thehuntfortrencherlostmedia

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Man, the Astoria review alongside a ton of other stuff I want to start keep slipping my mind cause I’ve been so stressed about other things… that I FORGOT TODAY IS THE 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF LOCATING THESE TWO BEAUTIES:

Ramsay Fiction - Shiny Like Dirt

https://youtu.be/bG-OoIsFbow

Don't Touch Me - Ramsay Fiction

https://youtu.be/cM16fWhfNT4

For those of you who still haven’t listened, enjoy this small piece of Trencher history! That day was such a happy one even if I got a mixed reception from Josh regarding us locating these songs.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Congrats on finally getting it out.

I can see how much this album meant to you just by how hard it was to pen down those thoughts & actually sort through them.

Can’t wait to hear your views on Ever After.

Masterpiece Theatre : How I came to know my favourite band

Once again, before I start this essay, I would like to clarify that this is NOT a series of reviews but just me genuinely expressing my feelings I have towards the albums in question because I’m a highschool dropout…bon appetite or whatever. Also while feedback is greatly appreciated,I would like to reiterate that I am just a girl (gender neutral) and I’m mainly writing these because I crave being in an english class sometimes since essays are my favorite thing. If there is something you wish I touched on, I encourage you to write something for yourself. I don’t own essay writing. Also trigger warning for drug use and sexual assault mentions

The year is 2008, I’m 10 years old and I’m at my grandmas for some function. I’m in her basement with my cousin who's 3 years older than me and some friend she brought along. Her friend turns to us while we’re on my grandmas outdated desktop from 2001 and says, “Hey, there's a new song by Marianas Trench, we should listen to it” and I watch as she types the band name (that, side note, she completely butchered the pronunciation of) into the youtube search bar and clicking on a video titled “Marianas Trench - Cross My Heart”. This was my first introduction to my favourite band. As I’m sure those who follow me are aware, this essay has been a long time coming. My reasoning for this is simple; I can't put my feelings towards this album into the typical essay format like I did with Fix Me. This album is one that's truly intertwined into me and shaped me into who I am today. This album was pivotal to my adolescence and it only feels appropriate to express that through writing, something I gained passion for during those very years.

It’s 2009, my sister's first year of high school is coming to a close and she and her best friend have tickets to see Marianas Trench in my hometown, at a small venue that's long since been closed (venues don’t last long here). I don’t actually recall anything important going on for me that night. The last day of school for me was the day after however, and that sticks out way more. If you know anything about pop culture, you’d know this as the day Michael Jackson died. (also Farrah Faucet, no one talks about her. RIP queen)It was ALSO the day where I got interviewed by the local paper because I was on the green team at my school and was SUPPOSED to be on the front page the next day but CLEARLY the environment and global warming aren’t as important to the locals BUT I DIGRESS. Back on the topic, my sister and her best friend were at my house and talking to my mom and I (mainly my mom, I was eating kraft dinner as you do when you’re 10) I remember the moment they showed us Lover Dearest, a song that's really important to me, and, as I found out, a lot of Casselman Nation. They mentioned the meaning of the song, how it was Josh's letter to heroin, and that is something I remembered in the years before I really got into Marianas Trench. (they also showed us Masterpiece Theatre III which went HARD even when I was a 10 year old)

A few years go by, my sister and her best friend now have tickets for a DIFFERENT show. This one was on a much bigger scale, Simple Plans “Get Your Heart On” tour. This tour had three openers, These Kids Wear Crowns, All Time Low (which, side note, FUCK ALL TIME LOW! FUCK JACK BARAKAT! FUCK EVERYONE IN THE INDUSTRY STILL ACTIVELY SUPPORTING THEM! WE DON'T SUPPORT RAPISTS, GROOMERS AND PEDOPHILES IN CASSELMAN NATION! THEY ARE EXILED ACTUALLY) and, of course, Marianas Trench. Something came up and my sister's friend could no longer attend so I got to go instead. This show was PIVOTAL to my taste in music now. I still think about it regularly because Ever After had just been released. This was ARGUABLY the most theatrical trench have ever been. (This all may seem unrelated to Masterpiece Theatre but TRUST ME, we’re getting there) As I previously stated, this was a bigger scale than the last time she had seen them. To put it bluntly, this night changed my life in so many ways.  I remember getting there around These Kids Wear Crowns’ set. Then we sat through All Crime Lows set. Lastly, before Simple Plan, Marianas Trench went on. I got to witness Josh Ramsay, a guy who i was familiar with because of the singles on Masterpiece Theatre, and after this I went all in. They became more than just a band to me that night.

