Seven Lions Trilogy - An Introduction

Let’s be fair. I have bounced back and forth on topics on this blog. It was really my intent to do so. That was one of the reasons why I titled it “Happenings and Happenstance.” To my surprise, after starting this, a lot of people thought I actually made up the word: Happenstance. It actually is a real word, believe it or not. It means coincidence, or something that has happened by chance. In a lot of ways, you reading this is pure happenstance, or me creating it in the first place was happenstance.

I wanted to provide current events while presenting them in an entertaining format. I also wanted to provide anecdotal fun that had little or nothing to do with the other serious topics. While tracking my stats, I noticed that my “Happenstance” postings definitely generated more traffic than my “Happenings” postings. I figured that, by my observation, most people really don’t wish to keep up with the negativity in the world. It will be swayed though. 

The format will stay as it has been, because A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down!

She LOVES my wit.

This particular post is a shout out to my kid, because it is about something that appeals to him. I am a tremendous fan of music. I always have been. I listen to rock, pop, classic country, hip hop… the list goes on. One thing that I have always enjoyed is electronic music. Electro-pop, electro-clash, triphop, house, IDM, techno, trance, electro-house, dutch-house, dance-punk….and of course…….DUBSTEP. The worst. 

If electronic music was an episode of Community, dubstep would be Britta.

That's ok, I like Britta. I like dubstep too.

Just for a reference for those who are not familiar with this genre of dance music, I have included the Skrillex remix of Benny Benassi's "Cinema." It won a Grammy in 2012, and is considered one of the best examples of Americanized dubstep. Skrillex, that year, also won two other Grammys for his work with Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.  In many ways, Skrillex is considered the king of "Brostep." Enjoy.

        

To be fair, when most people think of dubstep, they think of heavy mid-range warble bass and a whole bunch of bro-fisting into the air. Well, that is definitely true to a certain point. I enjoy a good chunk of bro-fisting, but I am not here to talk about bro-fisting, club bangerz, drugs, society’s opinion on dubstep in general, or the difference between dubstep and brostep. 

I am here to talk about art.

About a year and half ago, I went and saw Krewella in San Francisco. I will be the first to say that Krewella puts on a killer show. Their energetic performance was nonstop. So much to the point of being unable to even continue. However, their set was not the most impactful thing that I took away from that chilled night in San Francisco. 

Tough guy.

While I walked back to my car, ears still ringing from the massive amounts of bass that I had been exposed to, I reflected upon Krewella’s opener, a long-haired producer that looked more of a heavy metal rocker than an EDM producer. It was Santa Barbara’s trance influenced, wizard of sound: Jeff Montalvo, known to his fans as Seven Lions.

Without a doubt...

Let’s also get this out of the way as well, I am not here to talk about Seven Lions in general or talk about that show. As I stated earlier...

I am here to talk about art.

Last March, Seven Lions released his fourth EP entitled “The Throes of Winter.” As with his previously released material, he pulled no punches. His low end bass is enough to shatter all understanding as to what can be done with bass, and his trance-like melodies weave another realm waiting to be navigated with the imagination.

After repeatedly listening to it over numerous times, I felt as if something had broken inside my brain. It was that feeling you get when you eat some popcorn, but a stray husk gets wedged in between a tooth and your gum. It was a nagging itch that was inside my mind. I immediately decided to revisit his second EP “Days to Come.” As I started listening to it, I started examining the album artwork of his third EP, “Worlds Apart.” There was a connection. There had to be.

It couldn’t be…Happenstance.

There are thematic similarities in Seven Lions’ second, third, and fourth EPs that cannot be overlooked. I tried to include his first EP “Polarize” into this grouping, but much like the title suggests, to polarize something is to break up into opposing factions or groupings. This first EP was not a part of the cohesive grouping that the other works were a part of.

                      

Not only do “Days to Come,” “Worlds Apart,” and “The Throes of Winter” share thematic similarities, they also share design similarities concerning the artwork. I don’t really want to get ahead of myself about this, so I will get into the cover art further on.

To address this dilemma in my head, I decided to listen to all three EPs back to back and determine if there was some sort of concept between them. Again, while I noticed how they had the same feel and theme, I still could not legitimately acknowledge a fleshed-out concept. It was at this moment, at my lowest, I started to feel as if I was losing my mind. 

Maybe this was all in my head? 

Maybe I was looking for something that didn’t exist?

I put my head phones on and listened to the centerpiece of “Throes.” It’s a song entitled December, and as a standalone piece, this song is by far one of the most epic compositions that Seven Lions has done. The haunting melodies and storyteller lyrics painted a picture in my mind. The build came, and that low-end bass drop cracked something in my mind. 

I’m going to stop here for a moment.

Have you ever walked away from a project, because the only results you were getting were bashing your head up against a wall?

Better yet, have you ever looked at something your entire life, but never noticed a particular detail until someone else pointed it out?

It was a 13 year old boy who shattered my understanding of this masterwork and helped me see things from a different perspective.

Yeah, that one.

This story wasn’t told in chronological order. Seven Lions had been weaving this from the beginning, and this Trilogy was as unconventional as it was complex.

Dear reader, it is at this time where you are going to follow me down this rabbit hole and see what I see, or it is where you are going to go back to Buzzfeed, Facebook, Twitter, or Drudge Report. Before you do that though, know that if you walk away, having read this introduction may end up being a popcorn husk in your gum as well. 

For those of you that are on for the ride, hold on.

Over the next four blog posts, I will be taking you on a journey of Seven Lions’ creation. I must say first and foremost, I do not have any rights to this music, nor am I trying to profit from it. I also want to say, I did not come up with this story. 

It exists wholly in the music. 

I am just sharing with you, my dear reader, the interpretation of this story that Seven Lions has created.