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Scott's Spotlight #1--21 Pilots

 Originally posted to Facebook on September 5, 2024.


Link to post:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/GL7uszn39RHe4yxF/



Welcome to the first installment of Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight). What’s that? For more information, see this post:
Today I am featuring the duo “twenty one pilots” (purposefully non-capitalized). Some of you are saying “Who TF are they?” Others are saying, “Yeah, I know who they are, but that’s not your usual prog band, so WHY?!? They're a modern POP group, FFS!” OK…more on that later…
21P (which is the shorthand for their name, I’ll use going forward) were formed in 2009 by Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas and Chris Salih in Columbus, Ohio. That line up would only release one self-titled, self-produced and marketed album in 2009. This line up built a grass-roots following in the Columbus area, with Tyler Joseph’s mother handing out free tickets to their shows outside of Ohio State University. Their name is from Arthur Miller’s 1947 play “All My Sons,” in which a character named Joe Keller who shipped malfunctioning airplane parts in WWII, resulting in the death of twenty-one pilots. Their musical style is very eclectic and hard to categorize into a single genre (again, more on MY TAKE about that soon…). Yes there are rap/hip-hop influences, but there is much more than that. Here is only a portion of how their Wikipedia page attempts to categorize them:
The band's musical style has been described as alternative rock, electropop, alternative hip hop, rap rock, indie pop, pop rock, electronic rock, indie rock, hip hop, pop rap, emo, and indietronica.[note 1] The duo has also experimented with electronica, reggae, EDM, pop, synth-pop, folk, R&B, techno, house, disco, hard rock, spoken word, psychedelic, post-punk, bedroom pop, garage rock, emo rap, and funk.[note 2] Because their music contains a mix of many genres, the duo has been difficult to categorize.[243][244]
In the time following their debut album, Thomas and Salih both amicably left at different times (both are still involved in the band’s career).Drummer Josh Dun joined with Tyler Joseph, and they have been a duo since, with Joseph taking on a multi-instrumental role, lead vocalist and primary songwriter. On some occasions, touring musicians have been enlisted. After one more independent release (“Regional at Best”, 2011), 21P were signed to the label “Fueled by Ramen” which is a popular subsidiary of Atlantic Records, for eclectic modern artists and bands.
Upon their first nationally released album “Vessel” in January of 2013, which contained re-recordings of some songs from “Regional at Best,” their popularity quickly began to build. By their next album “Blurryface” (2015) they exploded in popularity, with EVERY song on it and their next album “Trench,” (2018) attaining RIAA gold status INDIVIDUALLY, a feat no other band/or artist has ever done. Two more albums have followed: “Scaled and Icy” (2021) and “Clancy” (2024) which have both been successful as well. Starting with “Blurryface” each of their albums are concept-albums, and with the release of “Clancy” in 2024 they released a video titled “I Am Clancy,” that showed how all 4 albums are connected under one umbrella concept.
So, that brings me to the question of “Why ‘twenty one pilots’ ?”
Well, for me, all the confusion as to how to classify them can be cleared up easily in just 2 words:
ART ROCK
“What?” you say! Yes, Art Rock…. Not Prog but the related category of Art Rock. To my ears, they follow in the footsteps of bands and artists such as David Bowie, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Roxy Music, Sparks, etc…They are very creative, their lyrics are deep and poetic (believe me, if you go down their rabbit-hole, you will find all sorts of videos and posts analyzing their lyrics and connections between their songs.) Their music is highly emotional, based on Tyler Joseph’s psyche. The “character” of “Blurryface” represents his personal anxieties and fears judging his every move. The opening line of “Stressed Out” is “My name is Blurryface and I care what you think.”
Do not let me discount the contribution of Drummer Josh Dun. This guy can PLAY! He is one hell of a drummer and is really a full partner in the creative process.
I cannot be the only one who sees them as “art rock.” Yes, there are rap elements in the music, but true artists bring in different influences to their art. Four consecutive concept albums with an overarching concept? A deep, dark literary reference for a band name? If that isn’t art rock, I don’t know what is.
My personal favorite album of theirs is “Blurryface,” which I would definitely recommend listening to in its entirety if you are interested in investigating further. I will link to it, and some individual featured tracks in the comments. I will link to music videos, as they are really integral to understanding the vibe of 21P.
I hope you enjoyed my opening installment of Scott’s Spotlight. Hang in there prog fans! There will be LOTS of prog on the horizon!

From Comments:

[This will become the Links for Listening Section before long as part of the main post.]

Links:
Apple Music Link for Blurryface:
Youtube Link for Blurryface (Contains all of the official videos from the album)

March to the Sea– First Album

From Vessel:
Ode to Sleep
Migraine:
House of Gold:
Car Radio

From Blurryface (See also the youtube link for the full album above)
Heavydirtysoul:
Stressed Out:
Tear in my Heart:
From the Suicide Squad Soundtrack- (Probably my favorite individual song of theirs)



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