After that night, I made it my mission to TRULY listen to Marianas Trench. When I say truly, I don’t just mean I learned their entire discography over time, I mean I went in, all or nothing. I took my tumblr account that I made four months prior, the one that was vaguely related to My Little Pony and The Hunger Games and turned it into a band blog basically overnight. Through my main blog, I made some shit posts here and there but I mainly just reblogged any and every post related to the band. It was the first time where I learned the names of everyone in a band as well as their crew and anyone affiliated with them, whether it be openers, friends in the industry or music video extras/characters. (thank you Darla Taylor for making me realize I definitely liked women) I learned every inside joke, could pretty much quote every behind the scenes videos and could not look at a pomegranate in a normal way ever again. Through my not casual obsession with this band, I started listening to other bands. I learned that I really loved a concept album. I created a silly little side blog that was following a trend at the time called amiiancasselmanyet. 

I can wholeheartedly say that this silly little shit post blog that I sometimes post essays and think pieces on truly came into existence because of this album. If I had not been introduced to this band by my weird cousin (who is a literal scam artist by the way), I would not be here today. I would not be writing this now. I would not be into the other two bands I’m not casual about at all (thank you Waterparks and Fall Out Boy, I’m sorry if this ends up in either of those tags). Before writing this, I had severe writer's block which lead me to asking the followers of this blog what this album meant to them. I won’t be posting those stories but there was a common thread; that thread was that music is truly something that unites people. It’s something that builds community and something that can be really, genuinely beautiful. If there's one thing I know, it's that there's so much beauty in fandom and I am TRULY grateful for what Marianas Trench have brought to not only MY life, but yours as well. This essay has been a long time coming and a labor of love, however, it's only going to get more and more personal from here on out. Thank you for waiting this one out, I’ll truly see you when I write my Ever After essay.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

It’s MT Day.

I wish I had something I could share… so, I guess this’ll do: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Z7x99ImrsPkRQ9qGlIvrgsB-l1Ba3XhS

This is a direct link to PMS/Bitch for those of you who haven’t heard it & would like to.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Love seeing how someone who listened to the albums in a different order feels! In addition it also makes me intrigued to see what people will think of my Astoria take, as I know SO many who found the band during that era.

It’s also been a lot of fun talking about these songs!

The Mediocre Fairy Tale, Ever After - A Marianas Trench Retrospective

Med… mediocre? Cody…. What do you mean? Ever After is their best album! It’s the album that made me discover the band! How the fuck is it mediocre?

Oh boy. It’s time to get controversial here and to admit my true feelings: I feel Ever After is the weakest Trench album overall. Why? It copies a little too much of Masterpiece Theatre in terms of the tracklist and in this case the second go around didn’t always produce their best work.

This isn’t to say Ever After doesn’t have its moments or even some of the best songs in the bands history. Up until A Normal Life, Ever After was my favourite of the bands openers, immediately setting the fairy tale tone of the album. It’s basically the outline of the story the rest of the tracks will go over in song form, while also the song that places Josh in Toy Land.

Then, we immediately go into Haven’t Had Enough, the first song off this record I ever heard. And I love this song. It always gets me in a good mood… but I did start to notice the lack of rock…

Then we have By Now, which brings in an acoustic guitar & shows how the band could’ve done a more up tempo version of Beside You. This song was a single but feels like it’s both forgotten by the fans & yet also overrated at the same time.

Then we have our first mis-step, the R&B inspired Truth & Dare. While I love how the song is about Josh & Carolina playing Cat & Mouse with one another… Josh has definitely done a better job at this type of track later on. Also… this is when it got me that the album was gonna be very POP focused.

Then we get to Desperate Measures, another song that shows the band knows how to write good radio tracks. The issue is… we’ve focused on Josh & Carolina screwing with one another on the last song. Did we need another going over that Carolina is so desperate for Josh to be her King?

And… well… we have Porcelain next. The first time I heard this… I didn’t get it at all. Now? It’s perfect in its simplicity. This is how you do a good slow ballad with buildup.

BUT… DID WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER RIGHT AFTER?

Fallout. The most divisive track among Trenchers besides maybe Your Ghost? It got overplayed so much that for a few years I couldn’t listen to it. Now? It’s fine. Sadly, Wildfire used the same elements better.

And now… we have our “let’s loosely copy the back half of Masterpiece Theatre for the rest of the album!” batch of tracks.

Stutter takes the swing elements brought up on Sing Sing & amplified them into a very catchy earworm that I adore. The last S tier song on the album.

