Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Thank You Scientist - Caverns (AUDIO ONLY) ORIGINAL VIDEO: • Thank You Scientist - ... Patreon: www.patreon.com/criticalreactions Twitter: critreactions
3:18: "I wonder how the singing is going to be when they get back to their crazy prog stuff tho. I don't think this light pop-y singing will fit with that." Me: *finger guns* That's where you're wrong kiddo.
I love the theremin but I always forget it exists. It's such an unusual instrument and I rarely see it in modern music. Thanks for clarifying that for me.
You should have gone with Mr. Invisible, it's poppier but I feel it's easier to grab you into the band's sound. This band's output is also kind of a grower imo, it took me a while to learn to love this song for instance. I feel you should check Diablo Swing Orchestra, it's also a band that fuses disparate elements but more in an avantgarde way rather than proggy (although they have some proggy stuff).
Yeah, as much as TYS fans love Caverns I'd have said any of these would have been better intros: Mr Invisible Rube Goldberg Variations FXMLDR Anchor My Famed Disappearing Act
tom monda is without question one of the greatest guitarists of all time. "My famed disappearing act" is a great example of how terrifyingly good his work can be.
To sell you on their guitarist Tom Monda I would highly recommend either Son of a Serpent or Blood on the Radio as I feel like the solo in those songs are more of what you might like! Aside, those songs are some of the best of their entire catalogue.
I play guitar and always aspire to use tasteful shred. I play drums too, write and record my own music/lyrics. Musicality is more important than technicality in my opinion, so maybe we're coming from a similar perspective. However, I think the solo in this song is incredibly tasteful and creative. His way of phrasing together melodic ideas is really interesting and it keeps you on your toes. I would consider it tasteful shred. It's extremely well written and coherent guitar work. All of his solos are like that, and if you disliked that you're probably not going to like any of his work. The thing you can't really pinpoint about the band that keeps you from wanting more might just be their overall sound. I know that sounds vague, but it really isn't. It's like people. You're not going to click with every person you meet. Some people grow on you. A bands sound is just the collective personality behind the music. I think I gravitate towards bands with eccentric qualities. Mastodon would be the best example out of each band I listen to. Leprous is a recent one I've gotten into. It adds another layer to the music when it has unique quirks. That's why generic mainstream music is the worst. I would relate it to superficiality.
If you want a song by them where it’s more prog when he’s singing too, give Blood on the Radio a listen. The rhythms are complex and catchy, has that nice balance you’re taking about.
I'll also add that TYS grows on you. I think what you feel in terms of it not hooking you is largely a part of just how many ideas TYS throws at you. If all music is based around "pattern" and "surprise," where "patterns" are needed for hooks, TYS is mostly about "surprise." The music keeps you on your toes, but the downside of that is that it requires more listens for the hooks to sink in. FWIW, I'm not crazy about the guitar solo here either, but they have better ones for sure.
I wonder if the leaning on the "surprise" is what left me wanting more. The way you describe it reminds me of J.J. Abrams story writing concept of the "surprise box" where he just keeps writing crazier and more interesting plot points without allowing his films a moment to breathe or his audience an opportunity create any expectations. There are no patterns or "hooks" in his films and I tend to dislike them because constantly being at the edge of my seat -- or on my toes in the case of music -- is only interesting for so long before it becomes normal. Not to mention that surprise really only works for a first time listen so solid writing needs to be present to keep someone coming back. I need to relisten to TYS with this mindset and see if that was my issue. I really dislike walking away from a song and not knowing why I felt a certain way about it.
@@CriticalReactions There are definitely parallels in film and TV. I also think that people tend to have different tolerance levels for both aspects. For many, too much pattern is boring/predictable while lots of surprise is exciting and interesting, and for others too much surprise is annoying/disturbing while lots of pattern is fun and pleasurable. I feel lucky that I have a pretty high tolerance to both, which is probably why my tastes span everything from mainstream pop to stuff like Thank You Scientist. I will say that for many "content/idea-dense, surprising music" it does get better on relistens as you start to memorize the patterns. It often gives that kind of music much more replay value. I also tend to like music (or art of any kind) that leaves me not sure how I felt, or why I felt how I did. That's often the stuff that provokes the most thought and even introspection. That's why I often critique art on two very different levels; the first simply being how much I enjoyed it (for whatever reason), and the second being how much I can appreciate it, how interesting I find it, whether or not it makes me think and question, etc. The very best works tend to be those that rate highly on both levels.
