Damn. When i first listened to this song, it felt like i finally was listening to something that has captured my pain. Suffering, and life experiences from all of my years of living. Julian is such a talented guy.
This is one of my favorite songs, thank you so much for reacting to it! As far as the humor goes, I think it has something to do with the fact that John wasn't a great person. He left for one of his 16 year old models when Julian was still a kid. He also cared more about his modeling agency than taking care of his son. I think Julian wanted to highlight the irony in feeling grief over someone who treated him and his mom so badly, but also kind of vowing to be the complete opposite with his 2 sons. Also, there's a split second in the music video where Julian looks like he's about to cry. The emotion is definitely there, but the overall vibes I get are a mixture of grief, hopefulness, confusion, and maybe a little bit of "laugh to keep from crying".
As a massive Julian Casablancas lover and listener, I think he just has a certain style that he leans into a lot with his vocal performance, where you can’t quite make out what he is saying and that is part of the beauty. In an interview he mentioned how he likes to view his voice as another instrument in the song. He writes very beautiful and oftentimes incredibly meaningful lyrics that end up blending in with the sounds of the instruments and I think that’s intentional and something he leans into, specially with the Voidz. I would say this is the song I struggle most trying to make out what he is saying as he sings and to me it feels like because this song is so personal and intimate to him that he almost wants to hide his human sadness in the song and let the music speak to his emotions.
Its funny you mentioned the ending part is kind of like a requiem, because the Mozart they sampled was Requiem in D Minor I think the second half was better because the beginning built it up so much for that pay off
Re: 5:11 and the discussion of lyrics not being front in center, I think Julian said somewhere that the song musically expresses the stages of grief he went through, and while the words themselves are important to the story they also fit into the song more as an expression of emotion. They are the internal monologue as you process the loss of someone, and nonsensical like trying to talk while crying in a state of despair.
Thank you for making this video. The fact that you said this would probably need multiple listens is very speaking of how experienced and knowledgeable you are in music. Much love.
Really glad you did this reaction I love this song so much! You're right about the vocals being very in there and muddled, I'd say for this album at least they're more produced in an instrumental way as if its just another sound of the band, if that's not as much your thing maybe you'd appreciate their second album Virtue more, the lyrics are a lot clearer and just about every song in it has its own unique guitar sound/solo that sounds really interesting
Thanks for recommending this band. Sonically a great track. I heard it again while editing the video and it was even better. Any confusion I had stemmed from a human perspective rather than a musical perspective. A song about one's relationship with their late father juxtaposed with this production still seems an odd choice. But I think I'm over that now.
Forever one of my favourite songs, the “I was in a rush to wait in a line” hits hard every time I listen to it even after all these years. Love that you’re open to listening to the newer music.
Imagine 20 years from now, I can imagine a cult following of both The Voidz and The Strokes. I see them as Rock pioneers. I cried the first time I heard The Strokes.
I truly appreciate you reacting to this song and giving it a go. The first time I listened to it, I sobbed. And have sobbed many times since while listening to it. Julian's way of using his voice as an instrument is so expansive and the entire composition just sucker punches you in the gut.
ever since I heard this song for the first time, I fell in love with it, it's still my favorite song in the world, even though I've listened to it more times than I can count. you're adorable, great video, happy new year!!
Love that you were recommended this and took the time to soak it in. I will say, concerning Julian's vocals being somewhat buried in the mix, that my interpretation is that it emulates a shyness or discomfort in opening up so candidly. I've listened to a lot of Strokes and Voidz over the past few years, and it's my observation that Julian is typically much more vague and less direct in his lyrics. Opening up so thoroughly in a song, as well as his conflict over how to feel about his father probably made him want to be less bold with the vocals. Just my opinion.
This song has been one of my favorites for years now, and I think you are right about the transitions. I'm so used to them by now I'd be upset if they were any different. Someone else mentioned their other album Virtue and I just want to second that its great start to finish. Its not quite as out there as this track but definitely more experimental than a Strokes album. Really good stuff.
Just happened upon this video by chance and it made me really happy to hear you say in the beginning that you don't think there is a "good ol' days" for music and that you appreciate music from all eras. I very much agree! Also this song is so complex and dynamic and emotional, every time I listen to it I feel a different way. Glad you took the time to react to it and share your thoughts!
i'm not sure if anyone would read this, but i love this song since at middle school...not knowing it was a foreshadow of my current life at 22 y.o i dont understand what is this guy singing about but i really understand the violent he's been through inside. Thank you
One of my favorite songs of all time! had a pretty similar reaction on first listen, the Panda Bear/Animal Collective comparison was spot on too, since this song has grown on me much like the songs of "Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished."
