Schmiznatch wrote:Well, I just listened to this song for the umpteenth time and I must say that this is very much what I was thinking of after watching every update and one-liner about this new album. However, I feel that this clearly rough cut of a song has been misconstrued a bit by we faithful fans of TNS.
1. The "MCR" sound is there, except for the fact that to me it just sounds like he used a filter similar to the King of Contradiction. I feel that this doesn't sound like MCR, as much as it does The Black Parade (a total shift for MCR) and even then, it's only a similar distortion to the vocals.
2. Let's look towards the implications of this song for the new album. It is heavy, dark, layered, simple, dynamic, and uses a lot of effects to change the sound of nearly every instrument. Does anyone remember the update that told us, "If Sweeney Todd wrote an album, this is what it would sound like." I feel that this statement is very applicable to this song, with lyrical cues to a loved one or a dark past with someone dear to Deryck and strange sudden shifts in tempo and sound.
3. We need to realize that without Dave Brownsound, the band will most likely be less solo-focused. In another update, where Deryck shows us one of his guitars, D references that "anyone can fucking wank off on the fret board, but I think it takes real talent to make the guitar 'sound' good..." I could not agree more and although this is the roughest of cuts, It seems that every little sound was tweaked and double-checked to assure it is what they wanted in the song. (Especially the crescendo at the end of the song!)
4. I hope we can all get past this Underclass hate-rape that has been happening. If you listen to the album, there are so many great songs and so many interesting aspects to it. Imagine writing an album all on your own with no outside influences, where there once were many. It was a shift for a very specific reason, everything around Deryck had changed (Marriage, Bandmates, Management, and Environment) this resulted in a change in direction that saw references to his roots, but saw great leaps in the band's lyrical abilities as well as musical shifts (having a song like UH contrasted to Pull the Curtain and Speak of the Devil). In my opinion the album made sense and really wasn't absolute shit (which apparently is what most of us think).
In conclusion, I know that we were all expecting a dark album with songs about the break-up and if you weren't I hope you take surprises pleasantly, because that engulfed his life and once again caused a massive change in friends, his work, and his view of life. I wouldn't mind having 12-15 songs all about different areas of the split, because that really takes over one's thinking and focus and just seems to be an area of infinite depth and emotion for any individual.
Sum*41 have once again embarked on a new path for their music, one that may seem foreign and strange but will take us to great places and hopefully exciting surprises. Keep listening to it, the song definitely gets better with time!
Great post, I'm going to respond if you don't mind.
1. It's really noticeable in the second chorus when Deryck shouts the line "The best of luck, as the one and only Resident Scumfuck!" You can hear the distortion. Also, the way the vocals are layered kind of reminds me of MCR.
2. Yeah, definitely remember the Sweeney Todd thing and I've never seen the movie, I've just looked at pictures. All I can say is that it has so far turned out to be a pretty accurate description.
3. I know this new album won't have The Bitter End recreated or resemble any song from either Chuck or Does This Look Infected? for that matter. I know the type of guitar player Deryck is and what he wants to be. There's still going to be some solos as Deryck did say there would be in the Sum 41 Q&A and he even recorded some during one of the Studio Updates ("Well should we do the leads on this one?... Some wanking.") I'm not waiting for some wicked metal riff or solo like The Hell Song anymore like I might've been three or four years ago. I'm more interested to see how the band pushes themselves as musicians and grow during the process. Already with Scumfuck we can hear the dynamics of Deryck's voice to the point where a number of people couldn't even recognize him. All the elements that made Underclass Hero what it was were there (piano, vocal harmonies, different parts in the same song). I'm sure there will be some songs with good riffs as evidenced by Studio Update 34 (or whatever it was) where the band drew names out of a hat to pay for dinner.
4. I never thought Underclass Hero was
absolute shit. I can't recall if I ever called it shit at all, but I just didn't like it. I didn't like how the title track seemed to just be a rehash of Fat Lip or how the lyrical content in some songs were about problems with mom and dad. In some aspects it was a step up from Chuck and all the others, but even then I felt like it wasn't anything new. Or maybe I just didn't like the atmosphere of the songs. Either way, I felt that pink was a very suitable color for that album. It was just so "happy" for a lack of a better word. It made me feel like I was too old to be listening to this album. I couldn't relate to any of the songs.
EDIT: Also, Speak of the Devil and Pull the Curtain were a couple of my favorite tracks from Underclass Hero. Pull the Curtain being one of the best songs Sum 41 has ever written.
