The Legacy of Marianas Trench
So I was listening to Danger Days by My Chemical Romance (for anyone who hasn't heard it, recommend it a hundred percent), and it really got me thinking about them for a second. I'm not sure how many of you guys are My Chemical Romance fans but the fact is, when the Danger Days album came out, it was not well received :( . A lot of the fans had clung to their heavier and gloomy music that was associated with their previous albums -- Black Parade, Three Cheers, and Bullets. Those three albums have all progressed in their own way with Black Parade being their magnum opus (in my humble opinion) but Danger Days went such a different direction. I feel like this little decision can be paralleled with Marianas Trench's career.
Danger Days (in my opinion) is such a magnificent album but so many people and fans alike dismissed it because of its drastic change of sound, a more brightly, sassy, and fun sound. The album itself I feel like it still represents MCR, with their experimental sounds and twist on alternative music and lyrics that criticize society, but so many people just couldn't get it into because of their "poppier" sound. Gerard Way has even stated in a few interviews regarding DD that the reason why he chose to change sound was because he thought it was time to start something different and stray away from all the angst. And sadly, as previously mentioned, it wasn't well received than their other albums, with fans even commenting and spreading that they should just go back to their "old sound".
This has been the case for a lot of the artists, especially rock artists I seem to notice. The artist would like to try something different from the sound they established and end up finding some kind of push back when they try to experiment with different sounds.
This is where Marianas Trench comes in. Marianas Trench has not have that problem. In fact, it's the opposite. Fans ANTICIPATE how different the next album will be compared to their other albums and draw parallels and find those little easter eggs. They can't wait to hear what kind of musical influence will be the main sound for the album and can't wait to hear the lyricism along with it. All five studio albums so different from each other but we KNOW it's Marianas Trench. It has this Marianas Trench signature sound that is weirdly enough, not a sound, but more of a passion (?) and creativity (?) that only Marianas Trench could have. And they are so successful in doing this because Josh recognized from the get-go that he doesn't want to be stuck in this box. One musical genre and be known for just one really good album and his fans to be stuck in that genre, compared to MCR and much like other bands who had accidentally trapped themselves in that way. Cause when one traps themselves in that box, then they will reach at a crossroads; do something safe that they know their fans will enjoy, or do something the artist would enjoy to do with the risk that fans will be disappointed. They are stuck with having to figure out how to do the same thing repackaged in a new wrapping.
But Marianas Trench knows that whether they experiment or not, their fans will always be so supportive of them. I for sure will love them. And I believe that some would actually be disappointed if they don't experiment and show us something different. And it gives them that liberty to evolve and grow in different sounds. In simpler terms, I guess I could say that they got the best of both worlds, being able to experiment with the safety net of their supportive fans.
However, I can't help but think, that may be the very reason that's holding them back. As one knows, Marianas Trench are KINGS in Canada but are almost barely known in any other places. And what I mean by that is that they are not as big as I think that they should be. But maybe it could be because of their non-commitment to one genre, they aren't able to have new or more listeners stick with them. For example, one fan loves their Fix Me album but can't listen to their other discographies because it's just not their cup of tea (which is absolutely okay). But at the same time, they have found their audience, fans will stick with them, and be able to actually enjoy what they are doing and that is enough. More than enough. Because they have the ability to do what they love professionally.
I know the topic is a little more multifaceted than what I explained here but I just can't help but draw some parallels. I will forever be grateful that Marianas Trench is able to strive in this generation with their ever changing sound and wish them all the fame and fortune that they deserve but it's also really great to seem them be grateful for the fame they have earned. They are truly just happy being able to do what they love and stay true to themselves without getting greedy. And i am so glad, we as a fanbase, gave them that kind of chance. So I would really like to thank you guys for supporting them as a fellow fan myself and thank the band for not stopping and continuing to grow.
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It all started because of a school project, technically two projects, while it wasn't a world ending threat they set of a change reaction that lead to startling discoveries.
Mr Lancer had given the class the task of looking through their pasts and finding an life changing event that helped shape them into the person that were today and writing about that event.
It was a ten page essay (they were allowed to go over that limit) the more details the better and if you had something from that event to show (such as photos or keepsakes or really anything) you were awarded extra credit.
Danny's choice of event was the school field trip to a nearby museum he went on when he was seven, the space exhibit they had was what sparked his love for the stars and kick-started his dreams of being an astronaut.
