Sarah Kunz

2/27/16
Tess Boone
FA 1090
Second Analysis Paper:

To fulfill this assignment, I was able to attend a concert held by Jukebox the Ghost with
opening guests The Family Crest. This concert was held at the Complex on Tuesday February
16th. Given the genre of music being, indie/ alternative rock, the atmosphere was rather relaxed
and open allowing me to focus on the music and emotions being relayed and conveyed. The
Family crest did a brief set of some of fan favorite songs and new ones as well, Jukebox the
Ghost had a similar arrangement of music using many of fan favorites and interacting with the
crowd to select songs to play along with several new pieces that were introduced. Within this
paper I will be focusing and analyzing one piece from The Family Crest and another from
Jukebox the Ghost using musical elements as an aide for explanation.
The first piece we shall be analyzing is Dont Let me Fall Behind by Jukebox the Ghost.
The title of the song already gives some key context on what the song may be addressing one,
would quickly assume this to be a song of romance or heartbreak. The song starts off with a burst
of intensity the beat of the song is prominent throughout and entices the listener from the
beginning chords. The lead singer has a specific timbre, or tonal color to his voice, his voice is
very crisp and lofty while also employing the proper strength and vibrato to allow the voice to
stay strong and concise and not wavering and airy. As most rock singers are, he would most
definitely be classified as a tenor. This band most prominently uses the instruments of keyboard,
drums and electric guitar. As mentioned before you are able to feel the steady beat and plodding
of the drum throughout the entire song, and most distinctly in the introduction. The tempo is

rather moderate, this allows the listener to focus on the lyrics, but is certainly not slow enough to
be considered a ballad, in fact as the song goes along and the story escalates the tempo does as
well The melody of the song has more beats per minute then the rest of the song. There is
specific emphasis on lyrics and notes with staccato, for instance when he sings the lyrics of
dont let me fall behind in the first versus there is a decrescendo, while towards the end of the
song he employs what seems to be a fermata as he holds the note for significant amount of time
with deliberate intensity.
As noted earlier this is a romantic sort of song with its lofty and passionately sweet lyrics
along with the cooingly sweet and rich vocals. The lyrics in the introduction stating Cause I'm
the ghost of your past and mine slowly combined makes me assume he is speaking as though he
is a past or distant memory of love fighting to be accepted back in. This theme is perpetuated
throughout the song with its melancholy and desperate tone. Dont treat me like the past, dont
let me fall behind. This character is desperately clinging to live in these memories and revive
them he doesnt want to become a ghost, the memories to dispate and thus leave him worthless.
For the second song we will be looking at the indie folk infused band The Family Crest
and their song Beneath the Brine. The title of this piece has some ambiguity which is nice as it
allows the audience to take on their own interpretation. This song has such pure and earnest
intensity it is very exhilarating to experience in a live venue. The song starts with great urgency
and sharp executed notes played upon the cello. The song has a natural ebb and flow with the
extensive use of instruments and the crystal bright vocals, with crisp articulation. With the
blaring instruments in the back it requires skilled annunciation and volume for the lyrics to be
understood. As the song proceeds you hear the introduction of woodwinds and the violin seeding
a loftier and more ethereal feeling. Like mentioned before it has a rather brisk tempo that

increases with intensity as the instruments layer upon each other. It has a very rich and decadent
texture as all the notes are woven very close to each other, towards the end the instruments
slowly feather out as the voice softens and crows out the last poetic lyrics. Smooth as wine
Black as night Hold yourself beneath the brine. When he sings of all of my love all of my life.
He sings very crisp and within falsetto range displaying a rage and intensity. The compilation of
instruments sets the tone of a war song depicting the egregious battle of love. It is obvious this
love has left some sour sores in his mouth.
He speaks as if he devoted or sacrificed his life for this individual. The eerie and piercing
beat and message of the song suggests that he had to rid of this love in a less than ideal way. He
speaks of the brine as a form of soaking or smothering as if she has destroyed or disrupted him
so he shall retaliate, whether this be in a literal form or not, it is certainly disturbing. His voice is
chalk full of desperation and passion a sort of emotional rage that is so rare and potent. The
accompanying instruments of solemn war far only compliment this feel. Soft and kind Cold as
ice, hold yourself beneath the brine. Whether he is literally holding her head under the salty
desperation of sour love it depicts such raw gritty emotion. You get the image of lovers dueling
in a grotesque pool of cest.
To conclude I could simply say this was a night exposing me to a pallet of emotion and
quarrelsome thoughts. The way this artist tactfully employ the use of musical elements beat
tempo texture and timbre can assist in relaying elaborate and amazing stories. Without the usage
and understanding of these elements music may appear flat or banal. Live music is always an
incredible experience and being able to analyze it only feeds my passion and love for music.

Works Cited:
"Song Lyrics | MetroLyrics." Song Lyrics | MetroLyrics. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.