The first time I heard this song I had no idea what was going on in the song. As I kept listening to the song things began to make more sense. I believe that is the point as well. They make the lyrics hard to hear because something like the death of your father is confusing and hard, it is not clear, so why would the lyrics be. Over time, you begin to comprehend and understand death as you begin to understand and comprehend the song. I might be crazy, but that's what I feel.
Yeah, The Voidz need several listens, but once you're tuned into them... it's over! I personally hated Human Sadness when i first heard it, i was like... wtf is this? After about 5 listens though, i literally didn't stop playing it for like 2 days straight. To me, it's the modern day version of Bohemian Rhapsody, all the transitions and just immaculate music. it's just a masterpiece. I also totally adore bands with 2 guitarists, like The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. The Voidz have Jeramy Gritter who did the first solo in Human Sadness and Amir Yaghmai does the second towards the end. Then you add Julian Casablancas who has to be one of the best singers in the past 20 years, so good in The Strokes and his solo stuff and then gorgeous with Daft Punk in Instant Crush. The Voidz are different from The Strokes, to me they're the "i don't give a f*ck" version of them, but they're still also some similarities. Casablancas can't do anything wrong in my eyes, everything he touches musically turns to gold, but The Voidz are kinda hard to get into. You very much have to open your mind as well as your ears to fully take them in. Even with me who loves them, i had to listen to their new song Prophecy of the Dragon several times to fully take it in and really start loving it. I think they're a very special band though, The Strokes are a Top 10 band of all time to me... but i'm starting to feel like The Voidz just might be better. They just don't have the vast music content that The Strokes have quite yet.
Thanks Davie. Y'know, I've thought recently about some prog rock I grew up with that sounded awkward at the time, but is now considered "classic." Close to the Edge comes to mind. It sounds "normal" now, but back in the day it was a difficult listen. Similar situation here I think.
Lol too true, I didn’t like this song at all until I actually pulled up the lyrics and read them along while I listened to it again. Now it’s a masterpiece in my eyes.
Julians solo album Phrazes for the young and First Impression by The Strokes are proto Voidz stuff I didnt like Tyranny until i listened to their second album Virtue. And i wouldnt like Virtue if i didnt like Phrazes for the young. Phrazes for the young really is the first voidz album. Even some of the bandmates of the voidz were touring with Julian on that album. Songs like Left and Right in the Dark, River Of Breaklights, and 30 Minute Boyfriend are like early Voidz stuff. Just more happy and bright and more melodic
I haven't done MGMT because I owned Congratulations and have played that several times. Maybe a Master Monday. The Strokes are a band I'm more neutral on.
Thank you for your open minded observation of my favorite singers songs. I don’t typically do deep dives into lyrics, I had no idea it was about his father’s passing! Now it’s a whole new experience! I’ve loved Julian since the first strokes album when I was in high school so there’s a deep connection there. I’m rambling. Cool channel!!
this song not only explores his relationship with his father, but also julian talks about the philosophy of the poet Rumi, which basically introduces theology themes in his songs. later on, the voidz have more songs inspired by theology, like the eternal tao! really interesting and great band
Haha it’s funny you mention the space invaders sound in the song because in the strokes they have a song called ode to the Mets and the beginning is literally space invaders. I think Julian’s probably a fan of the game
The official music video of this song as quite outstanding and amazing a lot of depictions of the Vietnam war era… quite amazing honestly giving it more deep and various emotions watching it visually and listening to it gave it stories of both ways.
This song takes some time to get used to and it throws a lot of people off at first. I've come to love it though. Also, the music video version is a bit of a different song, I tend to prefer it. Your channel is a wonderful bit of peace in this chaotic world.
The lyrics might be important, but only to him. I think it's fine for an artist to get something out of a song that the listener doesn't necessarily share. The experience you get listening to this song without the lyrics sheet is still very intense and enjoyable in my opinion.
I will say, the voidz are a weird band but it’s almost “rewarding” to get into them. Particularly with ‘tyranny’ - the album this song comes from - is really tough to get into at first. I didn’t even like it at all my first time listening to it. But they have a weird way of sucking you in. The most impressive thing to me about the band is that they give you a feeling that what they’re doing is “barely working” and by that I mean they’ll hit you with a nice melody, then throw some wack noise or transition that eventually leads into a nice sounding melody once again. It’s very unique and exciting to me. If you ever want to get into their music again, their music off of ‘virtue’ is a lot easier to wrap your head around. They also have a really nice single “did my best” that I enjoy a lot.
