music debate number 1

today is an exciting day for one among the fence. it's the first of many music debates, in which a friend and myself debate a topic. neither knows what the other has written, and we post at the same time. so here we go with debate numero uno.

debate topic: top 5 EPIC coheed and cambria songs
guest blogger: chris ham, aka green.

janelle's opinion:

for starters, i think i should cover the things that make an epic coheed song. these things include: length (in my opinion, over 5 minutes); placement/storyline (placement on the album itself and placement within the co & ca storyline); lyrics (needs to have some substance to be an epic, right?); and lastly, some sweet delicious guitar.

5: "the reaping/no world for tomorrow"
from: good apollo, i'm burning star IV, volume 2: no world for tomorrow
combined length: 6:18
Listen to The Reaping by Coheed & Cambria : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/21760160
Listen to No World For Tomorrow by Coheed & Cambria : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/21760090

this epic was a slight stretch. no world for tomorrow was barely an epic (in length) without the addition of the reaping. but, hey, this is a progressive band, so deal.
what makes this an epic? ever seen these boys in concert?! they open with NWFT. and it rocks your face off and sets the tone for the remainder of the night. and the reaping doesn't seem like an epic. but just listen to the 8 or so lines it contains. it's an epic. picks up right where the first good apollo left off. and that last line... "or no world....". thanks sanchez. translastion: "get ready, i'm going to rock this place with the next track". BOOM. really, nice opening guitar on NWFT. "wait, there's never been a mess like this". really? you want to know more. then, a smooth chorus telling everyone "there's a world's worth of work, and a need for you". yes, there is! then a march-style guitar/drum. thing is, these two opening tracks pull you in slowly. then, you hit that bridge. remnants of a distorted guitar, sweet lyrics, and a super sweet (be it short) guitar solo. placement in the storyline is interesting. you know claudio (the character, not the dude) is going to rip some stuff up.
epic rating (scale of 1-10): 4.

4: "the willing well IV: the final cut"
from: good apollo, i'm burning star IV, volume 1: from fear through the eyes of madness
length: 7:40
Listen to The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut [Explicit Album Version] by Coheed & Cambria : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/15691591

placement on this one is supburb as the final track on the album. it starts OFF with a solo. way cool. you really REALLY don't think this is an epic at first. and perhaps, on paper, it really isn't. good tune, super bluesy (YESSSSSS). then you get to the line "you're a selfish little whore, if i had my way i'd shut your face in the door". really? kinda... um... harsh. but that's the glory. this is the place in the storyline where the main character is fed up with everything. when does this turn into a slight epic? when we hit that amazing guitar solo. you know you're going to be tapping your toes. but, as i said before, maybe not an epic on paper. but go watch sanchez play this live. all of the other band members leave him on stage alone. to jam. with that guitar. and, yes, it makes the song about 15 minutes long. but who cares. the man plays this solo WITH HIS TEETH. absolute gold. gotta give it to the man.
epic rating: 5

3: "in keeping secrets of silent earth: 3"
from in keeping secrets of silent earth:3
length: 8:13
Listen to In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3 by Coheed & Cambria : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/13660559

oh, that sweet, sweet orgasmic opening. this guitar is gritty. GRITTY. the drums are happenin'. you're hooked within the first minute: "the restless children sit and mourn the graves of those they've never seen before. will they be buried here among the dead, in the silent secret?" the chorus: "man your own jackhammers, man your battlestations, we'll have you dead pretty soon". once it gets going, this thing does not stop. rocks you as the second track on the album, perfect placement. the bridge- it just sounds evil guitar wise. and talks about "cutting the throats of babies". heavy. then we go back to lighter guitar. gives you time to process what you've just heard, which is really a shock to the ears. and, suddenly, this stuff gets all pretty. guitar- and lyric-wise. it actually calm you down, and you think it's over with "we were one among the fence, one among the fence". BUT IT ISN'T OVER. (that's the best part, can you tell??) back to opening guitar. and enter the ever popular "oh, oh, oh, oh!!!". cool thing about the oh, oh lines is that, when in concert, every single person in the venue sings it. it's a complete comrodity between thousands of fans. best part is the placement of the track. it seriously keeps you rocking all the way through track 10, "a favor house atlantic". after that track, you feel amazing.