That second paragraph speaks to me. The best art causes me to look inward and not knowing how I felt is the best way to get me to be introspective about an artwork. I also tend to look at art as what I appreciate and what I enjoy. There have been quite a few bands that I've ended the video with -- this isn't something I'll listen to on my own time but I love what they set out to do and accomplished.
Yo just stumbled upon your channel and im already loving it! Keep up the great content. Definitely adding on lots of unique and insightful content to the already great music!
Dude, you chose some of the best music to react to. Some of the bands you've done have such a diverse catalog it's hard to listen to just one song. BTBAM, The Contortionist, Meshuggah, and Gojira; just have a field day. Each album has a different sound, and some albums have such a diverse sound themselves, especially BTBAM. Keep it up man.
The first time I saw btbam there was about 7 or 8 people in the crowd, not counting band members, from other bands. There was no PA for the vocals. The singer just screamed over the half stacks and drums. It was amazing and I could tell they were going to be great for years to come.
I am quite a fan of this band, and your analysis was pretty interesting. You should listen to a couple more songs from them. To continue with the very proggy stuff, I recommend Native Construct. Probably Chromatic Aberration for the song. It's a bunch of Berklee Jazz graduates playing some reallllly interesting prog metal, and their whole album is worth it, making use of motifs throughout and all of that good stuff. Anyway, keep it up!
You should check out The Ocean Collective-Permian.They mix some sludgy sounds with harsh vocals and harmonic cleans that goes with the pace of the song.
YESSS! More TYS. Found them a couple years ago and they quickly became one of my favorites. Caverns I don't think was the best track to start, but it could just be that the variation in their catalog is the real experience and is hard to take out of context of the album. Check out something off the new album; it's double-LP-greatness. Lots of longer format songs. Everyday Ghosts (great guitar solo), Anchor (great electric violin solo) with Shatner's Lament as an intro, Life of Vermin, Geronimo... I'll stop myself now
listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook. the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it
It's crazy for me to see that you've done a video on Thank You Scientist, as I only just found your channel a few days ago (whilst hoping to find someone reacting/reviewing TYS) so the coincidence is incredible! If I were to try and pick just a few of their other songs to suggest doing some followup videos on, I'd say to try: Carnival, Son of a Serpent and Terraformer. (Another great one is their live performance of "FXMLDR" with Bluecoats) I really enjoyed the video and look forward to more interesting perspectives :)
@@junesong8988 Honestly it's such a "who cares" kind of statement to make, and apart from being so demonstrably wrong it's just kinda toxic too. Good to see another Child of the Fence btw. :)
My Famed Disappearing Act, FXMLDR, Terraformer, Blood On The Radio... I mean, this band has so many of my all-time favourite songs. The musicianship of every member of this band (including the vocalist) is incredible. Some of their other material has more singing over the "more proggy ideas" as you put it. My Famed Disappearing Act from their first full-length album was what first got my attention and then Blood On The Radio (same album) had me hooked on them, but I know others first heard FXMLDR and Terraformer from their most recent album. If you listen to any of them, though, you won't be disappointed.
listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook. the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it
Talking about their live stuff. I saw them open for Coheed and Cambria a few years back and listened to their first album before going just to get a feel for what they were like. Loved the album and got blown away in live. They were just as on point in person as they were on the album. Amazing band and so fun to see in person. If anyone has the chance to see them, do it.
I will have to say, TYS is very much a band that grows over time, for me I listened to the Ameteur Arsonists Handbook and Liked that but I never really gelled with it, but after you listen to more of their stuff, it kinda grows on you a little.
Makes sense that it didn’t grab you right away. There’s so much going on that it can be a bit overwhelming. TYS is one of my fav bands, and it took me 3-4 listens of their newest album before I really ‘got’ it. Now, I can’t stop thinking about it when I’m not listening to it
Tom Monda (guitar player) for me is one of the best guitar players out there, and this solo is a masterpiece, he even put some kind of tango licks, listen to the solo 3 o 4 times and maybe you could find the music in there... anyway i love Thank You Scientist they have made some of the most amazing albums in the past decade
One of the problems with the reaction format is that I have to form opinions after just a single listen. It's fine for less complex songs but it is really difficult to break down stuff like this. For instance, I completely missed the tango licks in the solo. I'll have to give this one a few more listens and see if I come to appreciate the solo any more than I did.