Thanks so much for the comments. And I get your comment about, if I may paraphrase, a song sounding like it is going to fall apart at any moment...but it doesn't. Keep on listening.
you said something very important, music is good in all eras, human sadness is not a regular song, i think is very special, first time i heard it, i was like mmmm, this is weird, but then i gave it second chance, i listen this son every night... i think is a weird masterpiece
You know, there are classic rock masterpieces that were weird to the ear when they came out. A very good example is "Close to the Edge" by Yes. Awkward and jolting on first listen back in the day. We'll see how this song ages. Thanks.
It's not so much that the bass is distorted, it's that there are TWO bass lines throughout the majority of the song: a synth bass line and a bass guitar bass line. The synth bass cuts out at important parts of the song. It is SO INTERESTING!
@@wallbangerreactions actually, my bad I gave you bad information. It's a lot easier to see in the music video where they show the regular bassist, Jake Bercovici, playing his bass, and then they show the drummer, Alex Carapetis, also playing a bass. They both repeat their bass lines throughout the first half of the song, then halfway through when the drums finally come in, it's only Jake on bass. It's a lot easier to pick out the bass after the drums come in since there's only one bass line from that point forward. I needed to check the music video again to be sure. Great reaction!
Not an insight but just an anecdote. But I remember listening to this song when I was about 13 or so, because that's when I truly started exploring Julian Casablancas' work in The Strokes and The Voidz. It was a challenging listen because of it's length... long songs in general never sat well with me because there is no familiarity that comes with the traditional structures and patterns of the classic 3 min 30 second rock single. But I did take the time to digest it fully and was exposed to something I still call in my mind "the ugliest beauty". The melodic skeleton of this song is fully intact and sound - the ideas are coherent and beautiful. You can transcribe it onto a nylon guitar or onto a grand piano and easily translate the emotion that comes with the music... but this comes at the cost of forgoing a more polarising interpretation... it's not enough that the song sounded beautiful - a sense of tension and conflict was required to truly communicate the pain in the lyrics and the composition itself. Which in my opinion is where the beauty of the abrasive, ugly production comes in. Muddled vocals, distorted by auto-tune and harsh filtering, guitars that pierce like lasers, drums with bitrates that make them sound fried almost... just to taper into the outro which glides lightly on a Julian's delicate falsetto and soft, choral pads and heavenly strums. It wears an ugly mask but you can catch glimmers in the eyes behind it, which feel like the gates to heaven. The song changed the way I think about music and will always be significant to me, even though I have not listened to it much since then.
Some more context to these lyrics is Julian's father ran a super successful modeling agency and wasn't rly around and sent him to a boarding school in Europe. So thats the reason why the lyrics seem like he has a bitterness towards his father. Might also explain the distortion.
This song is a masterpiece!!! I’d love it if you could listen to basketball shoes by black country new road. Great new band but sadly just after their second album was released the lead singer left:(
If you mean favorite reactions, I'd say start with SOPHIE or Julia Jacklin. I'm getting a lot of hits on GTBE! As for favorite songs, I have a Master Monday playlist on here. Hope that answers your question.
don't know why he would recommend the audio version. The music video version is slightly clearer and more guitar driven. It just hits harder edit: it also has the demo at the end 👌
This was a nice first impression (of earth, lol - a strokes joke). I see your Zappa book and I wondered if you have listened to any Unknown Mortal Orchestra ("Multi-Love"... "That Life")?
So you’ve probably get his now but the singer Julian Casablancas always sounds muddled in the mix especially in the voidz. They just released another song yesterday and his vocals are hard to hear. But once you know the lyrics you understand and hear them pretty clear. Love this song, keep it up
I have to confess to not being a big Strokes fan. I went ahead and played it off channel and I like it...but don't love, love, love it. Thanks for the recommendation.
you totally get it man. I hated this and would skip it everytime but for some reason it became my favourite and it makes me emotional everytime even though i don't connect to the lyrics. I still wouldn't play this in a party or like make my parents listen to it though.
I think his vocals are burred because of his complicating relationship with his father. Everything about this song is meant to symbolically represent that relationship from the to the child-like chorus that represents the wishful happy father-son relationship that he yearned for , to the distortion that represent the messiness and chaos of emotions that get brought up when he remembers his father.