Toy Soldiers feels very much like it wanted to be a single but the band got cold feet. I feel like the music video for it would’ve been totally zany, much like Celebrity Status’s. Besides that, the two songs don’t have that much in common.

And then we have our Perfect clone, B Team… which is… eh? Josh is finally confessing his feelings to Porcelain after defeating Carolina & she’s unsure about him, given her relationship with the King. I get why it’s here but it feels like cold feet for no real reason.

So Soon meanwhile wishes it was Lover Dearest. Instead, it’s their mopiest ballad & just lacklustre. A true B - of a track.

And then you got No Place Like Home. I don’t think it’s controversial to say this is the bands weakest closer, and that includes both CTM & Fix Me’s closers. They tried to copy the “let’s use elements from other songs” shtick from MT Pt. 3 & NPLH jist doesn’t quite stick the landing for me. It’s a good end to the story as a whole, but one where I go… that’s it?

But here’s the thing: when I’m in the mood to put on Ever After, I love the narrative throughout the songs tell with each leading into the other, pushing the narrative forward. It makes this slightly weaker batch of songs more powerful as a whole rather than separate songs.

It’s also a great record about how Josh is head over heels in love with Amanda despite the obvious road bumps in their relationship that led to utter heartbreak… and longing for childhood nostalgia.

It’s time now, Astoria…

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

The Mediocre Fairy Tale, Ever After - A Marianas Trench Retrospective

Med… mediocre? Cody…. What do you mean? Ever After is their best album! It’s the album that made me discover the band! How the fuck is it mediocre?

Oh boy. It’s time to get controversial here and to admit my true feelings: I feel Ever After is the weakest Trench album overall. Why? It copies a little too much of Masterpiece Theatre in terms of the tracklist and in this case the second go around didn’t always produce their best work.

This isn’t to say Ever After doesn’t have its moments or even some of the best songs in the bands history. Up until A Normal Life, Ever After was my favourite of the bands openers, immediately setting the fairy tale tone of the album. It’s basically the outline of the story the rest of the tracks will go over in song form, while also the song that places Josh in Toy Land.

Then, we immediately go into Haven’t Had Enough, the first song off this record I ever heard. And I love this song. It always gets me in a good mood… but I did start to notice the lack of rock…

Then we have By Now, which brings in an acoustic guitar & shows how the band could’ve done a more up tempo version of Beside You. This song was a single but feels like it’s both forgotten by the fans & yet also overrated at the same time.

Then we have our first mis-step, the R&B inspired Truth & Dare. While I love how the song is about Josh & Carolina playing Cat & Mouse with one another… Josh has definitely done a better job at this type of track later on. Also… this is when it got me that the album was gonna be very POP focused.

Then we get to Desperate Measures, another song that shows the band knows how to write good radio tracks. The issue is… we’ve focused on Josh & Carolina screwing with one another on the last song. Did we need another going over that Carolina is so desperate for Josh to be her King?

And… well… we have Porcelain next. The first time I heard this… I didn’t get it at all. Now? It’s perfect in its simplicity. This is how you do a good slow ballad with buildup.

BUT… DID WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER RIGHT AFTER?

Fallout. The most divisive track among Trenchers besides maybe Your Ghost? It got overplayed so much that for a few years I couldn’t listen to it. Now? It’s fine. Sadly, Wildfire used the same elements better.

And now… we have our “let’s loosely copy the back half of Masterpiece Theatre for the rest of the album!” batch of tracks.

Stutter takes the swing elements brought up on Sing Sing & amplified them into a very catchy earworm that I adore. The last S tier song on the album.

Toy Soldiers feels very much like it wanted to be a single but the band got cold feet. I feel like the music video for it would’ve been totally zany, much like Celebrity Status’s. Besides that, the two songs don’t have that much in common.

And then we have our Perfect clone, B Team… which is… eh? Josh is finally confessing his feelings to Porcelain after defeating Carolina & she’s unsure about him, given her relationship with the King. I get why it’s here but it feels like cold feet for no real reason.

So Soon meanwhile wishes it was Lover Dearest. Instead, it’s their mopiest ballad & just lacklustre. A true B - of a track.

And then you got No Place Like Home. I don’t think it’s controversial to say this is the bands weakest closer, and that includes both CTM & Fix Me’s closers. They tried to copy the “let’s use elements from other songs” shtick from MT Pt. 3 & NPLH jist doesn’t quite stick the landing for me. It’s a good end to the story as a whole, but one where I go… that’s it?

