[Editor's Note: This post was written by Paul and
brought to you by the fantastic music site The Yellow
Stereo. Check it out!]
I've wanted to write about this album for a while now, but I
just felt I couldn't do the story of how it came together any kind
of justice. It's such a lovely story of a love that seemed lost
between two people but as fate would have it was given a second
chance through music. It's a collection of tracks centered around
the feeling of longing for someone. Lyrics that explain an
unhappiness of life without that special person to fill that void,
that emptiness. I'm sure it's a feeling we've all experienced at
some point in our lives.
Modern Inventions
(
)
Like I said though, knowing the story of how The Submarines and the
album Declare a New State came to be makes it that much
more compelling and interesting. This story begins with Blake
Hazard (her great-grandfather was F. Scott Fitzgerald) and John
Dragonetti, the duo that comprises The Submarines. Both who
were solo artists at the time, basically met in Boston and became
members of each other's respective bands. From that point on, a
relationship was formed that continued for four years as the two
toured together across Europe. The romance was real which continued
on as the two decided to relocate to L.A. together. But the
relationship didn't last much longer after the move as it ended in
2004.
Brighter Discontent
(
)
After the break-up, the two continued to write and record songs
separately, but it's interesting as the music that each had created
was basically about their relationship and being away from each
other. While recording their songs together at Dragonetti's home
studio, realizing what each had written about one another, a fire
had been rekindled and a second chance at love was at hand. The end
result is The
Submarines and this wonderful record that they had written to
each other while apart.
This Conversation
(
)
Isn't that just lovely? I absolutely love stories like that and
being the hopeless romantic that I am, it just makes my heart melt.
Knowing all those details that went into the creation of that
record just adds so much emotional weight to the lyrics from both
Hazard and Dragonetti. Usually with music like this it can come off
as incredibly cheesy but fret not as this is honest and real. It's
an album that seems bittersweet, but knowing the outcome gives this
album a tone that is pleasant and full of hopefulness. It reminds
me a lot like Set Yourself On Fire from Stars, but that
was pretty much a bitter post-relationship album, and like I said
listening to Declare a New State is bit more hopeful. It's
such a beautiful record, it's one that makes you believe in love,
in second chances and the powerful effect that music can have in
that aspect.
Darkest Things
(
)
I'd recommend this to anyone with a heart, as it's easily one of
my favorite albums of the year. It's a record in which the whole
theme is laid out in the first track
Peace and Hate
(
) as Hazard explained in a
Filter article, "That conflict is inevitable but you live with it.
That you still love each other, so you move on. You declare a new
state."
Posted in Uncategorized | by treetops | No Comments »
Tagged as Alternative, Folk, Indie Rock