It wasn't like he had any other choice (he doubted mister Lancer would accept 'my death' as a good life changing event)
He knew that he had photos of the field trip somewhere with all the other photos taken throughout his life, he just had to find them.
And after digging through thousands of boxes and piles of discarded inventions he handled with care (in case they blew up) he found them tucked inside an old photo album covered in green stains that sat on top of a bookshelf.
Opening the book caused all the pictures to fall into his lap, it seems like his parents didn't get around to actually adding them to the book, Danny resigned himself to spending the rest of his day shifting through old photos.
It wasn't all bad though, he found pictures of when Sam still had blonde hair and wore pink and of that time Tucker wrote an 'I love you' on his parents cars with their keys and many other embarrassing photos.
A treasure trove of blackmail material.
He finally found the picture he was looking for.
All of the kids who are now students of Casper high stood in front of an old building each proudly holding up something they bought in the gift shop (Danny had bought a book on planets that had long ago fallen apart)
It was a normal photo.
And yet, something seemed off.
Sam and Tucker were there with him in between them, Dash was there too.
Along with Kwan, Mikey, Paulina, Valerie, and all the others.
And yet, something was missing.
Then it hit him.
Wes wasn't there.
Danny could've sworn that he had been on that trip, but the more he thought about it the less he was sure.
He couldn't actually remember Wes being there and Danny remembered nearly everything about that trip.
'Maybe he was sick or something?' It was the most logical thing he could think of to explain the other absence, that and his parents not wanting him to go for some reason.
Mystery solved he pushed it to the back of his mind , he had an essay to finish.
Still, it stuck with him.
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The next school project Lencer gave them was one with assigned partners.
Danny got Wes who, despite not being Sam or Tucker, was leagues better then Dash and he'd take that as a win.
Wes had insisted on studying at his house so he could, and Danny quotes "Keep an eye on you Fenton"
Danny could practically feel the hidden cameras burning a hole into him while he stood in front of the Weston's door, waiting for him to go ghost for whatever reason.
Jokes on him though, Danny asked all the ghosts to leave him along for this month with the promise of giving them a head start the next time they caused trouble, so really Wes was just wasting his time.
"This way." Wes said already heading inside without caring if Danny followed.
Being the first time he had ever been in Wes's home Danny looked at everything and anything.
It was a fairly normal home, not like Danny's which had an anti-ghost defense system or Sam's super rich house.
But more like Tuckers
One of the things that drew his attention was the pictures that lined the walls.
There were so many.
Some with Wes and his mom, some with just him, some with just his mom, and some with people Danny didn't recognise.
But there were no baby photos.
The only pictures Danny could find of a young Wes seemed to be from when he was eight? Nine?
And nothing before.
'Maybe they were put away in storage' Danny guessed, but it still made his brain itch.
He remembered looking at old school photos and not finding any sign of a young Wes at all, he didn't even remember Wes coming to school any time before the year Danny turned eight.
And in a small town where everyone knew everyone that really wasn't possible.
'Maybe they moved here and lost a lot of stuff' Which would explain a lot, well no harm in asking. "Did you loss a lot when you moved here?"
Wes stopped walking and turned around to give him a look that asked if he was insane. "I've lived here my whole life, Fenton."
Danny froze, that couldn't be right, he'd remember that.
Something was wrong.
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Tim Drake sat in front of the bat computer as the rest of his family patrolled.
He had one monitor displaying the other bats locations while all the other monitors were used to show him files, or rather the lack there of.
Wayne Enterprises had tournaments held for schools and the prize was an all express paid trip to Gotham and tour of WE and surrounding areas, Tim could think of way better prizes that weren't visiting the crime capital of the world but that wasn't the point.
What was the point was that every time there was a winner Tim preformed a routine background check on students and staff (and by routine he means learn their whole live story) just in case anyone happened to be trained assassins set to kill one of them, stranger things have happened.
Wes Weston was one such student whose background Tim had to check.
And he found nothing.
Sure, there were hospital and school documents from age eight and upwards, but other then that nothing.
There was no birth certificate, no evidence of him attending daycare, nothing.
It was as if Wes did not exist before he was eight years old.
And perhaps the most interesting thing.
Amy Weston was listed as Wes's biological mother, DNA even said as much, and yet Amy's medical file said that she had never been pregnant and also had no siblings that could've been Wes's parent.
And yet Wes existed, appearing one day as if he had always been there.
Was it cloning? Aliens? Magic? A changeling? Someone creating false information to hide the truth?
It was a mystery, and mysteries had always been Tim's Kryptonite.
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