But here’s the thing: when I’m in the mood to put on Ever After, I love the narrative throughout the songs tell with each leading into the other, pushing the narrative forward. It makes this slightly weaker batch of songs more powerful as a whole rather than separate songs.

It’s also a great record about how Josh is head over heels in love with Amanda despite the obvious road bumps in their relationship that led to utter heartbreak… and longing for childhood nostalgia.

It’s time now, Astoria…

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Check your messages.

PMS was found, apparently.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Writers block gets everyone. Don’t worry!

Might write that essay today lmao

Hold me to it

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

The Magnum Opus, Masterpiece Theatre - A Marianas Trench Retrospective

Man... this is a HARD review to write. Masterpiece was my formal introduction to Trench, the album that made me a fan and made me hooked on them for more than half my life. It's always stuck with me and has become of my most listened albums of all time. This guy was on repeat SO MUCH that my original copy sadly has a error occur on Good To You xD But yeah, to get back to the title of this piece, what is a magnum opus? It means a large and important work of art... usually seen as the most important work of an artist or writer. And that certainly fits this album. This is where Josh opted to lean more into the pop side of rock, and wasn't afraid to get experimental. This album consist of a protagonist getting ready to perform after breaking it big, and reflecting on both his past and his present while he does so.

Masterpiece Threate I eases you into this universe, talking about how the actor puts on a performance for the audience, and he worries it might slowly drain him and make him lose who he is. (This will be touched on a lot more during the second portion of the album) We then oddly head into a trio that can only be described as the Honeymoon phase of a relationship, our protag pleading with a girl that he wants to commit to her fully, that he'll do anything for her, and that he misses her when he's on the road performing like crazy. All To Myself is punchy and aggressive, Cross My Heart is catchy as fuck (the CLAPS as percussion is what sells the song for me) & Beside You is a more somber and orchestral ballad that shows the bands love for those elements. We then have our first look into the past of the actor, reminiscing about his childhood home and the memories he made there, but also how it's all gone now... even if he sometimes reminisces about the nostalgia. Acadia is one of those songs where I feel like Josh gets shocked fans love it to much, but it's such a deep, emotional track... everyone gushes about childhood memories like that, even if they were REALLY DUMB in hindsight. Our Intermission Track is all about the fears and worries that come with fame. Not wanting to deal with the media, wishing he could hide himself and also not wanting to hurt his love... scared that they'll hurt her as much as they attempt to hurt him if she's in the limelight. Then we get to my personal favourite song off the record, Sing Sing. I've gushed about this track in a personal piece, but man... every time I play it, I see how it's both a reflection of the media telling him to shut up and sing... but also how singing was his coping mechanism during his stint in rehab. You can see how Still Angr evolved into this... while that was more a track about a bitter breakup and wanting revenge on the girl, this track is just UNFF to my ears. Then... we have a return to the Relationship stuff with Good To You, which feels so OUT OF PLACE here. Don't get me wrong, I love this song (if anything, seek out the demo dueted by Tania Hancheroff, it's a more stripped down version of the tune and it's brilliant), but I wonder if swapping it and Acadia for one another would've been a smart decision. Celebrity Status and Perfect are a great duo of tracks talking all about fame and how it eats at you. Being a perfectionist, Josh wants to make sure his stuff is as good as possible, but also know that if he isn't careful, this industry will chew you up and spit you out. Also, gotta love the callback to Sicker Things... such a good line, repurposed here brilliantly. Now, it's confession time: For the longest time, I didn't get Lover Dearest, but that was because I didn't know about Josh's heroin addiction. When I learned about it... holy cow did this song grow on me so much. Talking about his addiction like a toxic relationship... but knowing it needs to end for the best of the two of them... it's literally made me cry a few times. And lastly, our final crescendo, Masterpiece Theatre III. And what can I say about this song that hasn't been said by so many others before me? Seriously. This... is just magical. People call it a Bohemian Rhaposdy of the modern age, and while it is in many aspects, it's also it's own thing that showcases where the band was headed... leaning more into theatrics, harmonies and showcasing Josh's vocal range. Of course, Josh leaned into that hard.. going into a phase full of magic and whimsy. And what better way to tell that than a fairytale?

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Yup. A fantastic fucking decision.

Marianas Trench putting the tracks "Stand and Fight" back to back with "Turn and Run" was a Decision, and I love it

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

UM SORRY BUT I HAVE TO POST AN ADDENDUM AHHHHH

So, Turn & Run… that bit at the end. It’s not just Fix Me baby. It’s RAMSAY FUCKING FICTION.

