…because it took me multiple listens to understand it. And by understand, I mean enjoy. I still don’t know the story Leprous is telling, but each listen the music gets catchier and catchier and easier and easier to listen to. Which means that, maybe one day, I’ll be able to catch in on the story obviously being told. But that day isn’t this year.
The first time I listened to this album, I thought it was cool but not for me. I thought it would be fun to witness in person but maybe not share with others in my car. A visual spectacle that is music, if you will.
On second listen, it sounded epic. I could sense some sort of storyline being woven through the tracks and some sort of purpose between the instrumentals and vocals. Maybe a guilty pleasure at this point, but not something I would actively show someone.
On third listen, it sounds like an epic, fun album that I could listen to in my car. I find something I can latch onto in each song, whether a melody or beat or even a single note (like the high note in the chorus of Starlight). The things that I thought were odd are now seemingly normal and I question who I was two listens ago.
What a journey.
HIGHLIGHTS: Silently Walking Alone is intense. The wobbly bass and slow tempo for some reason gets me pumped up. It’s the perfect blend of not being aggressive itself but making me feel aggressive. It’s slow, it’s sung, it’s electric, it’s fighting music.
Faceless is another surprising song. It’s like a heavy ballad with some heavy instrumentals with calm moments of zen. As a man of contrast, I like that. I think it’s fun and I don’t care who knows.
My Specter has a really fun… guitar line? Synth line? Whatever that wavey line is, I like it. The vocals are haunting and the melody is wavey.
Atonement actually has a similar guitar line that’s catchy but, instead of wavey, jumpy. And I promise you – I missed both those awesome melodies on my first listen. It took me three listens to find and appreciate them.
LOWLIGHTS: So this is fucking weird. The first listen, I probably would have put some songs here (Unfree My Soul, Like A Sunken Ship, Atonement). On second listen… maybe I still would have? On third listen, I could listen to this entire album and not skip anything. The intense moments are earned and the slow moments tell stories.
Don’t ask me why it took multiple listens to get here. But if you like listening to albums multiple times, I swear, this ages like wine. It’s fucking crazy. The first time I heard it I thought it might be an interesting show to go to and now I’m actively sad that I can’t personally attend.
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