Last Stand (Concept for an Album)

[liveloud4life]

I've just started work on a concept album and I'm just looking for some feedback on whether or not it's a good idea. As of now, the premiss is this:

The first track opens up with an introspective look from the perscpective of an organized crime figure held down in a warehouse contemplating his imminent death, all the current circumstances of his life, and asking himself how he ever let it get this far.

The subsequent songs will proceed in reverse chronological order taking the unfortunate destination of his present cirumstances and revisiting the at-the-time logical decisions he made to get there.

Eventually the closing track will have taken him all the way back to his birth and center on the pure, innocent state of a newborn child, who yet has the potential to make all of life's decisions, for better or worse, and convey the moral that life is just one choice after another and we are all responsible for where we end up, therefore take no decision lightly.

So that's what I've got so far. I realize it's a pretty brief skeletal outline, but I'm putting this up pretty early in the wrting process just to get some pointers and verification that this'll be worth the while, before I waste to much time on a bad idea.

P.S. I seriously doubt I'll stick with Last Stand. I just stuck that on there to have something to call this thread.

[liveloud4life]

I just remembered why I stopped using this forum. No one responds to anything.

[fishingthe_sky]

Realistically, there's not much to say about this when it's only a concept. Not seeing any of your work makes me not really care about the merits of the concept; it could be good, it could be shit, but . I would say that going back to the womb could be problematic. Making sweeping moral or philosophical pronouncements is dicey territory, and you might want to reconsider the scope of the ending.

[SeeYouSeptember]

I just remembered why I stopped using this forum. No one responds to anything.

So true.

[thespearkid]

I just remembered why I stopped using this forum. No one responds to anything.

So true.

How many pieces have you commented on today?

[The Personist]

How many pieces have you commented on today?

Haha, so true.

[liveloud4life]

How many pieces have you commented on today?

I thought I already said that. I stopped posting here. But I used to all the time.

[thespearkid]

I thought I already said that. I stopped posting here. But I used to all the time.
Don't bitch about not getting feedback if you don't give any.

[eliselovesmusic]

I think it sounds like a great idea for an album, but if you make it too heavy with metaphors and innuendo then the concept will be completely lost because it seems quite complex.

The actual music to go with the lyrics would be very important in putting across your ideas clearly. It'll have to set up the mood properly so that people can feel what the character is feeling and then begin to understand the ideas you're trying to convey. You're probably already aware of this but just saying....

I'd be interested to hear the final product though :-)

[liveloud4life]

I think it sounds like a great idea for an album, but if you make it too heavy with metaphors and innuendo then the concept will be completely lost because it seems quite complex.

The actual music to go with the lyrics would be very important in putting across your ideas clearly. It'll have to set up the mood properly so that people can feel what the character is feeling and then begin to understand the ideas you're trying to convey. You're probably already aware of this but just saying....

I'd be interested to hear the final product though :-)

I generally don't have a problem laying metaphors to thick to hear the message. If anything, the opposite. I'm working on being less direct.

I totally agree with you on the moods. Me and the guy I'll be writing the music with tend to be pretty eclectic with what we write/play/listen to. He's a composition major and I'm a performance major so we're not really tied down to just rock. I feel like knowing the mood we need to write is gonna make it easier to narrow down our ideas for the music.

I doubt I'll finish anything substantial till after finals but I'll put it up here every time I finish a song, or get close.

Thanks for the feedback.

[liveloud4life]

Realistically, there's not much to say about this when it's only a concept. Not seeing any of your work makes me not really care about the merits of the concept; it could be good, it could be shit, but . I would say that going back to the womb could be problematic. Making sweeping moral or philosophical pronouncements is dicey territory, and you might want to reconsider the scope of the ending.

I don't think I'll actuallyl be first person perspective on the whole birth thing. Just a general birth from a narrator.

I also don't think the moral suggerstions will be as cut-and-dry as they came across in the idea.

And would you mind clarifying about the scope of the ending? I'm not sure what you mean.

[fishingthe_sky]

I don't think I'll actuallyl be first person perspective on the whole birth thing. Just a general birth from a narrator.

I also don't think the moral suggerstions will be as cut-and-dry as they came across in the idea.

And would you mind clarifying about the scope of the ending? I'm not sure what you mean.
The scope meaning what you plan on doing. You're going from a single character and going into discussing topics that entail all of humanity. If not handled properly, it will not be pulled off well, that's all.

[liveloud4life]

The scope meaning what you plan on doing. You're going from a single character and going into discussing topics that entail all of humanity. If not handled properly, it will not be pulled off well, that's all.

Ah. Well thank you. I will keep that mind.

[KenjiBeast]

Remember: Music comes first. A classic symptom of a concept album being overwrought and pretentious is if the album falls apart without the concept.

That is, if you give the album to someone and tell them nothing of the "big picture" behind it, they should still have a good time listening to it regardless. Don't let the story get in the way of the album. Good luck, boss!

[liveloud4life]

Remember: Music comes first. A classic symptom of a concept album being overwrought and pretentious is if the album falls apart without the concept.

That is, if you give the album to someone and tell them nothing of the "big picture" behind it, they should still have a good time listening to it regardless. Don't let the story get in the way of the album. Good luck, boss!

Oh if you only knew us, lol. We seriously comtemplated being instrumental. The music will always come first. We're much stronger instrumentally and compositionally than lyrically or vocally, by far.

[Metal Now]

This is actually a pretty awesome idea, I'm looking forward to hearing/reading something from it.

[liveloud4life]

This is actually a pretty awesome idea, I'm looking forward to hearing/reading something from it.

Thanks dude.