Listen to the breakdown on Hideous and Turn & Run’s. They’re eerily similar.

Hello folks.

So, I waited a while to let everything marinate in my brain before writing this. Haven is an interesting album to discuss in the grand scheme of the Trench discography. Everything feels familiar & status quo, but different, new & exciting all at once. Its production is fantastic throughout and truly allows for everything to shine. It’s also their most cinematic album to date, which is saying something given what Astoria was inspired by.

So let’s break down each track, shall we?

A Normal Life: Already gushed about this one when it came out and my thoughts haven’t changed one bit. This just might be my new favourite opener. There’s just a little sprinkling of everything from all across their discography that allows this beauty to marinate and stand on its own.

Lightning & Thunder: I’m torn. I like it still, but I do think that when you listen to it within the context of the album it loses something. It was definitely made to be a radio single. There’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m Not Getting Better: Straight to the point, catchy & fun. I really have nothing else to say on the song.

Down To You: Arguably the biggest earworm on the album. This one gets in your head and it just stays with you.

Now or Never: The By Now of the record for me. Soft & yet full of momentum all at once. This is a dream worth fighting for, indeed. Also, while both INGB & DTY show off a more R&B/Funk flow, it really sticks on this song, and now that you’ve noticed it, you’ll be hearing it a lot throughout the record.

Into The Storm: Hello, Porcelain. But also… it’s own thing. It might not be giving up, but I don’t see it as surrender either. I see it as going with the flow, facing your problems head on. This is also the first true dive into Josh’s relationship with Amanda on the album, and how he’s so happy they finally figured out how to co-exist.

Ancient History: Oh hi, Astoria. You mind if I take elements of Burning Up & Yesterday and blend them into something new? And how about the past arguments in his and Amanda’s relationship don’t matter, and how it was nice to meet back up with her. It shows how time can heal relationships. Also, SAXOPHONE. That is all.

Stand and Fight: The actual Porcelain of the record. People thought they were gonna go in a This Meets War for this song, when instead it’s a slow burn that truly stays with you.

Turn & Run: Here’s how you do a sequel song and then make it stand out from its older brother. Much like the combos of Celebrity Status/Perfect & B-Team/Toy Soldiers, both sides of the coin make me giddy inside. And holy cow… welcome to the edge indeed. That hint of Fix Me screaming… I need more of it Josh. Please? I’ll be a good girl. There’s also a lot of Masterpiece Theatre II on this one. Easily my favourite of the short songs.

Worlds Collide: I go back and forth on this one in my head. There’s parts of me that love it, there’s parts of me that feels it’s too similar to the two tracks before it…. And then we have the end. And that just… made me smile. Also, I love Josh SCREAMING “Nobody’s Safe” and the fact they left in the vocal crack. That’s how you can tell his emotions are in full display here. So yeah.

Nights Like These: The comforting palette cleanser after three songs hit you with whiplash back to back to back. It’s very reminiscent of tavern songs, sea shanty’s & is just a warm hug of a track. Also, breaking down the fact that sometimes it’s nice to have just a cozy, relaxing night with friends. Feels like the Who Do You Love of the record too.

Remember Me By: Um, Micheal? Did you just possess Josh again? This feels so 80’s R&B I can’t help but love it. Also, Ian! Nice to hear you sing, bud. We’ve heard the other three all throughout this record and now we get your voice on top of the amazing percussion. Kudos.

Haven: So, here we are. The closing track. And, it’s good. It feels like they took The Killing Kind , Masterpiece Theatre III & End of An Era Abd threw them in a blender… and the result came out great, but… it does lack something to me? And if anything, it brings out the fact this album fits into the Relationship Theory too: It is about starting anew like I said ages ago but also about how their relationship (Josh & Amanda) isn’t perfect but he loves the imperfection now that they’ve figured out how to make it work. She might’ve broke his heart once but he reconciled & became stronger because of it. And now he can show that all across these 13 tracks.

So yeah. Haven’s likely my album of the year, and I do like it. But I do think that while it has some of the highest highs the band had ever reached, I do think they didn’t fully nail the Hero’s Journey theming & that it’s not as cohesive as some of their other work. It’s a sturdy S-, easily #2 or #3 in my overall rankings, even #1 depending on the day.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Hello folks.

So, I waited a while to let everything marinate in my brain before writing this. Haven is an interesting album to discuss in the grand scheme of the Trench discography. Everything feels familiar & status quo, but different, new & exciting all at once. Its production is fantastic throughout and truly allows for everything to shine. It’s also their most cinematic album to date, which is saying something given what Astoria was inspired by.