2: "welcome home"
from good apollo, i'm burning star IV: volume 1: from fear through the eyes of madness
length: 6:14
Listen to Welcome Home [Explicit Album Version] by Coheed & Cambria : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/15691622

THE epic? almost! this is the song that sparked epic talk. and, it was top spot... at least for a while. you KNOW this thing is epic when it starts. it's track 3 on the album, and the first two tracks almost put you to sleep. ("always and never"? how about never.) then, the crisp guitar. this thing plays itself out for a minute or so. then, in epic style, a first line for the records: "you could have been all i wanted, but you weren't honest. now, get in the ground!" and, that guitar you heard in the beginning? it doesn't stop. whole song through. lyrics just keep getting better: "you stormed off to scar the armada, like Jesus play matyr, i'll drill through your hands". this song is also, as deemed by me, dance worthy once the tempo picks up a little. aaaaaaand then we get to "please make up your mind, girl, before i hope you die", followed by THE greatest guitar solo ever. EVER. the ending of this also reminds me of IKSSE:3. everyone sings along. makes for happy concert times. added bonus: it kicks right into "ten speed", and i promise that's not a bike. epic rating: 10. and a half. =D

1. "mother superior"
from good apollo, i'm burning star IV, volume 2: no world for tomorrow
length: 6:38
Listen to Mother Superior by Coheed & Cambria : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/21760165

and, now, we've reached THE EPIC. why, oh, why is this IT? it's hidden. way deep in the middle of the album. and the whole album moves at a steady pace (minus feathers... oh, feathers....) mother superior is sandwiched between the running free (the first single from the album), and gravemakers & gunslingers (which almost got a spot on this epic list at number 5). it is also the song that starts the slowest. this is one that really ends up hitting you right in the face when it's over, and that feeling is amazing. this song literally takes you from being calm and saying "wow, this is pretty" to making you feel overjoyed by the power of music. i think mother superior takes the turn into epicness with the line "oh, they know you're just a boy, so grow up and be a man". then the guitar turns just a little evil. the minor chords really pull it together. the chorus is catchy and beautiful. and, seriously, what put this over the epic scale is that there are STRINGS. how can strings make anything bad? sanchez never even sings the name of the song until (almost) the end. and by then you're overwhelmed with prettiness of violins and lyrics that hit the heart. it's THE epic because you feel it, you don't just hear it. and let's face it, that's what music is all about.
other noteworthy lyrics include: "young fools don't cry anymore"
"mother superior, come catch the rabit, he runs. what have you done?"
"when you're sick to the stomach, just pull out the knife"
and the best, "go fetch your gun".
epic rating: way off the charts.

and, because what's a day in the life of the friendship between green and myself without a good ole' "HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!"

chris's opinion:

This is Janelle's blog, not mine, so I'm going to keep my picks short and sweet so as to not overstay my welcome here. :)

It's not very difficult to pick out epic tracks from Coheed & Cambria's discography given that their albums are actually telling the sci-fi saga of two fictional characters (guess their names!), not to mention the larger-than-life album titles like "No World for Tomorrow". The difficult part is narrowing it down to 5 of the best. Here is my attempt (in no particular order):

1. Welcome Home (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness) - How can any rock song with a string section AND a double neck guitar AND Gregorian-like chanting in it not be epic? The lyrics tell quite the story too: "Well you're just as I presumed, a whore in sheep's clothing" and "You stormed off the scar the armada, like Jesus played martyr, I'll drill through your hands". Ladies, beware... do not cheat on this man. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEsnX4utdyQ]

2. No World for Tomorrow (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol 2: No World for Tomorrow) - Umm... is the name itself really not sufficient? If that's not enough, how about the mind-blowing arpeggiated guitar riffs? No? "So beat me, until the blood and the bone finds our end near." [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI9UUKrbe3U]

3. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3) - Man your battle stations, people. It's war, you're going to die soon. But first you're going to need to kill anything, including cutting throats of babies. Tragic? Yes. Epic? Yes. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_Now6WDRc]

4. Apollo I: The Writing Writer (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness) - I chose this one over Ten Speed for one key reason: "So come on bitch, why aren't you laughing now?" Not only is this just plain badass, but this line (and the accompanying riffs) are used fairly often throughout a few other songs. The content of the song itself also lends itself to images of an omniscient presence who can end the world by simply setting down his pen. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQZtVivCXA]

5. The End Complete III: The End Complete (Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol 2: No World for Tomorrow) - The world is ending! EPIC!! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9tL9DaCJ40]

On a (slightly) more important note: HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!

thanks to my dear friend green for participating in this. i had way too much fun combing through four albums and picking my top five.

this is my dearest green and i at mitch-a-palooza, which ironically was also pretty epic.