instead singing about a relationship likes he's done on all the other albums
This is one my sister's and my favorite bands and she texted me, "I like the new MT album. It's got all the archetypical Josh songs. Sad ballad, slightly slutty pop song with oldies themes, and Bohemian Rhapsody 10 minute brain dump with other MT song callouts." I thought that was a pretty good summary.
The album JUST now really clicked for me.
Love this band
How very nice.
They’re my favorite band as well that’s why I love parts of this albums but feel so let down by some of it. Here’s a few thoughts.
-The album it’s all over the place sonically, it can’t decide if wants to be Pop, Synth pop, Pop punk or a movie score.
- it’s Josh Ramsay solo project, there’s no need for 3 songs where’s there’s no guitars, just Josh, strings and piano. It feels self indulgent at points.
- Too much strings being the main melody. A lot of moments where could’ve have been more guitars, bass, even drums but it’s just Strings carrying the songs.
-Guitars absent or completely buried in the mix where you can’t distinguish from synth or strings. There’s huge gaps between guitars lines, barely any leads to give texture and moments of guitars with more gain last about 8 seconds before the strings come back and the guitars disappear.
- I’m Not Getting Better it’s Blank Space by Taylor Swift but worse. It’s the worse song they ever made. The mix is terrible, the melody is generic and the guitars are lazy.
- Haven and A Normal Life are masterpieces that show what the band can do when Josh is not obsessed in making a hit pop song.
-There’s so much good in this albums, great melodies, hooks, lyrics, Josh’s incredible vocals but the instrumentation doesn’t complement the songs sometimes. It lacks more bite, more guitars, better production, less strings.
I can’t stop listening to songs like Haven, Ancient History, Now or Never, A normal life, Turn and run, but this album could’ve been so much better with more of a rock instrumentation and less reliance in string arrangements.
Down to you is literally Stay by Kid laroi.
I love this band, they are very dear to my heart. Even though I was disappointed with the album because of decisions not quality, I still find a lot of enjoyment in the album. I just wish they were more of a band and less of Josh solo project.
@@Usedtobebillie That's honestly entirely fair, and I did worry for a bit that I wouldn't like this one. I can definitely see where you're coming from in some of the comparison points as well. Valid opinion, even if I don't feel the same way