So let’s break down each track, shall we?

A Normal Life: Already gushed about this one when it came out and my thoughts haven’t changed one bit. This just might be my new favourite opener. There’s just a little sprinkling of everything from all across their discography that allows this beauty to marinate and stand on its own.

Lightning & Thunder: I’m torn. I like it still, but I do think that when you listen to it within the context of the album it loses something. It was definitely made to be a radio single. There’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m Not Getting Better: Straight to the point, catchy & fun. I really have nothing else to say on the song.

Down To You: Arguably the biggest earworm on the album. This one gets in your head and it just stays with you.

Now or Never: The By Now of the record for me. Soft & yet full of momentum all at once. This is a dream worth fighting for, indeed. Also, while both INGB & DTY show off a more R&B/Funk flow, it really sticks on this song, and now that you’ve noticed it, you’ll be hearing it a lot throughout the record.

Into The Storm: Hello, Porcelain. But also… it’s own thing. It might not be giving up, but I don’t see it as surrender either. I see it as going with the flow, facing your problems head on. This is also the first true dive into Josh’s relationship with Amanda on the album, and how he’s so happy they finally figured out how to co-exist.

Ancient History: Oh hi, Astoria. You mind if I take elements of Burning Up & Yesterday and blend them into something new? And how about the past arguments in his and Amanda’s relationship don’t matter, and how it was nice to meet back up with her. It shows how time can heal relationships. Also, SAXOPHONE. That is all.

Stand and Fight: The actual Porcelain of the record. People thought they were gonna go in a This Meets War for this song, when instead it’s a slow burn that truly stays with you.

Turn & Run: Here’s how you do a sequel song and then make it stand out from its older brother. Much like the combos of Celebrity Status/Perfect & B-Team/Toy Soldiers, both sides of the coin make me giddy inside. And holy cow… welcome to the edge indeed. That hint of Fix Me screaming… I need more of it Josh. Please? I’ll be a good girl. There’s also a lot of Masterpiece Theatre II on this one. Easily my favourite of the short songs.

Worlds Collide: I go back and forth on this one in my head. There’s parts of me that love it, there’s parts of me that feels it’s too similar to the two tracks before it…. And then we have the end. And that just… made me smile. Also, I love Josh SCREAMING “Nobody’s Safe” and the fact they left in the vocal crack. That’s how you can tell his emotions are in full display here. So yeah.

Nights Like These: The comforting palette cleanser after three songs hit you with whiplash back to back to back. It’s very reminiscent of tavern songs, sea shanty’s & is just a warm hug of a track. Also, breaking down the fact that sometimes it’s nice to have just a cozy, relaxing night with friends. Feels like the Who Do You Love of the record too.

Remember Me By: Um, Micheal? Did you just possess Josh again? This feels so 80’s R&B I can’t help but love it. Also, Ian! Nice to hear you sing, bud. We’ve heard the other three all throughout this record and now we get your voice on top of the amazing percussion. Kudos.

Haven: So, here we are. The closing track. And, it’s good. It feels like they took The Killing Kind , Masterpiece Theatre III & End of An Era Abd threw them in a blender… and the result came out great, but… it does lack something to me? And if anything, it brings out the fact this album fits into the Relationship Theory too: It is about starting anew like I said ages ago but also about how their relationship (Josh & Amanda) isn’t perfect but he loves the imperfection now that they’ve figured out how to make it work. She might’ve broke his heart once but he reconciled & became stronger because of it. And now he can show that all across these 13 tracks.

So yeah. Haven’s likely my album of the year, and I do like it. But I do think that while it has some of the highest highs the band had ever reached, I do think they didn’t fully nail the Hero’s Journey theming & that it’s not as cohesive as some of their other work. It’s a sturdy S-, easily #2 or #3 in my overall rankings, even #1 depending on the day.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

So.

Haven.

I am pumped but I’m not sure what else to say or think at the moment.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

The Album of Recovery, Fix Me - A Marianas Trench Retrospective

Okay. I gave everyone a day to listen to Down To You, and now is time to finally get into Trench proper.

After the band signed in 2003, and Mike joined, the group started working on their first album with hopes of a late 2004 or even 2005 release. It would take until LATE 2006 for us to finally get Fix Me. And was it worth the wait?

A little yes & a little bit no. This album mainly consists of cleaned up and more polished versions of tracks from their self titled EP, along with a few super strong & super weak originals.