7:08 this part is my favorite. No other song has really captured the same feeling of grief for me. Its so simple and hauntingly beautiful. This song came out a year after Julian Casablancas father died. A lot of this song is about his relationship with his father. And some other personal and poltical stuff thrown in there. But like Julian said in another song, majority of his music is just a collection of thoughts. Somethings have meaning. Some dont When you talk about progressive rock, you hit the nail on the head. And really The Voidz didnt mean for Tyranny to sound so prog rock. But thats kind of how it ended up.
New subscriber here! Very much enjoyed your take on this song. Have you listened to anything from "Black Country New Road"? Would love to hear your take on anything from "Ants from Up There" like "Basketball Shoes".
You should check out the more simplistic and beautiful demo version with the Martin Luther king art. Love them Both 👍 And this song is definitely one of those growers. Overtime it does change.
Also because Ive lived with this song since it came out, it's very clear to me that the reason for the muddled vocals is because he feels shame. Shame to speak to his dad posthumously when he had the chance prior to him passing but it feels as if he didn't take that chance. Idk that's my interpretation Ive always felt that he carries lots of guilt and shame across the lyrics and that gets delivered through his tones and distortion in moments of conflict with his dad
Human Sadness is the Bohemian Rhapsody of the modern age.
That's quite a statement.
I agree, personally
Queen if they were good
Truly one of the greatest songs of the last 20 years
Now that's an endorsement. Thanks rm.
Damn. When i first listened to this song, it felt like i finally was listening to something that has captured my pain. Suffering, and life experiences from all of my years of living. Julian is such a talented guy.
Great testimony. Thank you for your comment.
This is one of my favorite songs, thank you so much for reacting to it!
As far as the humor goes, I think it has something to do with the fact that John wasn't a great person. He left for one of his 16 year old models when Julian was still a kid. He also cared more about his modeling agency than taking care of his son. I think Julian wanted to highlight the irony in feeling grief over someone who treated him and his mom so badly, but also kind of vowing to be the complete opposite with his 2 sons. Also, there's a split second in the music video where Julian looks like he's about to cry. The emotion is definitely there, but the overall vibes I get are a mixture of grief, hopefulness, confusion, and maybe a little bit of "laugh to keep from crying".
Makes sense. People are complicated.
As a massive Julian Casablancas lover and listener, I think he just has a certain style that he leans into a lot with his vocal performance, where you can’t quite make out what he is saying and that is part of the beauty. In an interview he mentioned how he likes to view his voice as another instrument in the song. He writes very beautiful and oftentimes incredibly meaningful lyrics that end up blending in with the sounds of the instruments and I think that’s intentional and something he leans into, specially with the Voidz. I would say this is the song I struggle most trying to make out what he is saying as he sings and to me it feels like because this song is so personal and intimate to him that he almost wants to hide his human sadness in the song and let the music speak to his emotions.
Understood. Thank you.
Its funny you mentioned the ending part is kind of like a requiem, because the Mozart they sampled was Requiem in D Minor
I think the second half was better because the beginning built it up so much for that pay off
Great comment. Thanks for watching TTFF.
This song is a masterpiece.
It's a grower for sure. Thanks for the comment.
Re: 5:11 and the discussion of lyrics not being front in center, I think Julian said somewhere that the song musically expresses the stages of grief he went through, and while the words themselves are important to the story they also fit into the song more as an expression of emotion. They are the internal monologue as you process the loss of someone, and nonsensical like trying to talk while crying in a state of despair.
Others have mentioned this. Makes sense.
The voidz and The Strokes are two of the best bands of current times
Thanks for the comment.
The Strokes are, for sure.
Thank you for making this video. The fact that you said this would probably need multiple listens is very speaking of how experienced and knowledgeable you are in music. Much love.
Thank you for the kind words caen.
Really glad you did this reaction I love this song so much! You're right about the vocals being very in there and muddled, I'd say for this album at least they're more produced in an instrumental way as if its just another sound of the band, if that's not as much your thing maybe you'd appreciate their second album Virtue more, the lyrics are a lot clearer and just about every song in it has its own unique guitar sound/solo that sounds really interesting
Thanks for recommending this band. Sonically a great track. I heard it again while editing the video and it was even better. Any confusion I had stemmed from a human perspective rather than a musical perspective. A song about one's relationship with their late father juxtaposed with this production still seems an odd choice. But I think I'm over that now.
Great suggestion!
I find the more I listened to the song the better I could understand him
That makes sense.
Thanks for this reaction. They just dropped a new song called the prophecy of the dragon. They definitely have the kind of music that grows on you
Yes, a grower. I listened to this song a second time while editing the video and it was better the second time.
