In the past couple of years, “Twenty One Pilots” has become a rising star within the Punk Rock/Alternative Rock scene. They have quickly risen to the ranks of the genre’s well known bands such as “Fall Out Boy” and “Panic! At the Disco”. Although the band is considered part of the Punk Rock/ Alternative Rock genre, it would be more appropriate to put the band’s music into a genre of its own. Twenty One Pilots has the tendency to include aspects of rap, rock, emo, and alternative in their music, making their exact genre a grey area. More than anything, their music is an experience. Personally, I’ve listened to their complete discography many times. The band’s third album, Vessel, gives the listener a sensation similar to that of going through…show more content… There’s a beat, there’s tempo, there’s vocals, and melodies. The elements that separate spoken word from Skrillex and Pop from instrumental (all of which I respect and appreciate). With Vessel, Twenty One Pilots incorporated elements from multiple genres quite harmoniously. A number lyrics are rapped with strong low beats, like the beginning of Ode to Sleep. Others are sung with a slow alternative melody, such as House of Gold. The vocal vocabulary is impressive. This creates diversity in the album. None of the songs on the album sound the same and each is impactful in a different way.
Ode to Sleep gives the album a strong start. It contains potent imagery and unique dynamic that grabs the listener's attention. For new listeners, it creates a dramatic first impression of the band. Being the first song on the album, it might be hard to take in during the first listen. The rap is intense and there is a lot of musical action at play. With each listen you might focus elements; the lyrics, then the beat, then the vocals, then the rhythm, until you are able to take the song in its…show more content… Migraine is catchy and memorable with a diverse range of highs and lows both lyrically and musically. It doesn’t involve as much rap as the previous ones. However, its chorus is a bit repetitive. It’s a quality chorus, but could have repeated less. This is also an issue with the following song, House of Gold.
Therein lies the main problem with the album; Twenty One Pilots is excellent at creating intelligent lyrics, but sometimes overuses said lyrics within a song. I can imagine the band’s thought process going along the lines of “Wow, these lyrics are really effective and relatable [which they are]. If we repeat them more in the chorus they could be more impactful [which isn’t always successful]”.
The next song, Car Radio, is one of my favorite songs from the album. The vocal range of the lead singer, Tyler, is quite impressive in this song. This is one of the louder and more electronic-ish songs on the album. It would have fit better towards the beginning of the album alongside Ode to Sleep and Holding On To You, rather than after House of Gold, because of the song’s lyrical potency.This might be one of the most successful songs on the