Poll

Favourite DT album lyrically?

When Dream and Day Unite
1 (1.6%)
Images and Words
12 (19.4%)
Awake
26 (41.9%)
Falling Into Infinity
0 (0%)
Scenes from a Memory
7 (11.3%)
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
12 (19.4%)
Train of Thought
0 (0%)
Octavarium
3 (4.8%)
Systematic Chaos
0 (0%)
Black Clouds and Silver Linings
1 (1.6%)

Total Members Voted: 60

Author Topic: Favourite DT album lyrically?  (Read 6006 times)

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Offline j

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #35 on: July 12, 2010, 03:12:17 PM »
FII, WDADU, and SDOIT all have some real gems and some real clunkers.

8VM and SC are bland but mostly passable with a few bad apples in there (Never Enough and Prophets of War jump to mind).  However, Octavarium (song) and ITPOE--along with a couple others--have some lyrics that I really like.

SFAM's story is kinda cool, but the actual *lyrics* are very pedestrian.

BC&SL and ToT have to be their worst lyrical efforts to date.  I can't believe the praise for ToT, the album that contains As I Am and Honor Thy Father.  Endless Sacrifice and ITNOG aren't exactly lyrical masterpieces either.

That leaves I&W and Awake, and I think Awake easily takes it.  I&W has some cool lyrics and weird imagery going on, but really nothing else DT have done touches Awake in this department.

-J
Personally I don't get what's wrong with a) Prophets of War and b) Train of Thought as a whole. That neither is trying to be super-poetic (and you actually know what the hell the lyrics are about, what can't be said about most of I&W) doesn't make them immediately bad, quite the opposite, they are remarkably good for the themes they're dealing with. Like someone said, "I just don't understand".

I agree, being "super-poetic" is not at all a prerequisite for good lyrics.  But I completely disagree that those songs' lyrics are anywhere near the realm of well-written.  I won't try to sway your opinion, partly because I wouldn't know where to start with someone who thinks Prophets of War's lyrics are "remarkably good". :lol

-J

Offline Darkes7

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #36 on: July 12, 2010, 03:20:36 PM »
Instead of showing how stupid I am, maybe just explain what's wrong with them, especially compared to how usually lyrics about politics look like. ::)

Offline Hoppipolla

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #37 on: July 12, 2010, 03:28:27 PM »
Gotta go with Scenes from a Memory. The story  is painted so vividly that it's almost picture clear when I close my eyes and listen to the album. I

Offline pogoowner

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #38 on: July 12, 2010, 03:29:22 PM »
Awake, without a doubt.

Offline BRGM

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #39 on: July 12, 2010, 04:41:30 PM »
SFAM....It's a story!

But...I don't listen to DT cuz of the lyrics...haven't even cared about the lyrics in their older albums, can't even here what JLB is singing on Scarred at CiM

Offline tri.ad

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #40 on: July 13, 2010, 01:09:51 AM »
SFAM....It's a story!

That is what I just don't understand. How does the fact that an album is a concept album automatically put the lyrics and the music of that album at the top of so many people's "favourite" lists? For the sole reason that they're part of a concept album? I wouldn't agree with this at all.
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Offline ClairvoyantCat

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #41 on: July 13, 2010, 02:28:26 AM »
I always found the SFAM story stupid, cheesy, and cliche.  Awake, with Six Degrees at a close second.

Offline Darkes7

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #42 on: July 13, 2010, 05:25:02 AM »
SFAM....It's a story!

That is what I just don't understand. How does the fact that an album is a concept album automatically put the lyrics and the music of that album at the top of so many people's "favourite" lists? For the sole reason that they're part of a concept album? I wouldn't agree with this at all.
Nope. The reasons for me are:
1) Like I said (more than once in fact... ok, I said it lots of times) - it's just amazing how they combined two very simple stories (a man with visions at night/a love story with two brothers competing) into such a complex concept which, for me, is anything but "stupid, cheesy and cliche".
2) Like someone else mentioned, the lyrics are just incredibly well-written overall and they make it feel real, like if they really exist(ed). I feel it's not even possible to look at it in the "oh, it's just the album concept" way, they just grab you in there.
3) Even though it's just a made-up story, they're written with a lot of feeling and emotion, just like if they were real, personal lyrics. This is quite rare and definitely something to appreciate.
4) There's not a single line in there that wouldn't fit or would be sung in a way that doesn't really fit. Everything is in the right place.

That's why. Like I said, an album being a concept album can either make it even more awesome (if the album is great and so is the concept), or it can bring it down even if it's a great album. This is definitely the former case.

On a side note, I'm surprised by the total lack of votes on FII.

Offline contest_sanity

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #43 on: July 13, 2010, 05:30:48 AM »
On a side note, I'm surprised by the total lack of votes on FII.
Yes, this oversight is really burning my soul :neverusethis:

Offline Darkes7

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #44 on: July 13, 2010, 05:37:42 AM »
Well, You Not Me is obvious and from what I see Burning My Soul and Just Let Me Breathe probably don't have a huge popularity here, but there's some amazing lyrics on the album, especially Trial of Tears.

