Glassjaw - Pink Roses
I was on vacation last week, so I did not post a SOTW. However, this week I’m going to hit you with something special. I need to do some catching up on the anger because lately I’ve been taking it a little easy on everybody. This week’s song comes from Glassjaw, the Long Island natives that just like to tell it like it is.
If you want to check out some Glassjaw stuff I can only recommend their major Warner Bros. debut, “Worship and Tribute”, which is a lot more melodic and lighter than their previous work. I cannot recommend their first album, “Everything You Wanted to Know About Silence”. There is just too much stuff that would give a “normal person” (people who don’t like screaming, more screaming, and all-out rage) an aneurysm. Trust me on this one, that album is not for the faint of heart. It is light-years angrier and harsher than their second album, especially lyrically. I could not with a clean concious recommend that album to anyone who would be easily offended, but only for fan’s who like that type of music. If you have to question if you like that type of music then you probably don’t.
Song: Pink Roses
Artist: Glassjaw
Album: Worship and Tribute
Why This Song? Ok, having got that initial rant off my chest I must clarify something. I mentioned that this album is a lot softer and more melodic than their previous; however, this song is one of the heavier/angrier songs on this album. This song has quite a bit of screaming and will probably be dismissed by most as garbage. This is the type of music that you have to give a chance and that you probably won’t like right away. I sure didn’t when I first started listening to bands like this. I happen to agree with a quote from Daryl Palumbo, the lead singer of Glassjaw, that states: “I don’t think it’s exactly an easy listen. The easier it sticks to you, the easier it will fall off of you. If you can make it through any art without being completely emotionally pushed in one direction, then it hasn’t done its job.” I have had this argument with a friend of mine. He thinks that I force myself to like music because I listen to it so much. I disagree fully. The albums that I like at first and play over and over again get old quickly; however, the albums that I have to listen to multiple times to appreciate are so much more satisfying and stick with me in the long run. I can think of mutliple examples of this with my favorite bands: The Used, Tool, APC, Rage Against the Machine, and more. All of these bands were an acquired taste, but once the taste was acquired I couldn’t get enough of it.
With that being said, onto the song. This song seems to be about Daryl’s father’s alcoholism. (‘You like to carry my heart in a bag that’s broken. / You’re asking when do I stop? / When the bottle’s empty. / Blacker than my father’s soul, / drunk enough to raise us all.’). This song is angry and I love angry when I’m in the right mood. I’m all about the soft good-feely music at times, but how much more often are you pissed off than in love though? This is my type of music. It’s real music and real emotion. It’s blood, sweat, tears, shame, pain, anger, fear, and brutal honesty. That is the same reason I loved the Used first album so much. Glassjaw, at least so far, are artists that are uncompromising. Sure, Glassjaw softened a bit but that is just maturity through age and them facing different challenges than they were facing since they are no longer teenagers. They still wear everything out on their sleeve, they tell the truth, and best of all, they scream it in your face. This song and album are therapy, and I’m ready for my session.
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