by: Hanna Wilson

For this article, I asked Mr. Jose Diaz what his top album was. He selected A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar by Dashboard Confessionals. He said this album, “...pretty much soundtracked [his] life from 6th grade to the end of high school,” and any album with that type of endurance was definitely interesting to me. 

Dashboard confessionals is an emo band that takes on the sound of rock. Their approach to music is very reminiscent of the early 2000s. Formed in 1999, this 25-year old band still releases music together today. A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar was their third studio album, released in 2003, that was able to peak at No.2 on Billboard charts.

The first song, "Hands Down", introduced the album in an exciting, suspenseful tone. It talks about the intimacy of young love and connecting with someone for the first time. Diaz passionately recalls the smallest details, acknowledging how the moments he was living out were going to become core memories.

"Rapid Hope Loss" first lures us with quiet, rambling verses that quickly shift into power choruses of despair. The singer encapsulates the feeling of betrayal as a person reveals themselves to be something they aren’t. "As Lovers Go" introduces the band's more vulnerable side. Its upbeat nature complemented by melancholic lyrics blend together to create an intimate, almost conversational tone. "Carry This Picture" follows this feeling of intimacy with a lovely and flowing melody. This was a more acoustic number that describes love through memory and lingering significance of love as it remains. This may be my favorite number as its personal, yet universal, theme was very compelling to experience.

After approaching this album on a second listen, I found that the remainder of this album seemed to value its messages and symbolism in its lyrics above the actual musical uniqueness, which I really enjoyed. The blunt and powerful delivery throughout was very satisfying. "Bend and Not Break" talks about the flexibility it takes to endure a relationship through rough patches. "Ghost of a Good Thing" dives into the haunting memories of a past you wish you could’ve kept. "Am I Missing" is a journey through finding self worth and discusses the reality of teens questioning existence. "Morning Calls" was a dive into the the sobering reality of enduring consequences from decisions the night before. "Carve Your Heart out Yourself" speaks to giving away the blame of heartbreak. "So Beautiful" is about the loss of beauty when you close yourself off to become someone you’re not. "Hey Girl" casually chats about pursuing love and suggests a trust in vulnerability. "If You Can’t Leave It Be, Might As Well Make It Bleed" talks about the pain of endurance. It discusses how the life you lead makes you who you are, and the pain you experience along the way only may damage you, but will ultimately build you more. "Several Ways to Die Trying" is an overview of life. It gives advice on how to persevere and warns the listener to live while they’re here, rather than living to die.

Overall this album was able to tackle feelings of fleeting adolescence and memories and reminded me of the band American Football with a more upbeat twist. I really enjoyed this album and will definitely be listening to it again.

by Hanna Wilson

For this piece, I decided to talk to HTHS English teacher Mr. Robert Dillon. As the teacher of Rock and Roll Literature and the advisor of the Drum Club, I was very excited to hear his pick. 

Ironically, Mr. Dillon went with Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits, 1966. He then said, “I chose his greatest hits album because you can get an idea of his artistry and poetry through the years. I urge you to focus on the poetry of the words rather than his voice. His voice is an acquired taste.” He was preemptive in warning me of the importance of his lyricism so I made sure to pay close attention to every word. I personally have a strong admiration for Bob Dylan already and do enjoy his music, but now I’m ready to hear it in a new light and truly unpack it.

The rebellious Robert Zimmerman, more commonly known as Bob Dylan, is a music icon known for his revolutionary writing. He dared to dabble in protest and politics in his early music and grew from there. His way with words lured in the audience, and Mr. Dillon put it well, his voice was more of an acquired taste. However, the nasal, gritty, and slightly harsh tones of his voice were softened by the effortless flow of his words and they were able to complement each other in a very extraordinary way. Also known for his combination of rock and folk, the sound of a harmonica is almost immediately always reminiscent of his musical career. 

The first song on the album was "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" (from Blonde on Blonde, 1966). As ambiguous of a title as it is, this song discusses feelings of vulnerability and feeling unsafe in existing. The juxtaposition of the very apparent, happy, and upbeat instrumentals combined with repetitive and threatening lyrics builds an interesting contrast showing there is a suspense to living. Several times in this piece he says "Everyone must get stoned". This could have double implications, but knowing Dylan's style, it is more metaphorical. I’m unsure of its true intentions, but I took “stoned” to have more of a biblical meaning, as the capital punishment of shame and brutality rather than anything drug related. I think Dylan was making a political statement, as he was known to do, and bringing this feeling to light.

Speaking of, "Blowin’ in the Wind" (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, 1963) discusses civil rights. Using acoustic and authentic sound helps build the reality of his message. He throws philosophical debates out that question morality and society, and tries to ignite discussion of inequalities, but comes to find the answer is always “blowin’ in the wind”. For example, “And how many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?” There was no direct answer, but he wanted to spark a conversation on the matter. This was important for the time as just a few days before this albums release, “...more than 1,000 Black children peacefully protested racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, as part of the Children's Crusade, beginning a movement that sparked widely publicized police brutality that shocked the nation and spurred major civil rights advances,”(calendar.eji.org). His ability to voice his concerns on peace, war, and freedom was graceful, impactful, and powerful.

"The Times They Are A-Changin’" (The Times They Are A-Changin’, 1964) was another song that talked about society's grasp on social and political change. He hints that you have to change with the times or you'll get left behind.  He discussed the side effects of standing in the way by saying, “Don't stand in the doorway/ Don't block up the hall/ For he that gets hurt/ Will be he who has stalled,” emphasizing the inevitability of change, while still mentioning the people who choose to deny it. His ability to show faith during times of change was inspiring and helped to ease people into seeing this change is for the better. 

