Drones Album Discussion Thread

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

"From this moment you will never be alone, we're bound together, now and forever, the loneliness has gone"

 

But it doesn't say the protagonist finally sees the human revolution accomplished, and becomes rich and wealthy with his/her goody-goody love, does it?

The point of the meaning of Aftermath is that you can find true love, completeness and willingness to live and fight again only in your little, intimate microcosmus, through real human comfort and empathic contact, even when the world is literally falling apart.

Then, there's The Globalist, where he/she gets brainwashed again by the dictator and destroys everything he/she has fought for. Both a sci-fi and more "realistic" distopical finale, we could define that.

Edited July 24, 2015 by MartianSpaghettiRider

[serpentsatellite]

That's precisely why we weren't talking about Aftermath, though.

I have nothing AGAINST positive songs, just ones that push their out of touch messages onto others.

Aftermath feels like a personal song being sung to one person, and there's nothing "political" about it.

It doesn't even suggest there's something wrong with you if you DON'T find love and happiness. It just, sort of, exists.

 

Revolt essentially implies that no matter how bad the world is, your life can be great if you work hard enough at it, which is what I was saying is the sort of thing I don't really want to hear from someone with fame and wealth...

In fact, it kind of sounds like the Republican Party's campaign slogan from last election.

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

That's precisely why we weren't talking about Aftermath, though.

I have nothing AGAINST positive songs, just ones that push their out of touch messages onto others.

Aftermath feels like a personal song being sung to one person, and there's nothing "political" about it.

It doesn't even suggest there's something wrong with you if you DON'T find love and happiness. It just, sort of, exists.

 

Revolt essentially implies that no matter how bad the world is, your life can be great if you work hard enough at it, which is what I was saying is the sort of thing I don't really want to hear from someone with fame and wealth...

In fact, it kind of sounds like the Republican Party's campaign slogan from last election.

 

Revolt, may it be horrible or not, at this point should be viewed in the contest of the story arc in Drones: after freeing himself/herself from the "Head Drones", the protagonist feels maybe a bit too elated, and the song represent the sudden optimistic push which drives him/her to start the revolution. In Aftermath, instead, as I've told, he/she realises things are going to get very harsh if humanity has to win.

[serpentsatellite]

Honestly I barely look at the album in that "protagonist" pov.

It doesn't do a great job of telling the story in the first place, and I'm still convinced it exists just so Matt has something to talk about in interviews.

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

Honestly I barely look at the album in that "protagonist" pov.

It doesn't do a great job of telling the story in the first place, and I'm still convinced it exists just so Matt has something to talk about in interviews.

 

At least he has something to talk about apart from Dom's leotards and his flyings in jetpack...

[serpentsatellite]

At least he has something to talk about apart from Dom's leotards and his flyings in jetpack...

 

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to deflect the questions about his personal life.

The guy said years and years ago that answering personal questions bothered him, so he moved to this type of song writing.

 

I miss when it was more about religion and space aliens, though...

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to deflect the questions about his personal life.

The guy said years and years ago that answering personal questions bothered him, so he moved to this type of song writing.

 

I miss when it was more about religion and space aliens, though...

 

Strange. He could've just politely declined such questions and make it as a perpetual memo to other journalists unless he himself decided to erase it...

But since Drones had come into view, he seemed to be more open about being interviewed upon those issues. So, I don't really understand how he could've gone away from that.

 

And now that I think about it, talking bizzarely about aliens and such wouldn't have helped on the long distance...

[Jobby]

I was thinking more along the lines of being able to deflect the questions about his personal life.

The guy said years and years ago that answering personal questions bothered him, so he moved to this type of song writing.

 

I miss when it was more about religion and space aliens, though...

 

I think that was sort of what CE was about wasn't it?

 

Hadn't thought about the concept for Drones like that before but I can see what you're saying. He's been masking the personal subject matters ever since Showbiz though from what I can tell. I think he said in an interview that he found it hard dealing with criticism and analysis of Showbiz because it was so personal.

