A is for Annuals

By Lizzi

nnuals are a band of kids from Raleigh, NC (not to be confused with BAND of Annuals, a local Utah band who have been, sadly, more successful than this band). I first downloaded two of their songs, "Brother" and "Sway" the summer that Greg and I were married. I had a job up the street at a bakery in our new home in South Ogden and sold my car, so I was getting used to walking the 2 miles from our hole in the wall apartment to work. I remember the first time I forced myself to listen to "Brother" all the way through (yes I had to force myself, and if you decide to give them your time, you might have to as well). I was walking under a scrap of trees on Weber's campus, and I remember being hot and so annoyed that the song was inconsistent in it's ability to just PICK A GENRE. Geez teenagers... always screaming about something... I thought at first that most of the song was just feedback from a ham radio.

Looking back, I can't see how I heard that song that way. There's so much... song to that song! Anyway, I then listened to "Sway" (both songs are somewhat longish, like my posts) and found myself being annoyed that I had wasted money again on some worthless music. However, even though they left me annoyed and somewhat confused, they had piqued my interest.

Doing research about a band is usually a good way for me to decide whether or not their musical endeavors are worth my time. When I researched Annuals I found out that they wrote most of the music for their first album while they were in highschool... which explained the emo screamo parts of the music to me. After listening to their music more proactively, their infantry at the time of composition impressed me. I don't think I could make music and lyrics so well integrated before I'm 40. Especially about topics like loss, parenthood and family. (What teenager cares about their family? Or the topic of families?) Although their lyrics are a little esoteric, they make perfect sense to me. Very fanciful, phrases like:

• "Cool, calm water, will bring back our voice to mother"
• "listless birds perch in soft green herds, tickle the wind"
• "with spring they will propogate their thirst to blinding eyes"
• "if you want to be the colors, then the colors will be you"

create such a perfect fantasy world for me in my mind, very reminiscent of my dreams as a child. And it's all brought to life by the deep and perfectly accentuated breaths of the moog board. Sold!!

There are so many layers to their music, that's the only way I can explain being able to listen to their songs almost everyday for the past 3 years. Varying rhythm and sounds, but it's not too artistic. In fact, it's not artistic at all. It's all heart... as of their first album. Their newest album doesn't look as promising for a future of unbound creativity, but who knows, maybe they just won't ever get the chance at a third one to mess it all up completely. Just to put in perspective for you what this band means to me... Arcade Fire also starts with an A.