What is Progressive? Who Cares? Take Me As I Am.

I wrote the following as an email to Sean earlier today. He suggested that I post it in our blog and share it with everyone. Enjoy! ..or don't, either way.


I listened to Dream Theater's 6th album, Train of Thought, for the 2nd time ever today.

I think I like it quite a bit more than the first run through. There are still some moments that seem like they have poor transitions, but as someone who has been digging extremes lately (as in extremely heavy, or extremely poppy) I think I dig the overall heavy nature of this album. Early on in the album from time to time I even kind of forgot Jordan was in the band. The piano driven "Vacant" seems like a nice release from that, though. However, even though I like the initial groove of the title track, when Jordan starts to poke his head in with some of his signature lead and string sounds, something makes me return to wishing that Derek or Kevin would come back to the band again.

One thing that made me give this album another shot was because I was listening to the older stuff the other day and was out on Amazon.com reading one star reviews for Awake and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory and some of them were just shredding (pun intended) those albums for being aimless noodling. Some of them mentioned that they were crap next to Images & Words and a lot of those made me think, “who the hell are you to tell a band like Dream Theater what they get to write and sound like.” I mean, I haven’t been their biggest fan or supporter for quite some time, but even I don’t think, “Oh jeez, Dream Theater should do this or that or they’re crap.” The only thing I ever wished on them was that they would work with an external producer for an outside perspective. Other than that I think they should write whatever the hell they want to write. I think the first time I heard Images I was drawn in by the fact that it was eclectic (and unremorseful about it) more so than the fact that it was virtuosic. If Strange Land has taken anything from our Dream Theater influence, we’ve taken the best thing we possibly could have and that is to be uncompromising about our eclectic albums/writing style/nature. One review said that Dream Theater wasn’t metal (and therefore sucked) and that Opeth was a better example of progressive metal. At this I laughed. I love Opeth, but Mike A. definitely has his shortcomings as a songwriter as well. I have to admit that I never really thought of Dream Theater as 'Metal' (as in \m/) until I heard “The Mirror” and even then only occasionally 'Metal' until Train of Thought was released. But who really cares what category a band 'fits' in?! Bands that defy categorization have always been some of my favorites (Primus anyone?). People are so stupid when it comes to what they think progressive means and how willing they are to apply it to bands. I mean progressive, not-progressive. Who gives a shit? I love Oingo Boingo for being quirky and different from any other band. Does that make them progressive? Guess what? It doesn’t change my love for them even if the whole rest of the world doesn’t think so. Some of the reviews that were complaining about the aimless noodling were written by people who were pitting them against Rush, Genesis, ELP and other first generation bands. That I don’t get at all. If they sounded like 'old school' prog bands (or anyone else for that matter) how 'progressive' would that be? Other reviewers pitted them against The Grateful Dead, Phish, Bjork, and Radiohead. This is just plain stupid because if that is what you like then OF COURSE Dream Theater probably isn’t going to be for you! With all the respect I can possibly muster for those bands I would never go out and write a review slagging one of their albums because I have no business doing so. Do I hate those bands? Yes definitely! (well, except maybe Bjork) Do I think that maybe there is an aspect of their music and direction that I 'don’t get?' Absolutely! ..and therefore if the Dead/Phish-heads would put their bongs down long enough to realize that similarly they have no frame of reference and maybe they should stick to what they know. Anyhow, after all of that frustration I think I was finally able to spin Train of Thought without any expectations and I was pleasantly surprised to read the lyrics to the first track and see that it pretty much was about the points I was making above and the thing we’ve said a million times about our own music. Either you get it or you don’t. If you do, thank you for listening, and if you don’t we aren’t offering you any apologies.

Ok, well thanks for reading my rant.

Chad


Ok, so after I posted this I figured I would add the lyrics for the first track from Train of Thought, "As I Am," which I reference above for those of you who may not be familiar with them:

Don't
Tell me what's in
Tell me how to write
Don't tell me how to win
This fight
Isn't your life
It isn't your right
To take the only thing that's
Mine
Proven over time
It's over your head
Don't try to read between the
Lines
Are clearly defined
Never lose sight of
Something you believe in
Takin' in the view from the outside
Feeling like the underdog
Watching through the window
I'm on the outside
Living like the underdog

I've been trying to justify you
In the end
I will just defy you

To those who understand
I extend my hand
To the doubtful I demand
Take me as I am

Not under your command
I know where I stand
I won't change to fit your plan
Take me as I am

Still
Running up hill
Swimming against the current
I wish I weren't so
Fucked Feels like I'm stuck
Lost in a sea of mediocrity
''Slow down,
You're thinking too much
Where is your soul?''
You cannot touch
The way I
Play
Or tell me what to say
You're in the way
Of all that I believe in

Takin' in the view from
The outside
Feeling like the underdog
Watching through the
Window I'm on the outside
Living like the underdog

I've been wasting my breath
On you
Open minds will descend
Upon you

To those who understand
I extend my hand
To the doubtful I demand
Take me as I am

Not under your command
I know where I stand
I won't change to fit your plan
Take me as I am