Being a musician myself there are so many artists that inspire my work. I feel that there is not a definitive genre of creative person that i fit into. If i had to name it i would consider myself a creative perfectionist. i can be creative in many ways but whenever i create i have a need to perfect it and even when i complete a work i am never fully satisfied with it, there is always more i could do, or something i could change, nevertheless living in a society built on schedules and deadlines, its hard to be the perfectionist.
I listen to many different types of music and respect all genres and varieties. I grew up on heavy metal and hip hop so most of my favorite artists are members of the respective genres. The artists that i will analyze are, the metal band Underoath, Rap's rebel Emcee Lil' Wayne.
Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear - Underoath
The Link contains a song by the band who's songs are usually driven by heavy guitars and screaming, however this shows a softer side of the band. The song is undoubtedly about God, however, the quality and musicianship of the song transcend religion and it is a good song regardless of ones beliefs. The band really embraces the concept of Tension and Release. not only in the posted song but also throughout all of the band's released work. In the posted song there is a constant build of tension with slight release thoughout the song, until the end when all of the tension is released and Underoath's true emotions are released. What i truly love about this band is that they have a unique style that no other band on the scene can mimic or in my opinion outdo Underoath. With seven album releases the band has truly evolved over time while still staying true to the roots of who they are. Contrast and Affinity, is evident in all of Underoath's music. Many bands focus on either screaming and or singing, whereas Underoath does not really focus on either, when i listen to Underoath i don't hear what they are trying to do, i hear what they are doing, and if there is screaming it sounds like it should be there, the same goes for singing. In many Underoath songs the band will have a fast paced, heavy guitar, scream saturated part followed by an extremely mellow, almost acoustic sound, with the poppy voice of Aaron Gillespie the former drummer and singer of Underoath. Underoath is truly a very interesting band to listen to even if Metal is not your forte.
Underoath - Salmarnir
Underoath's music also uses Conscious and Unconscious sounds and ideas which makes their music more personal to the listener. For example in an interlude song on the band's fifth release, Define The Great Line, there is a prayer said in Russian in the background behind the leading guitars and steadily slow drum line. Since Underoath is a Christian band they always promote prayer and worship of Jesus Christ, However the theme of religion is more an unconscious thought when analyzing the lyrics of the band, making it easier for a non believer to enjoy and listen to Underoath. This song is attributed more to the unconscious side of the mind of an Underoath Listener. It is a moment of bliss among a cacophony of screams, shrieks, and heavily distorted guitars. The last three albums that the band has released all have this same quality of complete versatility while keeping their sound but pushing the boundaries of the sound to make it a fuller and more defined sound.
Lastly one of the the things about Underoath that i love is that for their most recent release the drummer Aaron Gillespie, the bands only remaining original member left the band due to differences. Aaron has a very powerful voice and was always exciting to listen to on the mic but with the last release its like Underoath did not even skip a beat when making the newest installment, Disambiguation. This is what i love about Underoath, Its not about the people, its all about the music.
Next i will briefly analyze the Rap artist Lil' Wayne.
Lil wayne is an interesting person. His lyrics are pretty straightforward but he has a lyrical form of using metaphors and crafty wordplay to make his lyrics entertaining, funny, and even making one think outside the box.
Birdman ft. Lil' Wayne - Fire Flame (remix)
The above video is a regular run of the mill hip hop video but my focus is more on the lyrics than the vibe of the song and the idea for the video. In particular i want to talk about a lyric that Wayne spits in his first verse in the song. He states, "Im so relaxed my gucci flats aint got a scratch, and if you got problems wit I, well I will fix them cataracts." This Lyric expresses the idea of Double entendre where he is saying one thing but he also says another thing. At first It makes sense that he would say if you got problems with your eye then he can fix your cataracts, not that i actually believe that he is an optometrist but in the world of wordplay anything pretty much goes. With a second ear listening to the same lyric one can also hear Wayne saying If you got problems with I, as in Wayne himself. Some people may not catch this however being a avid lil wayne fan for a long time you being to get what he is talking about just by his vocal inflection and just by the persona he displays.
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