Offline AcidLameLTE

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #45 on: July 13, 2010, 05:53:52 AM »
Awake.

Offline orcus116

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #46 on: July 13, 2010, 11:14:03 AM »
1) Like I said (more than once in fact... ok, I said it lots of times) - it's just amazing how they combined two very simple stories (a man with visions at night/a love story with two brothers competing) into such a complex concept which, for me, is anything but "stupid, cheesy and cliche".

There is nothing complex about "man's wife sleeps with his brother so man kills them both and makes it look like a murder suicide". That's also where stupid and cheesy come from. It's a captivating story when you're 15 but over the years it quickly becomes way less satisfying.

Offline tri.ad

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #47 on: July 13, 2010, 11:20:23 AM »
I agree with this. The execution of the concept started out interesting though, but the solution of it (particularly regarding the motive of the murder) was very disappointing imo.

EDIT:  tri.ad's post is a much better example of how to use a bit of tact to say you don't like something without baiting another user.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2010, 11:22:39 AM by bösk1 »
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #48 on: July 13, 2010, 11:21:33 AM »
Orcus, we get it.  There are a few things (or, a seemingly endless list of things) you hate.  I'm really tired of the constant, never-ending trolling of DT threads and baiting of anyone who dares like anything you dislike.  Take a week off.
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Offline j

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #49 on: July 13, 2010, 02:26:02 PM »
SFAM....It's a story!

That is what I just don't understand. How does the fact that an album is a concept album automatically put the lyrics and the music of that album at the top of so many people's "favourite" lists? For the sole reason that they're part of a concept album? I wouldn't agree with this at all.
Nope. The reasons for me are:
1) Like I said (more than once in fact... ok, I said it lots of times) - it's just amazing how they combined two very simple stories (a man with visions at night/a love story with two brothers competing) into such a complex concept which, for me, is anything but "stupid, cheesy and cliche".
2) Like someone else mentioned, the lyrics are just incredibly well-written overall and they make it feel real, like if they really exist(ed). I feel it's not even possible to look at it in the "oh, it's just the album concept" way, they just grab you in there.
3) Even though it's just a made-up story, they're written with a lot of feeling and emotion, just like if they were real, personal lyrics. This is quite rare and definitely something to appreciate.
4) There's not a single line in there that wouldn't fit or would be sung in a way that doesn't really fit. Everything is in the right place.

I mostly agree with your first point: the concept itself is a pretty cool idea.  I just disagree with your opinion of the lyrics.  I can't think of any BAD ones off the top of my head, they just don't add much "feeling and emotion" for me I guess.  But I understand your opinion, and I'm glad you get so much enjoyment from the lyrics.

Well, You Not Me is obvious and from what I see Burning My Soul and Just Let Me Breathe probably don't have a huge popularity here, but there's some amazing lyrics on the album, especially Trial of Tears.

Completely agree.  I quote myself:

FII, WDADU, and SDOIT all have some real gems and some real clunkers.

-J

Offline ariich

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #50 on: July 13, 2010, 02:55:20 PM »
Prophets of War is easily DT's worst lyrical effort. People poke fun at TCOT, but to me the whimsical tone works well, and while the lyrics are hardly great, they fit with the story, the mood and the music.

POW on the other hand, tries to make a political, but has too many awkward lyrics, and on top of that it just doesn't fit the most fun and upbeat music to the song.

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #51 on: July 13, 2010, 08:24:23 PM »
the latest album is really lame in a sense of lyrics, as JP has suggested in song: their artistic creativity really withered.

maybe awake is the best DT album both lyrically and melodically.
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Offline robwebster

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Re: Favourite DT album lyrically?
« Reply #52 on: July 14, 2010, 05:28:51 AM »
Prophets of War is easily DT's worst lyrical effort. People poke fun at TCOT, but to me the whimsical tone works well, and while the lyrics are hardly great, they fit with the story, the mood and the music.
Aye. I kind of think that maybe some of the people taking the piss out of TCOT aren't quite getting the joke.

It's meant to be quirky. Bizarre. It is a story about a crime that was never going to happen. It's not an emotional voyage. It's a surreal anecdote. Loopy and a little paranoid. I honestly don't think there's a single line out of place, it's got a very exact tone.

Prophets of War is a bit on the nose. Not out-'n'-out dreadful, but if he started singing "Down with Bush" it wouldn't feel like a massive diversion, which is a bad thing imo.

Their outright worst lyrics are really hard to choose. There's nothing atrocious. Things that bother me in lyrics are generally mixed metaphors and when people try to inject colour but it falls a bit flat... or cliches, actually. Some lyricists tend to repeat phrases a hell of a lot. Mostly Autumn ALWAYS go on about things being "Somewhere in between."

I suppose one thing I'm not as fond of is when they namedrop. I don't like when they namecheck made-up characters. But that doesn't a bad set of lyrics make. Hard to say.