Best Alternative Rock

Score: 97 / 100

Average Price: $22.72

Blurryface is the much anticipated second studio album from twenty one pilots.

Reviews

"One of the bigger breakout sensations of the past few years from the indie band circuit, Twenty One Pilots (or TOP, as I will frequently refer to them from here on) are also an increasingly polarizing band, as a perusal of the early reviews for their second studio album Blurryface will verify. While some see Blurryface as a continuance of growth and maturity from Vessel, others see it as a step back, a disappointment compared to what they showed they were capable of in their previous albums (they have two very popular self-released albums that preceed Vessel: a self titled album, and the now unavailable Regional at Best.). Once the lyrical depth really hit me, which actually happened while listening to a song from their self-titled album titled "Addict With a Pen", I fell hard and fast for TOP, and have been trying to "share the love" with as many family and friends as I can ever since! Stressed Out, Lane Boy, and Ride all were released in advance of the album, in three consecutive weeks leading up to today, the album's official release date (though it actually ended up coming out yesterday.). Whether you fall into the camp of this being a great album, or just an okay or good album, will probably hinge somewhat on how you feel about artists mixing it up, and deviating from their signature sound. For instance, Imagine Dragons created a similar rift of opinion with their release of Smoke + Mirrors earlier this year, which featured almost as many different kinds of songs as it had tracks, and most of them weren't like what made them popular in their first studio album Night Visions. I'm going to do a brief track by track overview, so if you already feel your patience with this review wearing thin, just skip down to the final paragraph to get my final verdict on this album! Heavydirtysoul - TOP is known for bringing it on their album opening tracks, and this one is certainly no exception! I wasn't crazy about this track upon first listen, but after many repeated listens, it has moved up my favor almost as fast as the beat moves the song along! Stressed Out - If any song on this album can be described as a "typical" twenty one pilots song, this would be it. The "character" of Blurryface is introduced in this song, and will make a few more appearances throughout the rest of the album, as he is what Joseph refers to (in various interviews discussing the album) as the personification of his insecurities, doubts, and fears. Tear in My Heart - When TOP fans were online prior to this track's release, speculating about what it would be about, some people specifically said that "They said they'd never do a love song", so it can't be that. My favorite song on the album, and bonus points for being the song that finally convinced my wife to like twenty one pilots! This song deals with the record industry, and takes not so subtle digs at the way it's run, and the expectations that get put on artists to put out certain types of "common" songs, which Joseph admits there are a couple of on this album. Not one of my favorites from the album, but still a very good track. The Judge - One of the things that TOP did that was very popular on Vessel, is having a couple of songs that featured the ukulele, and that is back here on Blurryface, first on this upbeat track. It's a solid track, no doubt, but it's meaning is more ambiguous than normal (that's saying something for a TOP song! ), as some insist it's a song about Tyler singing towards his band-mate and drummer Josh, while others, like myself, feel it makes more sense if it's another "love song" to Jenna. Message Man - I have a feeling this is going to be my "Migraine track" on Blurryface - a song that most of the TOP fans love, and list amongst their favorites, and I am only so-so about, and list it towards the bottom for that album. Hometown - After what has been (for me) a string of solid but unspectacular tracks, things take a sharp turn, and my second favorite song on the album drops in! Hometown is another one of the divisive tracks on this album that some people love, but a lot of TOP fans list towards the bottom of their favorites, due to its radical departure from "typical" twenty one pilots sound. Being a fan of all of those artists, I am naturally a big fan of this track, and while it does stray from the style TOP typically deal in, it works here, and I wouldn't mind seeing another track or two like this in future albums - provided there aren't many more than that. Not Today - This is another peppy, upbeat track, in the vein of The Judge (minus ukulele), with bouncing piano and drums driving it along as Joseph sings about a subject he describes in the song as being "down", thus making the music a contradiction. Goner - Tyler Joseph has written a plethora of emotional songs over the years for twenty one pilots, and even refers to him and his fans the Skeleton Clique as "the few, the proud, and the emotional" on Fairly Local. I hope it was of help to you (even if you skipped the track by track portion), and that it offers a solid basis for my belief that this is one of the best releases of the year so far, in a year that has been PACKED with excellent new albums by great artists! So while it's definitely a 5 star album in my book, I'll give it a 9 out of 10 and a 1-10 rating scale, as it drags a little bit in my opinion towards the end, through tracks 9-11, and there is too much reliance on "yeahs" and "nos" throughout the album, which I think only "hit" about 50% of the time, and seem like needless filler the remainder of the time."

"I highly recommend buying that CD if you like the hit songs as well as music with a hint of Linkin Park and a hint of 311."

"I thought it would be difficult to follow up an album like Vessel but Twenty One Pilots nailed with authority."

"My Kids are in love with Twenty One Pilots!"

"Each song is unique and doesn't sound like the next."

"I love Twenty One Pilots."

"I honestly feel a little frenzied sometimes because I want to listen to every song at once."

"Had Amazon send a replacement and it did it also."