Thank You Scientist!! Thanks for the reaction, one of my favourite bands of the world 😁 You HAVE to check them in studio versions, they are unique!! I recomend the songs: In The Company Of Worms; and the song: Anchor, all have live at music studio version... Greetings from Chile!!
Improvised solos. Having a bit of a Jazz background that's something I would like to see more of in rock. I know some songs use solos more to continue the story -- for instance, Metallica's One would have a totally different feel if the solos at the end were improvised -- but for the most part I think bands could do improvised solos without affecting the core a the song.
One of my favorite bands of all time, Anacrusis. They're pretty obscure Check out: Grateful, suffering hour, sound the alarm, something real, fighting evil
Blood on the Radio is such a monumental track and what caught my ear back in the day. I heard the tail end of it on WSOU and immediately called the station to find out what it was.
Soooo glad you snuck by to respond to that bit of strange criticism... where the rest of the song was so effective... yet the solo is somehow a nothingburger?...Ok... Brilliant brain melting solo! I boil it down to that with bands like you guys, people have to grow into certain aspects of the songs to better understand them and better grasp theme connections to really appreciate them. As a first listen, maybe he's just overwhelmed or his attention is on the rest of the composition? Keep melting all of the faces! Heard about you guys for a long time from Neesh, but never really dove in until last year! Disappointed in myself for never giving a listen!
Redrum Creations It wasn’t strange criticism at all! People don’t have to like my guitar playing, that’s the great thing about music! Different strokes for different folks.
Hey! Thanks for dropping by the channel. I'll be looking at another TYS song this week so I'm pretty excited about that. If you want to check out my stuff it's all at my composition channel: ru-vid.com/show-UCfgjbcj83NOVh-gbnUJ81fQ
I'd say a song, especially if you're into the jazz style, Rude Goldberg Variations is an instrumental song they have that honestly blew me out of my seat the first time I listened to it.
Really liked this one, it really reminds me of a tiny Canadian band called Mandroid Echostar with the prog style, syncopation and soprano singer. Very cool. Edit: Also, as others have said, for brass and metal, check out Diablo Swing Orchestra, ideally something off Pandora's Pinata.
mentioned on a previous vid, I'd love to see your reaction to Amogh Symphony's album The Quantum Hack Code it's a concept album that deserves a full listen, but if I had to pick one track I'd recommend Osiris 1
Hey! You should check out Grizzly Bear! They are a sort of "modern Beach Boys". You can listen from jazz to baroque rock in its songs using metrics like 9/8, and is that kind of band that you have to listen more than once to understand what's happening. Specially with Veckatimest album. I can suggest you: - Fine for now - Ready, able - What's wrong - On a neck on a spit - Sleeping ute - Sun in your eyes (one of their longest songs) - Three rings - While you wait for the others Greetings from Mexico!
Dude gotta react to Native Construct. Bunch of Berkeley students got together and made, imo, a masterpiece of an album. Truly a diamond in the rough. Try the track Come Hell or High Water. The vocalist is fucking amazing as is the rest of the band. This will be a reaction for you and your audience because most people are sleeping on these guys.
You should check out some stuff from their Terraformer album, every song is fantastic on that album. Also thank you for checking this out, this band needs more exposure!!
the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it. listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook.
should try twelve foot ninja if you like the prog metal/jazz fusion, or it gave me a little ska feeling like streetlight manifesto. vocals and some melodies reminded me of coheed and cambria, but some of the more just dancy prog stuff made me think of closure in moscow.
As someone who prefers harder stuff, I wasn't sure how I felt about this band right away. My ears told me I liked it, but the trumpets and jazzy, super prog sound wasn't quite hard enough for me. It was the "long December" part with that sick guitar tone that hooked me at first. But after I listened to this stuff many times, it clicked for me. You should do another one. Terraformer, going with my gut.
For more proggy stuff: Native Construct (Check out Chromatic Abberation) or Others by No One (Dr. Breacher and the Time Travel Anamoly) For some amazing music: Frost* - Milliontown is absolutely amazing
I found them half a year ago and they catapulted into my top 3 bands of all time. Once you get the knack, it's the only fix. Play something off their new album, Chromology, for something more put together or Blood on the Radio for something more raw.
the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it. listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook.
the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it. listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook. literally all of these songs are lightyears better
I'm offering up Borknagar - Winter Thrice (official video) again. Disclaimer - It's not avant-garde sounds, tech noodling, or musica abstracta. It is a really good song with great vocals though.
