I am sure many of you have already heard of Twenty One Pilots, one of today’s most popular rock bands. And I mean that description in every way because at a time when rock music has been forced into the backseat by rap and hip-hop, this band of two is out there, keeping the rock banner afloat, valiantly refusing to quiet down and disappear. And they have fans who love what they do.
The music of Twenty One Pilots is a mix of rock, rap, pop, hip-hop, electronica, reggae and even religious. When all blended together, I call the result pop-rock, which is pretty much what rockers have to do these days if they want to continue to exist. Like take a look at what Imagine Dragons has done. The boys collaborated with hip-hop stars Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign and rockers X Ambassadors for Sucker For Pain, which is one of the few rock hits today.
Twenty One Pilots is made up of the extraordinarily talented Tyler Joseph, rapper, vocalist, who plays keyboards, piano, synthesizers, percussion, drums, ukulele and bass; and Josh Dun, who plays drums, percussion, trumpet and does backing vocals. They both write songs and rap lyrics, which are mostly personal and poetry-based and have a predilection for changing tempos in a single song.
The band’s biggest hit song is Heathens, one of the big hits from the Suicide Squad soundtrack where it was played on the closing credits. Its No. 1 selling second album Blurryface has already notched two big hits, Stressed Out and Ride. Also included are Heavydirtysoul, Fairly Local, Tear In My Heart, Lane Boy, The Judge, Doubt, Polarize, We Don’t Believe What’s On TV, Message Man, Hometown, Not Today and Goner.
Twenty One Pilots was named Favorite Pop Rock Group and Favorite Alternative Rock Artist in last year’s American Music Awards. There will be more to come, most especially in February where the duo is up for several Grammys. Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for Stressed Out and Best Rock Song, Best Rock Vocal Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media for Heathens.
If you will take a look at Billboard Magazine’s Top 20 tracks in the Hot 100, you will find Twenty One Pilots in No. 13 for the song Heathens. It is the only rock tune in the list unless you want to include Maroon 5, which has gotten very pop these days. The band’s Blurryface is also the only rock entry in the Top 20 albums chart. I know the Rolling Stones is there with Blue and Lonesome but it is a blues collection.
Can it be true? Is rock music really dying? What has happened to Green Day, Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy, John Mayer and other rockers? Well, there are The 1975, Blink-182, The Lumineers and others. But their releases just cannot seem to get out of a rut and it is one that is threatening to send rock music to the bottom rungs of the hit lists or worse into the Adult Contemporary category.
This is why I am glad that Twenty One Pilots is around and doing very well. It can be rightly said that the band’s music is not only exciting. It is also intellectually and musically superior to other rock albums that we get nowadays. Truth to tell, if you want a good, fulfilling listen, you should pick out Blurryface over all the self-indulgent, whispery musings by today’s overrated hip-hop stars.
Here now are the Top 20 songs in Billboard’s Hot 100 hit list: Bad And Boujee by Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert; Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane; Closer by The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey; Starboy by The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk; 24K Magic by Bruno Mars; Side To Side by Ariana Grande feat. Nicki Minaj; Don’t Wanna Know by Maroon 5 feat. Kendrick Lamar; Let Me Love You by DJ Snake feat. Justin Bieber; Fake Love by Drake; Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello.
Juju On That Beat (TZ Anthem) by Zay Hilfigerr & Zayion McCall; Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara; Heathens by Twenty One Pilots; I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) by Zayn and Taylor Swift; Broccoli by D.R.A.M. feat. Lil Yachty; Caroline by Amine; Starving by Hailee Steinfeld & Grey feat. Zedd; Bounce Back by Big Sean; Mercy by Shawn Mendes; and Can’t Stop That Feeling! by Justin Timberlake.
And here are the Top 20 albums, several of which are soundtracks of movie musicals: Starboy by The Weeknd; Moana, the motion picture soundtrack by Various Artists; 24K Magic by Bruno Mars; Views by Drake; 4 Your Eyez Only by J.Cole; Hamilton: An American Musical by the Original Broadway Cast; Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots; Sing, the movie soundtrack by Various Artists; Suicide Squad: The Album, the movie soundtrack by Various Artists; Trolls, another soundtrack by Various Artists.
Collage by The Chainsmokers; Illuminate by Shawn Mendes; Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande; Stoney by Post Malone; La La Land, also the movie soundtrack; ANTI by Rihanna; Sremmlife by Rae Sremmurd; Blue & Lonesome by The Rolling Stones; Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight by Travis Scott; and 25 by Adele.