SuppliedMarianas Trench
604/CherryTree/Interscope
marianastrench.net
Astoria is the fourth studio album by Canadian pop punk sensation Marianas Trench. The band’s debut effort, Fix Me, made a splash in 2006, where punk rock and “emo” were trending topics of the day; hot off the waves made by bands such as My Chemical Romance, All American Rejects and Fall Out Boy, Marianas Trench managed to stand out, as a punk rock band with pop tendencies, trying to find its footing in a world post-grunge.
Astoria, conversely, along with their latter three albums, are more upbeat, and though frontman Josh Ramsay has never strayed too far from the themes explored in Fix Me, the painful musings and reflections on the latter albums are, in a way, obscured and disguised within pop tunes and love songs; these themes are hidden in such a way that they can be uncovered and unfurled over several listens and deeper reading into the lyrics.
One of the highlights of Astoria, other than song-writing, is Ramsay’s versatility, personality and power in terms of vocals. Along with Sia, Ramsay is one of the most distinct and skilled vocalists in the industry. Even though Ramsay doesn’t sound quite like Mike did, Ramsay has the chops to belt out catchy pop tunes (“Truth or Dare”, “Burning Up” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me”) then deliver slow-burning love ballads (“Porcelain,” “Wildfire” and “While We’re Young”). Astoria is their most musically diverse album yet, with surprising influences of progressive rock, new wave, and at times boasting 80’s flavor; if you want some specification on what we mean by “80’s flavor,” we mean the era when pre-pubescent electronic dance music first discovered synths and just could not stop playing with them … That era.
Astoria finds Marianas Trench having fully realized and developed their signature style, musically and artistically, with a top of the (assembly) line body of work rife with lyrical and melodic references to past albums; in this way, all four albums, while distinct and stand-alone, are connected thematically. Astoria is a solid addition and is, simply put, the quintessential Marianas Trench album.