The standouts: Say Anything is a perfect opening track, being this bombastic tone setter that ordeals with a toxic relationship. If anything, I see it as a rewrite of PMS in hindsight, limiting himself to a single Bitch instead of saying it throughout.

Decided to Break It is a great showcase of the harmonies and vocals the guys can do, and is arguably the best showcase of Matt’s vocals until Astoria.

Alibis is a great number going into how we use masks to get through the day and how they can sometimes eat you up from the inside, leaving you wondering who the real you actually is.

Shake Tramp is a fun ride. Once again, Josh I’d totally getting out his inner pettiness and telling people that sometimes no matter how hard you try you’re still going to feel worthless.

Alive Again stands out as besides the heavier choruses, it’s the most “pop” track of the record.

And lastly, our closer, Skin & Bones, a chilling track about bulimia and how he needs to burn his past to move forward.

The two b-sides to accompany the album are also really strong: Fix Me straight up being about recovery as he has an argument with his internal self, and Feeling Small, another number about bulimia, talking about how toxic it was and how it had such a clutch on him and now it’s almost gone, barely breathing.

And now, we talk about the weaker tracks, most of which are still really good.

September: A song talking about how depression eats away at you using weather as a metaphor. Sometimes it’s hard to admit you need help when everyone else around you is all sunny.

Vertigo: I like the energy on this track and it’s definitely punchy but it lacks something for me.

Push: It’s lost something compared to the STEP version. I don’t know what, but there’s something about the more amateur version that just works more for me.

Low: Another about depression and full of emotion but the pacing kills it for me.

Bit overall, for a debut, this album should be a emo classic. @amiiancasselmanyet said it best when they wrote their piece on this album, which is what makes it so hard to truly dig into & also makes me feel bad cause they went over a lot of my own thoughts and feelings on this album.

Next up: A masterpiece that is mine, entirely guilty by design. The album that led the band to what some believe is their peak.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Jesus Christ it's just banger after banger, this new album is going to obliterate me

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Here I am, ready to finally talk about Fix Me, and then they DROP another SONG?

Seriously go listen to Down To You. It’s good!

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

The Origins, Ramsay Fiction & The Confusing Mishmash of Everything Before Fix Me - A Marianas Trench Retrospective

Okay, so my post got likes, but I only got one actual response from anyone, agreeing with me on the fact they like things in chronological order. So, I guess it's time to talk about the bands early days, eh?

The truth of the matter is, the band as many know them started in late 2003 and early 2004. Anything before that gets placed in this weird murky middle section with a name change, members leaving, and also a complete and utter mess of when Ramsay Fiction came to an end and where Marianas Trench begins. We have located a demo disk from 2001 with the Marianas name on it, but we also don't have any dates as to when certain things were recorded or uploaded onto MP3.com.

Here's what we do know: Josh Ramsay, a teenager dealing with both an addiction to heroin and an eating disorder, loved music from a young age. His father owned a recording studio, and his mother was a vocal coach. Music was literally in his blood, but even though the two had connections into the industry and everything, he set out to make it into the business on his own. And he knew one thing for certain: He DID NOT want to be a solo act, he wanted to be in a band.

The issue for Josh was getting that band together. At first, it was him and his sister Sara (backup vocals), her then boyfriend and later husband Trevor Spilchen (on bass, even though he was a guitar player), Josh's friend Steve Marshall (on guitar and backup vocals, despite being a BASSIST), and a rotating list of drummers, eventually finding Ian Casselman in a series of classifieds in a newspaper late into the bands life. This lineup didn't last long, as once Sara became pregnant with her and Trevor's first kid, they stepped aside... leading to 2 new members joining: Josh's friend Matt Webb (originally a keyboardist), and Steve's pal Morgan Hempstead (the man who bestowed them the Marianas Trench name). It's tough to say who plays what on a lot of the Ramsay Fiction tracks that make up Cooler Than Me, as I think they come from two different recording sessions, if not more. Same goes for a lot of the self-titled EP work too, as we know at least two tracks from that era, an early recording of Fix Me, and a early recording of Skin & Bones, were both first made public to people in 2004... months after Steve and Morgan left, and Mike Ayley joined the group after getting to know everyone as Ian's roommate.

In fact, for the longest time, a lot of the Ramsay Fiction stuff was lost media, songs that nobody outside of a rare few had ever heard. As of April 1st this year, this is no longer the case, and all the songs have been found and preserved (yes, even PMS... despite it being taken off Youtube, has been saved.)