While not as proggy as this band, I would love to hear your thoughts/ see your reactions to Tool, almost every song after their Aenima album is near masterpiece level to me, obviously not objectively but their blend of heavy guitars and insane drumming as well as time signature changes and complex lyrics make them the GOAT in my eyes.
If you like brass in metal, try out Salieri by East of the Wall! They make some really interesting compositions while still managing to be super heavy. Just don't use Spotify to listen, because this album has all the song titles mislabeled on Spotify. Also people have definitely already made great suggestions about other Thank You Scientist songs, but I wanna add that Concrete Swan Dive is one that stays proggier during a lot of the vocal sections.
Please do a reaction on Enblood Cast to Exile. It is a very heavy, fast paced and energetic song while still being melodic, I would love if you could do a reaction on their video clip.
I completely forgot about the existence of this guys, I couldn't imagine it would be that suggested. They have some interesting ideas though and the inclusion of brass instruments makes it sound a little bit more refreshing
listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook. the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it.
the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it. listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook.
@@swingonthespiral Oh dude. If you haven't heard of Ron Thal you're in for a surprise. :) He has released albums under 2 names, Ron Thal and Bumblefoot. Most of it is interesting. For a starting point, I would recommend something like Bumblefoot - Normal or Ron Thal - Hermit. He's done so many other things as well.. he played in Guns 'n Roses for a time, has appeared onstage with obscure death metal band Salem, recorded vocals and a solo to a Freak Kitchen track and is now in a supergroup with freaking Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian (both Ex-Dream Theater) called Sons of Apollo. From there, you could try other albums (or compilations) like Forgotten Anthology, Hands, or Uncool.
Hey! New to the channel and I love your stuff! You might not get many other recommendations of this kind, but you MUST listen to Author of Confusion by Neal Morse. The song is about the main character being tempted and mislead by the devil and there is a verse of God calling to him. Neal Morse is almost certainly the best modern progressive rock composer, and I would say one of the best ever. Especially if you like music that paints a picture and gets across a story, you will definitely love this song. Please consider it!!!
First time listening to this band. Really enjoyed this song and rushing to listen to the rest of the album but I don't exactly feel like it sticks in the brain. I actually enjoyed the solo but maybe that's because I'm a guitar player and have a bit of a bias for physicality on guitar. Given how much was going on rhythmically and harmonically I didn't really feel the need for much of an overarching melody.
You deserve to give terraformer a listen! It's their newest album and by far their strongest. Tom Monda (the guitarist) gets way more intricate on that album. He even uses a fretless for the title track.
ryan butler: *By far* the strongest? Seems to be the consensus based on the reactions on this video, so I suppose I’m in the minority on that one. Doubt they’ll ever top MoNP for me. And while I wouldn’t say ”by far the weakest”, their newest album is not my favourite of theirs.
I identify with this review. I *adore* this band on paper. The melodies, the technicality, the brass, it's all great. But I just don't connect to the songs, for whatever reason. I don't love the vocals, I feel like I would enjoy the tracks more freely if they were instrumental. Check out "The Most" from Connecticut. Not a huge bang, but great jazz-influenced math rock with horns.
listen to abandonship, gemini, grin, make out like a tree, a salesman's guide to nonexistence, feed the horses, blood on the radio, absentee, carnival, my famed disappearing act, mr. invisible, blue automatic, need more input, rude goldberg variations, psychopump, the amateur arsonist's handbook. the new album sucked it literally has the worst of their music dont listen to any of it.
Yeah I think you'd enjoy the songs from their album Terraformer more. In my opinion the album is a little more refined, and has slightly better production and songwriting.
Disagree about the production - the guitar sounds super weak at spots, and it's kinda distracting and sucks a lot of the impact out of the music. The opening riff to FXMLDR for example sounds...so, so, so bad. I do agree he might dig some stuff on Terraformer though.
The beauty of the solo is how they come in and exit. How many guitar solos have we heard over the years, gets a little boring after awhile. It’s about how they write for me. They’re amazing, Mondra is a badass