[Bumpypotato]

But that's the thing. Things won't always be alright. The only reason they'll always be alright to some is because they are privileged or just have loads of money.

 

And in this case it's basically "Just fight for what you believe and everything will be alright". Nah, most likely you'll just be shut down, and if you're in a scenario like the one in Drones, you'll probably be shot or arrested.

 

Chill the fuck out, goddam. It's just a song, you don't need to take it so seriously.

[Hat]

Chill the fuck out, goddam. It's just a song, you don't need to take it so seriously.

What in my post gave the impression that I wasn't chill, or that I was discussing anything other than the message of a song in a concept album?

 

Just like you think I'm determined to find things to be triggered by these days, you seem pretty damn determined to find aggressiveness in all of my posts.

[kueller]

Revolt thematically is pretty fitting in its place on the album and I think its title maybe mislead expectations. It's a retrospective song and not about an actual revolt. That rebellion and rage was all in The Handler. By the time Revolt comes the character is already free (Defector couldn't be more obvious in saying that).

 

This is an old topic I just felt like posting it.

[Bumpypotato]

What in my post gave the impression that I wasn't chill, or that I was discussing anything other than the message of a song in a concept album?

 

Just like you think I'm determined to find things to be triggered by these days, you seem pretty damn determined to find aggressiveness in all of my posts.

 

I think that, do I? Well thanks for letting me know, i really wasn't aware of it.

 

I just don't see the need in criticizing a song for being shamelessly optimistic, on the grounds that it might not be completely 100% accurate. Regardless of whether everything will be alright or not it doesn't hurt to have a song with some happy vibes, privilege or no. But whatever, I must just be blinded be the hyper aggression you display in every fart or something.

[Hat]

I think that, do I? Well thanks for letting me know, i really wasn't aware of it.

 

I just don't see the need in criticizing a song for being shamelessly optimistic, on the grounds that it might not be completely 100% accurate. Regardless of whether everything will be alright or not it doesn't hurt to have a song with some happy vibes, privilege or no. But whatever, I must just be blinded be the hyper aggression you display in every fart or something.

It's ironic that considering how much you complain about people's passive aggressiveness, you display an excess of just that yourself.

 

So you don't see the need in criticizing a song, therefore I need to "chill the fuck out, goddamn"?

[Spectrum IV]

[Peter.]

the character

 

[Bumpypotato]

It's ironic that considering how much you complain about people's passive aggressiveness, you display an excess of just that yourself.

 

So you don't see the need in criticizing a song, therefore I need to "chill the fuck out, goddamn"?

 

I was being passive?

 

I was telling you to chill because I thought that bringing the notion of privilege and wealth into it was a bit narrow minded given the obvious stupidly simple nature of the song. It's like criticizing Sesame Street for the message that kindness goes both ways, when obviously it doesn't.[i/] The less polite part was more the result of spending the last three weeks working with the most stereotypically Australian dude ever, than any desire to offend. Sort of forgot that not everyone gets the spirit behind the language.

[Hat]

I was being passive?

 

I was telling you to chill because I thought that bringing the notion of privilege and wealth into it was a bit narrow minded given the obvious stupidly simple nature of the song. It's like criticizing Sesame Street for the message that kindness goes both ways, when obviously it doesn't.[i/] The less polite part was more the result of spending the last three weeks working with the most stereotypically Australian dude ever, than any desire to offend. Sort of forgot that not everyone gets the spirit behind the language.

It just felt like your reply was way less chill than my actual post

 

Tbh I'd say that criticizing messages in child shows is quite important. We learn loads of shit from a very young age that later needs to be unlearned, or simply stays with us and causes so many problems. Boys will be boys is a perfect example. If a boy shows interest with physical violence, you fucking change that shit. You don't say "No it's okay Sally, that's just his way of saying he likes you".

 

(Obviously none of this is directed at you)

[Bumpypotato]

It just felt like your reply was way less chill than my actual post

 

Tbh I'd say that criticizing messages in child shows is quite important. We learn loads of shit from a very young age that later needs to be unlearned, or simply stays with us and causes so many problems. Boys will be boys is a perfect example. If a boy shows interest with physical violence, you fucking change that shit. You don't say "No it's okay Sally, that's just his way of saying he likes you".