Forever one of my favourite songs, the “I was in a rush to wait in a line” hits hard every time I listen to it even after all these years. Love that you’re open to listening to the newer music.
Thanks for the kind words. Keep listening.
Imagine 20 years from now, I can imagine a cult following of both The Voidz and The Strokes. I see them as Rock pioneers. I cried the first time I heard The Strokes.
Hate to say it, but it's already been 20 years. Can you believe "Is This It" is 22 years old? We'll see what the next 22 bring.
I truly appreciate you reacting to this song and giving it a go. The first time I listened to it, I sobbed. And have sobbed many times since while listening to it. Julian's way of using his voice as an instrument is so expansive and the entire composition just sucker punches you in the gut.
Suggested by and voted by the community. I'll take your thanks and give it back to the subscribers. Thanks for watching and commenting.
ever since I heard this song for the first time, I fell in love with it, it's still my favorite song in the world, even though I've listened to it more times than I can count.
you're adorable, great video, happy new year!!
Oh my! No one has ever used the word adorable on this channel. I'm blushing.
@@wallbangerreactions owwn
Incredibly talented band. Love everything they put out. Xerox has my favorite solo
Thanks Creeps. Like your handle.
Love that you were recommended this and took the time to soak it in. I will say, concerning Julian's vocals being somewhat buried in the mix, that my interpretation is that it emulates a shyness or discomfort in opening up so candidly. I've listened to a lot of Strokes and Voidz over the past few years, and it's my observation that Julian is typically much more vague and less direct in his lyrics. Opening up so thoroughly in a song, as well as his conflict over how to feel about his father probably made him want to be less bold with the vocals. Just my opinion.
You're the second person that had this interpretation. I like it!
This song has been one of my favorites for years now, and I think you are right about the transitions. I'm so used to them by now I'd be upset if they were any different.
Someone else mentioned their other album Virtue and I just want to second that its great start to finish. Its not quite as out there as this track but definitely more experimental than a Strokes album. Really good stuff.
Great comment weyes. Thank you.
Just happened upon this video by chance and it made me really happy to hear you say in the beginning that you don't think there is a "good ol' days" for music and that you appreciate music from all eras. I very much agree!
Also this song is so complex and dynamic and emotional, every time I listen to it I feel a different way. Glad you took the time to react to it and share your thoughts!
Thanks for the kind words and thoughtful comment.
Would highly recommend more voidz, every song is incredible musically and production wise and lyrically!!
OK
i'm not sure if anyone would read this, but i love this song since at middle school...not knowing it was a foreshadow of my current life at 22 y.o
i dont understand what is this guy singing about but i really understand the violent he's been through inside.
Thank you
Appreicate your watching and commenting.
I read the lyrics it’s quite amazing
One of my favorite songs of all time! had a pretty similar reaction on first listen, the Panda Bear/Animal Collective comparison was spot on too, since this song has grown on me much like the songs of "Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished."
Appreciate you watching and commenting.
The first time I heard this song I had no idea what was going on in the song. As I kept listening to the song things began to make more sense. I believe that is the point as well. They make the lyrics hard to hear because something like the death of your father is confusing and hard, it is not clear, so why would the lyrics be. Over time, you begin to comprehend and understand death as you begin to understand and comprehend the song. I might be crazy, but that's what I feel.
Not crazy at all (in my opinion). Appreciate you comment.
Yeah, The Voidz need several listens, but once you're tuned into them... it's over! I personally hated Human Sadness when i first heard it, i was like... wtf is this? After about 5 listens though, i literally didn't stop playing it for like 2 days straight. To me, it's the modern day version of Bohemian Rhapsody, all the transitions and just immaculate music. it's just a masterpiece. I also totally adore bands with 2 guitarists, like The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. The Voidz have Jeramy Gritter who did the first solo in Human Sadness and Amir Yaghmai does the second towards the end. Then you add Julian Casablancas who has to be one of the best singers in the past 20 years, so good in The Strokes and his solo stuff and then gorgeous with Daft Punk in Instant Crush. The Voidz are different from The Strokes, to me they're the "i don't give a f*ck" version of them, but they're still also some similarities. Casablancas can't do anything wrong in my eyes, everything he touches musically turns to gold, but The Voidz are kinda hard to get into. You very much have to open your mind as well as your ears to fully take them in. Even with me who loves them, i had to listen to their new song Prophecy of the Dragon several times to fully take it in and really start loving it. I think they're a very special band though, The Strokes are a Top 10 band of all time to me... but i'm starting to feel like The Voidz just might be better. They just don't have the vast music content that The Strokes have quite yet.