To talk about these songs is hard. There's definitely a lot of emotion and pain in these tracks, and the overall sound is very 90's, going for more of heavy grunge and alternate rock sound, very reminiscent of Matthew Goode. But you can also hear those other elements creep in from other acts Josh has referenced time and time throughout in small snippets. The biggest thing holding a lot of these songs back is a mix of production (which is still insanely impressive for the time period and the fact it was done by a teen no less), and lyrical ckunkiness, making them semi hard to decipher.

What do I mean by this? Take track 1, the one everyone knows: Primetime. The song's verses speak about how something is this, but the person is the opposite... bu we don't get a clear picture of who the person is.. only that supposedly a hit of heroin will make everything feel better. It's odd that this is the song that's somehow lasted the test of time out of all these tracks. But hey, it did lead to a great callback on End of An Era.

Track 2, Shiny Like Dirt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG-OoIsFbow), is truly a song where Josh took a ton of ideas he had for songs, and threw it against the wall to see if it would stick. And... it does stick, but also doesn't? The chorus is super catchy, basically admitting he's a confusing person, and that nothing he does makes sense... and yet, despite it all, he still has fears of the unknown. The "coming up for air" bridge is probably my favourite part, but it's definitely an earworm I return to occasionally. I've also linked it in case you've yet to hear it.

Track 3: Shallow. The song we've known about for the longest time, the one the fandom cherished like a baby... and honestly, it's probably my least favourite? I've tried to decipher the lyrics on this one for ages, but I can't come up with anything concrete. I do think the song has a good tone, and the guitar solo is totally awesome. In fact, there's a lot of great guitar and bass work throughout a lot of these songs. But there's something missing for me on this one.

Track 4: Playing Dead. This seems to be the earliest recorded song of this bunch, going off Josh's voice here. And honestly, I think it's the closest tonally to a current day Marianas Trench song. There's a bit of a swing sound going on in the drums, the harmonies.... and it's an interesting number overall. Also, it's our clearest sampling of Steve's voice, and just how close it is to Matt's vocals xD... it seems to be a simple love song about a girl and how he's open to roleplaying almost anything with her, using "playing dead" as his main metaphor. It's the black sheep of the CD, but a good one.

Track 5: Hideous. Here we go... the first track Josh ever wrote about his bulimia and depression... and how it was eating him from the inside... and how he was asking for help, even though he wasn't fully ready to accept it at the time. The beginning parts are very slow, and methodical.... only for the song to pick up energy in it's second half and become truly one of the standouts on this album.

Track 6: PMS. Okay... so... this one is tough to talk about. We knew for years it was supposedly very comedic in nature and that it was also politically incorrect, but that was it. For those of you who still have not heard it, there's a copy of it in this Discord server in the links and archive section: https://discord.gg/d5M3xVN9

As for the song itself, I personally really love it. It's a song about Josh being petty to a girl and truthfully telling her off. It's definitely of its time period, but in the best way possible. And once again, the guitar work here is SO GOOD. If you can stomach a song that truly is a time capsule and understand that Josh would never write anything as juvenile today, give it a listen.

Track 7: Don't Touch Me. The song that holds a special place in my heart... as I was the one to LOCATE IT after 18 years in the massive pile of MP3.com links that were given to the Internet Archive in 2021. And it's a ballad all about Josh dealing with both the arguments and turmoil he would feel when coming down from getting high. Truthfully, this might be the most emotional song of this batch, and one that definitely sticks its landing.

So, my overall thoughts here are to give these songs a listen, and understand them for what they are: the start of a musical prodigy finding his footing and his sense of style while getting clean and hoping somebody, anybody, would give him a chance. While the tone might not have influenced Josh’s style fully going forward, there are elements from these songs that were taken and repurposed into later Trench tracks.

Luckily, and also sadly... Jonathan Simkin & Chad Kroeger gave him that chance. And thus, we got ourselves a self titled EP... and a full title debut. But that'll be next time.

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Cool to know, and cool to hear. Seems like Episode 0 will be a thing then!

Okay, so…

This post is hard to write up, but I’m planning on doing a full analysis of every MT album leading up to Haven. And when I say every album, I MEAN EVERY ALBUM.

So, the question for me becomes where do I start? Fix Me, the first recorded studio album? The Self-Titled EP? Or do we cover the band before the bands CD, Cooler Than Me, as our basis? Now that we have every song on it, it feels fair to give it a thorough review, but I also worry that might be a tough topic as many fans still don’t know we now have every track located, along with the fact it’s very obscure & niche.

Let me know what you guys think, either through a comment, reblog or DM. Thanks for the likes on everything too, it’s always great to talk to fans.

Basically, this is an accurate representation of my brain right now: