Vessel

A New Meaning

Twenty One Pilots is a band originating in Columbus, Ohio which consists of two men Joshua Dun on drums and the occasional trumpet, and Tyler Joseph who sings, plays bass, piano, and occasionally ukulele. They swirl around from genre to genre including punk, pop, rock, rap, and reggae. Prancing around the stage, and climbing everything in sight, frontman Tyler Joseph smears black grease paint on his hands and neck to represent the persona of his insecurities, given the name Blurryface. They currently have three studio released albums called, Twenty One Pilots, Vessel, and most popular, Blurryface. Every album in itself tells a story; however, Vessel in particular is truly meaningful. Vessel is a very introspective album that confronts the insecurities which come with feeling like a broken human being through its musical and lyrical construction, album art, meaning, effectiveness.

On January 8th, 2013, Twenty One Pilots released their breakthrough album, Vessel. Vessel is their second released studio album which came out two years after the official two man band began in 2011. Vessel is the album that skyrocketed Twenty One Pilots from hand delivering their concert tickets at the doors of their very few fans, to going on tour with two world renowned alternative bands, Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy.

Twenty One Pilots are known for their original album covers. The album cover of Vessel appears to just be two old men. However, these two old men are Tyler and Josh's grandfathers on their father's side. When asked about it, they said that it really has no significant meaning, but it was something that they have never seen done before in the music industry, so they did it. Inside this album comes a picture of Tyler and Josh in skeleton hoodies that zip over their heads. The reference goes all the way back to their first shows. Their intro used to be a recorded monolog that ends with, "Only skeleton bones remain." This is supposed to mean that everybody, when stripped down, is a skeleton, and nobody is different or better than anybody else. This is effective because it brings forward the sense of home (Twenty One Pilots).

Over the course of this album there are few songs that evidently mean a lot for Tyler and Josh. These songs tend to have many dynamic and tempo changes. In the songs, the emotion in Tyler's voice is extremely apparent from the slight voice cracks and changes in dynamics. This really helps his audience feel what he is saying. These few of the songs are the most moving because of the lyrical and musical aspects of the song. These all help tell the meaning of this album which is that nobody is alone in anything.

"Ode to Sleep" is a really emotional song because of the story it tells through its speed- rap verses. "Ode to Sleep" is about a cry for help for all of humanity. It is inferring that the human race is being selfish and we are ruining our world. The theme is presented when he states, " On the eve of a day that's forgotten and fake and the trees they await and the clouds anticipate the start of a day /when we put on our face a mask that portrays/ that we don't need grace." This signifies that the rest of the world is waiting for the day when humanity realizes that there are more things in this world than them, and we need to preserve life of all forms. However, when he says , "On the eve of a day that's forgotten and fake," He is saying that he thinks that day will never come. These lyrics persuade their audience to be themselves and to be generous. (Joseph "Ode to Sleep")

Throughout "Ode to Sleep", the dynamics change from loud to soft in many different areas in the song, and the drums are simple, yet catchy to make the song more dramatic. When Tyler is rapping, he tends to be louder compared to the rest of the song because it sounds as if he is trying to get attention from humanity to hear his message. When he is singing in a more subtle tone, it sounds as if he has been defeated, and the world will not listen to him. This helps to see into his emotions not only through words, but through the tone of his voice. The drums in this song tend to be more scarce. The drums seem to stand out in the quiet parts to make the melody seem bright and light, but the drums are more muted in the rap parts of the song to make sure the attention is on the lyrics and not the beat. This is to make sure that the audience absorbs the full meaning of the song.

"Car radio" is one of the most popular songs on the album because the song tells a story in a much deeper way through very straightforward and raw lyrics. " Somebody stole my car radio, and now I just sit in silence." This song is about the struggles of sitting in a silent car with no distractions. Tyler feels as if he is stuck with the toxic thoughts of his own mind. Tyler proves this when he says, " I ponder if something terrifying because this time there's no sound to hide behind." This brings the audience through the course of his thoughts when he is alone. This is effective because there is no hidden message behind the lyrics; the lyrics itself is the message. (Joseph "Car Radio")

The majority if this song is very soft and subtle, but the end is an explosion of loud screams to be more dramatic, and for the audience to feel the song on a deeper level. The whole song is consistent in a mezzo-piano to a mezzo-forte dynamic. However at the end of the song he repeatedly screams, "And now I just sit in silence!" This means that he is trying to fight the demons that lurk in his mind. This sudden explosion of repeated words makes his listeners feel the struggle that he is facing. (Joseph "Car Radio")

"Truce" is the most emotional song in the album due to its raw lyrics. With lyrics such as, "Now the night is coming to an end the sun will rise and we will try again," and, "I will fear the night again I hope I'm not my only friend," Bring forward a depressing feeling to the song. In between those two verses he repeats, "Stay alive, stay alive for me. You will die, but now your life (Joseph "Truce")

Vessel in comparison to their other albums is better because of the raw lyrics and the meaning. Twenty One Pilots are mostly known for their newest album, Blurryface. In that album, the melodies are very happy, but the lyrics are deep. This a lot of times confuses the listeners to think that it is a happy song and not get the full meaning. However, in Vessel, the lyrics are deep enough that the melody has no effect on the meaning. Vessel is deeper in terms of lyrical construction.

Twenty One Pilots spread the message that you are not alone no matter what you are going through by using deep lyrics and musical construction. Because of the lyrics and their massage, the majority of their audience are people who have demons of their own. Vessel is the reason that Twenty One Pilots made it big. Vessel is filled with dark lyrics masked with upbeat melodies. "We all have our masks that we wear," Is what this album is trying to get across. These two men travel across the world trying to spread this message, and they hope that people start catching on.