Thanks Davie. Y'know, I've thought recently about some prog rock I grew up with that sounded awkward at the time, but is now considered "classic." Close to the Edge comes to mind. It sounds "normal" now, but back in the day it was a difficult listen. Similar situation here I think.
Estoy de acuerdo con todo y me pasa lo mismo que a vos!! Sentí que hablabas por mi jajajaj
Lol too true, I didn’t like this song at all until I actually pulled up the lyrics and read them along while I listened to it again. Now it’s a masterpiece in my eyes.
Julians solo album Phrazes for the young and First Impression by The Strokes are proto Voidz stuff
I didnt like Tyranny until i listened to their second album Virtue. And i wouldnt like Virtue if i didnt like Phrazes for the young.
Phrazes for the young really is the first voidz album. Even some of the bandmates of the voidz were touring with Julian on that album. Songs like Left and Right in the Dark, River Of Breaklights, and 30 Minute Boyfriend are like early Voidz stuff.
Just more happy and bright and more melodic
Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Very nice video, thank you.
Thank you too.
You should listen to Ode to the Mets by the strokes, and some MGMT
I haven't done MGMT because I owned Congratulations and have played that several times. Maybe a Master Monday. The Strokes are a band I'm more neutral on.
I enjoy the first 3rd of the song if and when I listen to it.
His solo album is a hidden gem if you are a fan of Julian
Thanks for the comment.
This is definitely my favorite song. I don’t know if you mentioned but it has sample and the structure of the Requiem of Mozart!
Yes, you can hear the Mozart in the intro. Thanks JF.
Human Sadness end credits is a fantastic close to this song which plays at the end of the music video. Thanks for listening and sharing with us!
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed.
this song is worth a relisten with the music video, the video is great as well
I get to relisten during video editing and it was better on a seond listen.
Subbed for knowing we still make great music and there are no good ol' days. Very insightful.
nice panel doors btw
Welcome to the channel.
That type of songs require you to listen to it 2-4 times to love it
Yes...though later on I watched the official video. I do not like the video. That set me back a little.
Thank you for your open minded observation of my favorite singers songs. I don’t typically do deep dives into lyrics, I had no idea it was about his father’s passing! Now it’s a whole new experience! I’ve loved Julian since the first strokes album when I was in high school so there’s a deep connection there. I’m rambling. Cool channel!!
Thanks for the kind words Daren and for watching....and that's cool you expanded your experience. That encourages me.
gained a new subscriber! this is actually my favorite song.
Welcome to the channel.
this song not only explores his relationship with his father, but also julian talks about the philosophy of the poet Rumi, which basically introduces theology themes in his songs. later on, the voidz have more songs inspired by theology, like the eternal tao! really interesting and great band
Rumi eh?
@@wallbangerreactions yes, its a quote of him "beyond all ideas of right and wrong there is a field, i will be meeting you there" iirc
Haha it’s funny you mention the space invaders sound in the song because in the strokes they have a song called ode to the Mets and the beginning is literally space invaders. I think Julian’s probably a fan of the game
Interesting tidbit. Thanks for watching and commenting.
love this channel!! keep up the good work :)
Gracias RF.
Love me some Voidz. What a cool channel you have here! I subscribed :)
Thank you for the kind words and welcome to the channel.
The official music video of this song as quite outstanding and amazing a lot of depictions of the Vietnam war era… quite amazing honestly giving it more deep and various emotions watching it visually and listening to it gave it stories of both ways.
I watched the video off channel. Sex and violence.
@@wallbangerreactions your right, and that’s the story of what Julian casablancas (the voidz) tried to articulate in the video
This song takes some time to get used to and it throws a lot of people off at first. I've come to love it though. Also, the music video version is a bit of a different song, I tend to prefer it. Your channel is a wonderful bit of peace in this chaotic world.
Oh also, another interesting lesser known song is Es Muss Sein by Fly Golden Eagle.
I listened to this off channel. Hope you don't mind. Very cool.
A grower for sure.
I love this song so much. Great video too
Glad you enjoyed both.
The lyrics might be important, but only to him. I think it's fine for an artist to get something out of a song that the listener doesn't necessarily share. The experience you get listening to this song without the lyrics sheet is still very intense and enjoyable in my opinion.
Yes, I've liked lots of music without even knowing the lyrics on early listens.
Great song
It's a grower for sure.
