i have a lot of feelings™ about starset and i need to rant about them for a min, ok?
My Demons (Transmissions, 2014) - “We are one and the same, you take all of the pain (away)”
Ricochet (Vessels, 2017) - “Thought we were one and the same, running like moths to the flame...”
Halo (Transmissions, 2014) - “And if i’m lost in the world’s shadow, I’ll use the light (that comes to me) from your halo...”
Unbecoming (Vessels, 2017) - “And you laugh as I search for a harbor, as you point where your halo had been (but the light in your eyes has been squandered, there’s no angel in you in the end)...”
Vessels takes everything that was bright and shining and full of hope in Transmissions and decays it, exposes it for the corrupt and twisted thing it has become - and not only does it do a painfully incredible job of it, it also manages to do it without making Vessels itself any darker an album than its predecessor. In fact, it also does the opposite: it takes one of the most painful, heart-wrenching songs from Transmissions and takes it back in time to when it was a beacon of hope:
Dark On Me (Transmissions, 2014) - “Light the night up, you’re my dark star (...) but I found in you what was lost in me (...) In the dead of night, you went dark on me...”
Starlight (Vessels, 2017) - “Don’t leave me lost here forever; show me your starlight and pull me through...”
Then you have a reversal which falls under neither of the above categories; the inverse of imagery that doesn’t alter the emotional theme; the two songs that feel the most oddly significant
Antigravity (Transmissions, 2014) - “Let it fall away into the great escape, (over walls and waves) this antigravity...”
Gravity of You (Vessels, 2017) - “...falling into you, (...) a new world is breaking, your heart unveiling, (breaking into pieces) in the gravity of you...”
Both describe an escape (or removal) from a state of existance tainted and wearying; a freedom from shackles (or purpose in enslavement); to float away from misery, or be sucked down by the power of nature to a rebirth. Both are, at their core, powerfully uplifting.
And for the grand finale - not a inverse, not a parallel; but a continuation of a decline.
Carnivore (Transmissions, 2014) - “Who are you to change this world (...) could you come and change me, take away everything I am...”
Monster (Vessels, 2017) - “this is the world you’ve created (...) can you change me, from the monster you made me ... “
This doesn’t even touch so many of the tracks; there’s so much gold here I couldn’t even get it all down if I tried. I’m so in awe of what they’ve done here. They took a phenominal first album and made a masterpiece out of its bones. And that’s saying nothing about the incredible evolution of their fusion of genres to create a unique experience; synthetic elements mixed with grunge-y rock rhythms and tied together with pop hooks, the smooth transitions from pop anthems to headbanging rock to score-like arrangements. Pain and loss and hope and determination.
What else could you ask for?
