Waking Up

12/14/2009
Marjorie Quinn


“Waking Up” is OneRepublic’s sophomore album. The band is still the same with Ryan Tedder, lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, tambourine; Zach Filkins, guitar, vocals, drums, viola; Drew Brown, guitar, bass guitar, vocals, glockenspiel. To replace Jerrod Bettis on drums in 2004 they now have Eddie Fisher and added Brent Kutzle in 2007 to play bass guitar, keyboards, cello, and vocals. They really stepped it up for this album. This is not the first album repeated. The theme seems to be mostly the success the band has dealt with over the past two years from the release of their first album.

The album starts off with four great songs. “Made for You” starts out with a count and a heavy beat. Enters the piano and Tedder, which really capture the listener. The lyrics are good and Tedder seems to have a way to make the most complex topics with the most understanding lyrics. The choir interlude from “Made for You” into “All the Right Moves” first shocked and jarred me but after a few listens I ended up liking it. “All the Right Moves” has a nice steady beat and has me bopping along. A great harmony is throughout the song. “Secret” is turning into one of my favorite songs on the album. The slow ballet starts with Kutzle on the cello in the background and adds a nice lullaby to the song. Even when the rest of the band joins in it carries on giving the emotion to the lyrics. “Everyone Loves Me” is different from the other songs. It has a pop/folksy sound with the combination of drumbeat and strum guitar. It has a nice anthem making it easy to sing along.

“Missing Persons 1&2” has a factory beat. It is a good ballet having a feel of missing persons. The song is two in one (would explain the title). I like the switch halfway through the song. It sounds like radio feedback into a stronger beat. The second half still has the resonating factory sound with the heavy reverberation. “All This Time” is a slow ballet. It has good piano and lyrics. The song has a resolution sound with the instrumental and a military drum roll to it. It is a very “straight line” song. “Waking Up,” the title track, has an organ back sound and then goes into a U2 sound song. This isn’t a bad thing. I like the orchestra ending but I have always been a fan when bands do that.

“Good Life” is very steady and I find the lyrics kind of bland. The chorus is a little catchy and it ends up being a pleasant song. Maybe the song is too pleasant. “Lullaby” is another fine song but it is a slow ballet/lullaby. It does have a lullaby sound but I find the music bland. The lyrics are lost because of the sound.

My least favorites on the album are “Fear” and “Marching On.” “Fear” is another slow song. It is a good song but sounds like a movie background or theme. “Marching On” is an upbeat song with a very clear marching echo. The marching echo fits with the lyrics and emotions of the song but it is such a steady marching beat it becomes boring.

For their second album, I think OneRepublic did a very good job. They didn’t produce the same old sound from the first album but pushed themselves farther. This is an album documenting their rise to fame and the trials they dealt with along the way. It is a great album. I recommend you give “Waking Up” a listen to.

 

 

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