I will say, the voidz are a weird band but it’s almost “rewarding” to get into them. Particularly with ‘tyranny’ - the album this song comes from - is really tough to get into at first. I didn’t even like it at all my first time listening to it. But they have a weird way of sucking you in. The most impressive thing to me about the band is that they give you a feeling that what they’re doing is “barely working” and by that I mean they’ll hit you with a nice melody, then throw some wack noise or transition that eventually leads into a nice sounding melody once again. It’s very unique and exciting to me.
If you ever want to get into their music again, their music off of ‘virtue’ is a lot easier to wrap your head around. They also have a really nice single “did my best” that I enjoy a lot.
Thanks so much for the comments. And I get your comment about, if I may paraphrase, a song sounding like it is going to fall apart at any moment...but it doesn't. Keep on listening.
thank you!!!!! great channel, first time over here!
Welcome! Thanks for watching.
you said something very important, music is good in all eras, human sadness is not a regular song, i think is very special, first time i heard it, i was like mmmm, this is weird, but then i gave it second chance, i listen this son every night... i think is a weird masterpiece
You know, there are classic rock masterpieces that were weird to the ear when they came out. A very good example is "Close to the Edge" by Yes. Awkward and jolting on first listen back in the day. We'll see how this song ages. Thanks.
Love the reaction, great video
De nada.
@@wallbangerreactions Abraço from Brasil
It's not so much that the bass is distorted, it's that there are TWO bass lines throughout the majority of the song: a synth bass line and a bass guitar bass line. The synth bass cuts out at important parts of the song. It is SO INTERESTING!
OK. Was hard to hear all that on a first listen. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@wallbangerreactions actually, my bad I gave you bad information. It's a lot easier to see in the music video where they show the regular bassist, Jake Bercovici, playing his bass, and then they show the drummer, Alex Carapetis, also playing a bass. They both repeat their bass lines throughout the first half of the song, then halfway through when the drums finally come in, it's only Jake on bass. It's a lot easier to pick out the bass after the drums come in since there's only one bass line from that point forward. I needed to check the music video again to be sure.
Great reaction!
Not an insight but just an anecdote. But I remember listening to this song when I was about 13 or so, because that's when I truly started exploring Julian Casablancas' work in The Strokes and The Voidz. It was a challenging listen because of it's length... long songs in general never sat well with me because there is no familiarity that comes with the traditional structures and patterns of the classic 3 min 30 second rock single.
But I did take the time to digest it fully and was exposed to something I still call in my mind "the ugliest beauty". The melodic skeleton of this song is fully intact and sound - the ideas are coherent and beautiful. You can transcribe it onto a nylon guitar or onto a grand piano and easily translate the emotion that comes with the music... but this comes at the cost of forgoing a more polarising interpretation... it's not enough that the song sounded beautiful - a sense of tension and conflict was required to truly communicate the pain in the lyrics and the composition itself. Which in my opinion is where the beauty of the abrasive, ugly production comes in. Muddled vocals, distorted by auto-tune and harsh filtering, guitars that pierce like lasers, drums with bitrates that make them sound fried almost... just to taper into the outro which glides lightly on a Julian's delicate falsetto and soft, choral pads and heavenly strums.
It wears an ugly mask but you can catch glimmers in the eyes behind it, which feel like the gates to heaven. The song changed the way I think about music and will always be significant to me, even though I have not listened to it much since then.
Nice testimony. Thanks RK.
The elder gets it,
de nada
its often difficult to understand Julian's vocals on his projects haha, cool hearing your thoughts!
Thanks for commentng LD. Welcome.
All at once i lost my way
OK.
Some more context to these lyrics is Julian's father ran a super successful modeling agency and wasn't rly around and sent him to a boarding school in Europe. So thats the reason why the lyrics seem like he has a bitterness towards his father. Might also explain the distortion.
I read about that on Wikipedia. Whatever his reasoning, it is an interesting stylistic choice. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I love this
Excellent.
This song is a masterpiece!!! I’d love it if you could listen to basketball shoes by black country new road. Great new band but sadly just after their second album was released the lead singer left:(
Have done reactions to BCNR. Check out some of the older episodes. Episodes 13 & 18.
Just found your channel; do you have any songs/albums that stand out as favorite's of yours that you would recommend?
If you mean favorite reactions, I'd say start with SOPHIE or Julia Jacklin. I'm getting a lot of hits on GTBE! As for favorite songs, I have a Master Monday playlist on here. Hope that answers your question.