 

(Obviously none of this is directed at you)

 

It probably was, so sorry about that

 

Yeah, that's a fair point. Perhaps a better example would be a song like 'Don't Worry Be Happy'. Whilst it's far from the most practical advice or the most realistic, surely you wouldn't begrudge it's massage of ultimately just trying to be happy.

[serpentsatellite]

There's a bit of a fine line, and I'm not saying everything positive is damaging (because I'm the same person who always said everything doesn't have to be dark.)

But yeah, certainly platitudes that get thrown around all the time can seem harmless, but unfortunately get into our collective and can start to subjugate.

(Is it really a coincidence, and harmless, that people in offices stare at posters all day that say things like "focus on the significant many, not the insignificant few", or have quotes from Ronald Reagan on them...?)

 

I think my best example would be all that "do what you love, love what you do" crap that's always plastered on everyone's facebook/tumblr/throw pillows.

Besides always making me wonder what these people actually do for a living... the message is that if you don't love your job, get one you do. Simple, seemingly harmless...

Except, who exactly would love cleaning toilets, stocking shelves at Walmart, working on factory lines and peeing into a diaper, or doing heavy manual labor...?

Jobs that inarguably are essential to everyone's way of life.

 

So then the "positive slogan" becomes an accusation and devalues not just the work that many people do, but the people themselves.

They must DESERVE what they get if they aren't finding jobs they love... right?

Why don't they just leave?

(And of course no one takes two seconds to think what would happen if suddenly every chain store, fast food restaurant, grocery store and gas station shut down...)

We've created an underclass of people we view as failures, because they didn't "make themselves" something better, and taking the time to understand others doesn't look as good written over a picture of a rainbow.

 

So yeah, I really lump "make this world what you want" into that category. Inversely, if your life sucks, you must want it that way. Or you're just lazy, which amounts to the same thing.

 

I think it's a fair criticism when the album's author has been going on and on about empathy (and particularly the "empathy gap" - although he later revealed he was taking a very narrow meaning of it that excluded the larger meaning.)

And all he gives us are phrases he could have read on an office poster while he was signing his record contract.

 

I believe you can do positive without being generic, too.

But, generic sells.

 

As for children's shows, I actually do firmly believe that the fact we treat them as a commodity does lend itself to potential harm. Not that everything needs to be educational, but people are thinking dollar signs instead of if they're passing good or bad messages to a very vulnerable demographic.

But, I mean, whatever - our economy is based on programming kids into NEEDING that new toy or cereal every week, (which just become shoes, video games, and throw pillows as we get older) so why would we care?

 

And from a gender standpoint, Disney's been fucking up kids for decades...

Edited July 25, 2015 by SerpentSatellite

[Alec Ferris]

I was going to say that Drones seems to have too much of a happy tone, but I think you guys might be over-analysing a bit.

 

Also Simon, your posts in here tend to have a rather hectoring tone. Yeah Bumpy was a bit bolshy above, but I see this stuff from you all the time.

[Hat]

Also Simon, your posts in here tend to have a rather hectoring tone. Yeah Bumpy was a bit bolshy above, but I see this stuff from you all the time.

I do, but since I didn't in this case I don't see how it's relevant.

 

And that people expect it from me or something like that isn't an answer.

[Meisver]

The Handler my favourite

The Model

WHY

?

Edited July 26, 2015 by Meisver

[serpentsatellite]

I'd say, for me, it's much less over analyzing the album (although I think billing your album as a concept album, that's a more than fair thing for people to do) and more it unfortunately somewhat sounding like a soundtrack for things that already piss me off quite a bit.

 

As for it being too happy, I was intrigued by the interview where Matt said the story was originally going to go "the other way" but Mutt (and Matt agreed) thought it was too jaded to do that.

[Meisver]

The more I listen to the old tracks

The more I can't comment on the new ones

It's a shame

[colonizedmind]

Just wondering, out of interest, which sites did the album leak on first??