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Last Active 08-13-19 5:50 pm Joined 01-23-15
Review Comments 2,781
| Sonder: Explained
I'm a sucker for concept albums. Even albums when an album doesn't have an intended story to it, I love trying to come up with a narrative in my own head. Here's my take on one of my favorite albums this year: "Sonder" by TesseracT. Let me know what you think! | 1 | | TesseracT Sonder
Luminary: We meet our protagonist, an angry, lost individual. He feels disconnected from the world around him, and because of this disconnect he seems to lack empathy and believe himself to be a danger to others.. | 2 | | TesseracT Sonder
King: The protagonist is approached by an entity that offers him power in exchange for his control of his physical form. He bends to the will of this creature, accepting that this will allow him to enact the things he’s always felt: like he is elevated above others, and that he is meant for something greater. | 3 | | TesseracT Sonder
Orbital: In his last moments of total control and consciousness he laments his position and questions whether or not this is the right path. He sees the world for what it really is, and longs for a connection to it. | 4 | | TesseracT Sonder
Juno: The entity takes control. Our protagonist begins to destroy every aspect of his life. The entity has control and begins to cast aside all this man has ever loved. He is enveloped in the power promised to him and begins to use it. People are dying, cities are torn apart, and he becomes something evil. | 5 | | TesseracT Sonder
Beneath My Skin: The protagonist, existing in astral form, begins to realize that he was used by this entity to gain control in the physical realm and cause havoc. He fears that, if he doesn’t act soon, he will be forever removed from the world and never able to take control. | 6 | | TesseracT Sonder
Mirror Image: The world (or city) is in a state of ruin. In a continuation of the previous song, he finally sees himself for what he was: a selfish, lost, pathetic, and lonely individual. He breaks, and longs to return to the world, to return to love and the connection that comes from being with humans. He frees himself from his astral prison and, in doing so, creates two halves of himself. He realizes that this entity fed upon him and, now being strong enough, has been able to manifest itself in physical form. | 7 | | TesseracT Sonder
Smile: The entity rises into the sky, becoming a massive titan of sorts, and begins to lay waste to the world. It draws life from feelings of hopelessness and despair and grows even stronger. Humanity is decimated. | 8 | | TesseracT Sonder
The Arrow:As the apocalypse ensues, the protagonist watches the world burn and wishes he’d spent his life a different way. He feels he wasted it on feelings of negativity and anger when he could have had such a more fulfilling life. | |
BeyondCosby
10.14.18 | Any other concept nerds out there? I'm interested to hear your hot takes | kalkwiese
10.14.18 | I like concept albums too, but this feels weird tbh, because this has no narrative. You can get whatever you want out of these lyrics, but this doesn't do much for me.
I did an indepth analysis of The Tide, The Tief & River's End by Caligula's Horse. Some months later I chatted with their singer and told him my version of the story. I was sure my version was the one he had in mind too, but his differed in quite some points, haha. Most of it was very similar though. That was fun, but I read something into these lyrics that just wasn't the intention of the lyricist.
He told me he liked my version better than his tho, haha. I was very happy. So I'd say I'm a concept album nerd in quite some ways | kalkwiese
10.14.18 | Sonder is pretty good actually. One of their best imo. | SitarHero
10.14.18 | Interesting. I hadn't thought of this as a concept album. Gotta re-check. | BeyondCosby
10.14.18 | @kalkwiese I respectfully disagree with your comment that this isn't a concept album. If you go back to the early video they posted for "Smile" on Youtube they have this to say about the song:
Vocalist Daniel Tompkins explains the lyrical concept & inspiration behind the song: "Lyrically ‘Smile’ carries a strong and forward sense of irony as we explore and darkest side of the human condition. The song will witness the manifestation of an ’entity’. Consciousness survives through constant manipulation only to propagate pessimism and hopelessness. Our entity observes, consumes and evolves, bearing witness to human existence, mimicking our presence in colossal form."
And if you watch the "King" music video, it has a similar concept and theme. So while the band hasn't come out and explicitly stated that there is a story behind the album, it seems to me that there is some sort of narrative attached to it.
| BeyondCosby
10.14.18 | Also:
"We chose this track as although it is part of a greater theme, and is in fact towards the end of a story arc, it stands alone very well. We have a solid idea of where we would like to take this track on the next album as it is in no way finished. It is merely one step in a journey." - Acle Kahney | kalkwiese
10.14.18 | Okay, that's interesting, I guess I have to dig into these lyrics and see what I can find | BeyondCosby
10.14.18 | It definitely elevated the album for me. It was strong already, but I think the concept just added a little extra oompf. If that is, indeed, the story behind it. | bloc
10.14.18 | King slaps | BeyondCosby
10.15.18 | That and "Juno" man. The album has some of TesseracT's best tracks on it. |
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