Mi cancion favorita de The Voidz :))
Muy bien.
x2
x2 aún que pyramid of bones se queda cerca
don't know why he would recommend the audio version. The music video version is slightly clearer and more guitar driven. It just hits harder
edit: it also has the demo at the end 👌
Coke vs. Pepsi. Anytime there is a binary decision to be made, people will have different opinions. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Excelente!!!
Muy bien.
This was a nice first impression (of earth, lol - a strokes joke). I see your Zappa book and I wondered if you have listened to any Unknown Mortal Orchestra ("Multi-Love"... "That Life")?
Yes I have many years ago. The memory is starting to fade.
great video!! bigup!!!
Thanks and welcome.
Put money in my hands and I'll do the things you want me to
Thank for watching PHil.
So you’ve probably get his now but the singer Julian Casablancas always sounds muddled in the mix especially in the voidz. They just released another song yesterday and his vocals are hard to hear. But once you know the lyrics you understand and hear them pretty clear. Love this song, keep it up
I'll keep it up Perioax. Appreciate the comment.
you should definitely listen to why are sundays so depressing by the strokes!
I have to confess to not being a big Strokes fan. I went ahead and played it off channel and I like it...but don't love, love, love it. Thanks for the recommendation.
you totally get it man. I hated this and would skip it everytime but for some reason it became my favourite and it makes me emotional everytime even though i don't connect to the lyrics. I still wouldn't play this in a party or like make my parents listen to it though.
Probably a good idea on that last part. Ha ha. Thanks for the kind words rust.
I hope you take time to watch the music video at some point. Although I like the studio recording more, the video itself is a quite an experience
I did. Wish I could say I liked the video, but I didn't. I like the song though.
Good call on the Mozart opening
I had a little help from Wikepedia on that one, but thanks.
I think his vocals are burred because of his complicating relationship with his father. Everything about this song is meant to symbolically represent that relationship from the to the child-like chorus that represents the wishful happy father-son relationship that he yearned for , to the distortion that represent the messiness and chaos of emotions that get brought up when he remembers his father.
Others have mentioned this and I guess it makes sense...sort of.
7:08 this part is my favorite. No other song has really captured the same feeling of grief for me. Its so simple and hauntingly beautiful.
This song came out a year after Julian Casablancas father died. A lot of this song is about his relationship with his father. And some other personal and poltical stuff thrown in there. But like Julian said in another song, majority of his music is just a collection of thoughts. Somethings have meaning. Some dont
When you talk about progressive rock, you hit the nail on the head. And really The Voidz didnt mean for Tyranny to sound so prog rock. But thats kind of how it ended up.
Thanks for commenting lalo time. Music can be very moving for sure.
Love that you do research on the songs a little first. If nothing else, makes you seem actually interested in what you react to.
Yes, I am not faking it. Thanks so much for the kind words.
New subscriber here! Very much enjoyed your take on this song. Have you listened to anything from "Black Country New Road"? Would love to hear your take on anything from "Ants from Up There" like "Basketball Shoes".
Welcome to the channel. Yes, I did reactions early on (episodes 13 & 18). You should be able to find them on a search.
Maybe he buried his vocals cause that's what he felt with his dad? (altough is not something strange in Casablanca's vocals)
That makes sense.
You should check out the more simplistic and beautiful demo version with the Martin Luther king art.
Love them Both 👍
And this song is definitely one of those growers. Overtime it does change.
I watched the official video tonight (off channel).
Make a reaction to The Mars Volta - Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus. This is the best prog rock band of our time.
I bought that CD when it was released. Not possible to do an honest reaction, sorry.
I very much prefer the music video version.. feels more alive
I knew going in there were two versions....which means some will prefer Coke and some prefer Pepsi.
What rating did you give it after the second listen?
I understand it better, but my rating is about the same. Watched the official video.
Also because Ive lived with this song since it came out, it's very clear to me that the reason for the muddled vocals is because he feels shame. Shame to speak to his dad posthumously when he had the chance prior to him passing but it feels as if he didn't take that chance. Idk that's my interpretation Ive always felt that he carries lots of guilt and shame across the lyrics and that gets delivered through his tones and distortion in moments of conflict with his dad
Even if it's not true, I really like your interpretation. Let's go with your version.
I couldn’t get in with the Voidz. Think I’ll stick with the Strokes.
No right or wrong....but then again, you grill your sushi. Ha ha.
Understood.
You're missing out brother
You must listen to the music video version. It has live vocals and sounds much better overall
Yeah, a couple other folks have mentioned this. I'll give it a listen on or off the channel...not sure yet. Thanks.