Meridional gives
the impression of two trains barreling down the tracks towards one
another—loud, terrifying, unstoppable. Produced by Jeremy Griffith, this album sounds
as raw as a knee scraping across pavement, capturing the energy, passion, and
emotion of Norma Jean’s live performances with ease. The guitars wail like
banshees as every hit of the drums reverberates like thunder across hills. Even
the band’s stylized chaos in the form of feedback and white noise is present at
full volume, adding still to this record’s pandemonious impression.
Though the dynamic of the record is unanimously loud, the overall
sound of Meridional is rather
diverse. Before they began writing, the band went on record as planning to dig
“deep into [their] roots musically,”[1]
which many fans took as a return to their earlier sound. While there is of
course no shortage of Norma Jean’s well-worn heaviness on Meridional, the band also chose to explore the melodic side of
their music, and to great effect. Cory Brandan is singing just as often as he
is screaming, creating focused melodies that might otherwise be lost in the
chaotic maelstrom of music. The songs on the record reflect this kaleidoscope
of sound, with almost every tune being a mix of brutality and melody. Tunes
like “Leaderless and Self Enlisted” and “Everlasting Tapeworm” help to satisfy
the craving for drop tunings and dirty riffs, while the epic “Falling from the
Sky: Day Seven” invites the listener into a new and beautiful landscape of
spacey-guitars and soaring vocals. In interviews with Exclaim, guitarist Chris Day commented that the approach to the
album was all about “attitude,”[2]
while Brandan stated that the band wanted “to put some kind of intention behind
the music, and not just a cool riff or something.”[3]
That intention and attitude have certainly taken full form in this record, where
each note, vocal or instrumental, is dripping with truth.
Another factor that sets this record apart is the band’s variation of time signatures. While a goodly amount of their songs are in the standard 4/4, Norma Jean does not limit themselves to that standard, instead proving to be a cohesive unit through time signature. “Leaderless and Self Enlisted” takes off in 9/8, while “Everlasting Tapeworm” alternates between 3/4 and 4/4. Furthermore, many of those songs, rather that sticking to one time signature, contain a multitude: for instance, “Deathbed Atheist,” predominantly in 5/4, features a chorus that alternates between measures of 4/4 and 9/8. Similarly, in “Blood Burner,” Brandan’s phrase “Until you respect me” is sung over alternating measures of 7/8 and 5/4.
Another factor that sets this record apart is the band’s variation of time signatures. While a goodly amount of their songs are in the standard 4/4, Norma Jean does not limit themselves to that standard, instead proving to be a cohesive unit through time signature. “Leaderless and Self Enlisted” takes off in 9/8, while “Everlasting Tapeworm” alternates between 3/4 and 4/4. Furthermore, many of those songs, rather that sticking to one time signature, contain a multitude: for instance, “Deathbed Atheist,” predominantly in 5/4, features a chorus that alternates between measures of 4/4 and 9/8. Similarly, in “Blood Burner,” Brandan’s phrase “Until you respect me” is sung over alternating measures of 7/8 and 5/4.
Such madness may seem pretentious, but the songs on Meridional do not rely on that madness
to make them worthwhile. The incredible musicianship of Norma Jean is expressed
in every song, but done so in such a way that the beauty and passion of the
music is never overshadowed. A great example of this lies in the song “The Anthem
of the Angry Brides,” which features a ridiculously fast guitar riff shredding
through most of the song. According to Brandan, that
“’diddle-diddle-diddle’…fast guitar lick” was “one of the first things we had
for [the] record.”[4] Despite being the tune’s
foundation, that riff sits quietly in the middle of the mix, allowing Brandan’s
violent vocals and the crushing rhythm section of Jake Schultz and Chris Gaines
to really steer the song. If anything, that riff acts as a leash, gently
leading the listener into one of the most brutal breakdowns on the record.
While Norma Jean’s exceptional technical skills do allow
them to stand out, the value of their songs ultimately lies in their
effective composition, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the lyrics of
the record. Brandan’s verse is extremely poetic, and he explores some
interesting themes throughout the record, especially the idea of free falling,
such as in the songs “Falling from the Sky: Day Seven” and “High Noise Low
Output.” Furthermore, the record is overflowing with lines that urge the crowd
to sing along. Phrases like “You’re not getting under my skin” in “The Anthem
of the Angry Brides” and “We found a better way” in “Bastardizer” perfectly cap
the chugging sections of music that churn under them, encouraging the listener to
react with both their bodies and their voices.
This connective ease of the lyrics stems perhaps from Brandan’s
subtlety of phrasing. Norma Jean has long been under the “Christian” banner,
due to their often obvious references to religion and the Bible. While such an
affiliation might turn many listeners off, in Meridional, Brandan continues to explore Christian ideas in his
writing without shoving them into the listeners’ ears. His command of language
allows every song to feature multiple interpretations: “Bastardizer” could as
easily be about gnawing anxiety or a drama queen as it could be about Lucifer. Such
ambiguity allows Norma Jean’s music to appeal to a wider range of fans than
those that share their religious views.
While most records simply present us something amazing to
listen to, in Meridional, Norma Jean also
offers us something to do in the form of a puzzle embedded in their music.
Within the record lie three tracks that at first listen seem like filler:
“Septentrional,” “Occidental,” and the hidden “Oriental.” Along with the title
of the record, “Meridional,” these four words represent the directions on the
compass[5],
creating a unifying theme of direction; however, none of these directions mean
anything without each other, and the same goes for these tracks. Each song
begins with an identical percussion part, before developing into a mix of instrumentation
and white noise. But, after a little noodling on a music program, when the
three tracks are layered, they provide us with another song. With such antics, Meridional encourages not only thinking
on the part of the listener, but action, allowing us to take part in the
arrangement process, making their music an interactive art form.
Meridional is
unique in that it offers a group of awesome tunes built on even more awesome
ideas. Norma Jean’s audacity in their composition and arrangement forces us as
listeners into a position of involvement, rather than leaving us to hide in our
headphones. By encouraging us to think about the music, we are inspired to put
as much thought and soul into our own lives, and if Norma Jean can communicate
that message through screaming vocals and feedback-soaked music, they must be
doing something right.
Tunes to Check Out:
1) The Anthem of the Angry Brides
2) A Media Friendly Turn For the Worse
3) Leaderless and Self Enlisted
Tunes to Check Out:
1) The Anthem of the Angry Brides
2) A Media Friendly Turn For the Worse
3) Leaderless and Self Enlisted
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