"It Ain’t Me Babe" (Another Side of Bob Dylan, 1964) showed Dylan’s view on forced love and its expectations. This showed his independence and individuality rather than being perceptive as a love interest in someone else’s life. He talks about resisting the unrealistic and overly codling expectations of being in a relationship. 

"Like A Rollin’ Stone" (Highway 61 Revisited, 1965) talks about the life of someone who is seemingly accepting karma for living thoughtlessly. We follow a tale as they lose everything and  become something they thought they were above. This song combined rock and folk in a brilliant way that only Dylan could achieve, meshing the aimlessness of a rolling stone to the bounds of reality in a song against rebellion and towards self-discovery.

In "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965) Dylan explores escapism through his own pleas for help. He expresses his troubled and lost nature and longs for a journey away from the pains and mundaneness of daily life. He looks to the adventure and wonder of music, which is a form of escapism for most. He explains that he has nowhere to be and nowhere to go and he's ready to live in the moment, here with this mystical tambourine man, ready for whatever may come.

"Subterranean Homesick Blues" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965) is a song of advice from Dylan to any nonconformist looking to not get caught. He's giving urgent advice to keep them safe, yet still allowing experiences to be had. He glosses over a bunch of topics to demonstrate the chaos of life at the time and list only some of the troubles people were facing. His ability to go off track while still maintaining a generally relevant stream of consciousness is utterly impressive.

"I Want You" (Blonde on Blonde, 1966) shows Dylan’s light side and ability to feel love. This is one of his more enlightening songs, which is extremely catchy. A love song that shows other things can fade away when you only want one thing.

"Positively 4th Street" (Single, 1965) was my favorite song on this album. I found this piece to be Dylan addressing ingenuine friendships and the feeling of being used. He speaks about people who come to you looking for you to relieve their misery, while being unreliable or dishonest to you. This direct, tough commentary on harsh thoughts was paired with a light instrumental to help demonstrate a falsehood of relationships, showing things aren't always as they seem.

"Just Like A Woman" (Blonde on Blonde, 1966) was a frustrated, yet awe-inspired, speculation of womanhood in a relationship from the standpoint of a man. He displays her actions as being as cliche as a woman can get. His feelings are mixed on it, but he ultimately decides he can no longer bear it and breaks it off, hoping to never be reintroduced as someone in relation to this woman. He insists that relationships should have a start and end and not linger. 

Overall, the artistry of Bob Dylan continues to stay relevant and his messages last. He is someone who has completely changed my perspective on music from an early age and I enjoyed every song from the gritty vocals to the poetic verses. Needless to say, Mr. Dillon made a great choice with Mr. Dylan. With music that sought after peace Dylan was truly an inspiration. I can't wait to listen to more of him and continue to interpret each piece as I come to it. If you’ve never heard his music before, I highly recommend it.

by Hanna Wilson

For my first piece in this column, I’ve decided to talk to one of High Tech’s most fabled music enthusiasts, Mr. Ron Kliesh. Being in one of his courses previously, I already knew his pre-class music playlist was very good. With artists like Mazzy Star and Tears for Fears being streamed in his room, I was excited to hear what his all-time favorite album was. 

He selected Phil Collins's debut album, Face Value. Hearing the name Phil Collins, I immediately thought of him as being more of a classical artist, as I knew his name from Disney albums like Tarzan and Brother Bear. However, Face Value was the opposite of Disney. Named after its own exploration of the human experience, Face Value openly discusses Collins's vulnerability when enduring human connections and experiencing his emotions. This rock album was originally released in 1981 and, according to Discogs, topped the charts almost immediately in the UK, flooded with positive reviews amongst critics.

Starting the album off, the iconic “In the Air Tonight” uses its electronic beat and droning vocals to set a suspenseful and intimidating tone. Kliesh warned me that Phil Collins was a master of the drums, and that is highly evident in this piece. On the track, “This Must Be Love,” Collins kept the same essence of instruments and that electronic beat, but layered angelic vocals and dismissed the intensity to create a dreamy, and romantic tone. 

The song, “Behind the Lines,” seemed to flip the album on its head. This upbeat, funky tune was unlike anything we heard prior from Collins on this album. Its lyrics suggest a change in the singer's emotions. “...And I can be strong now…I believe we can make it right.” I think this furthers the idea of this album being a journey through personal growth, showing a change of ideals and personality. 

Next, “The Roof is Leaking” starts to explore the opposite side of the spectrum. A gloomy song with a subtle folk spin. Additionally, “Droned” definitely showed a new side of him as an interpretive artist who doesn't need lyrics to express. The same goes for “Hand in Hand” which definitely had a very nostalgic appeal. “I Missed Again” has that classic 80s pop/rock/funk feel that I really enjoyed. This piece was able to demonstrate his vulnerability in his lyrics, which is apparent throughout the album, but even more impressive when made into such an upbeat tune. He does this same thing in a later song “I’m Not Moving”, which was a perfectly layered song that had a happy tone and still maintained meaningful lyrics.

Collins has a knack for keeping his listeners on their toes because just as “You Know What I Mean” began to wind the album down in a perfectly emotional way, “Thunder and Lightning” brought the mood right back up. “If Leaving Me Was Easy” had a somber jazzy sound to it that was satisfying to endure. 

Finally, Collins ends the album with a cover of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” we hear the chaos that has built throughout come together in a fun, dramatic melody. Overall, I found this album to be very different and enjoyable. “I’m Not Moving” stood out to me the most as I appreciated the combination of emotional language and upbeat melody. I can honestly say that Kliesh can keep his title as music enthusiast…for now.