Car Seat Headrest

            I’m back in my weekly rut of trying to figure out how to write my five hundred words, so much that I wrote “five hundred” as words rather than the numbers just to raise my word count by one. Now I am going on a small tangent about how I am stalling because I don’t know what to write about.

            I figured it out! I will talk about the most exciting event of the week for me. On Thursday night, I will be going to a Car Seat Headrest concert. Honestly, you’ve probably never heard of this band before, but you may in the near future. As rock is slowly making a come-back, they are on a meteoric rise in popularity. Their music style is so unique and beautiful, using layers of synthesized sounds and harmonies to create passionate and heart-wrenching melodies. They have a somewhat experimental vibe, but in a very successful way that emphasizes what they sing about.

            Some of their best songs, in my opinion, talk about Will Toledo’s (the front man of the group) bland life, as he uses all sorts of drugs (usually psychedelics) that only seem to lead him into a deeper sense of depression. He often criticizes many aspects of modern culture, which contribute to his musical sadness because all he sees is societal issues. In most of his songs, though, so much of what he says and his manner of singing leads makes it seem obvious of his desperation, yet his style is so unique; it almost sounds like he is speaking lazily and casually into a microphone, while still being melodic. His voice seems like he’s given up and just doesn’t care about anything anymore.

            Despite this making it sound all depressing, the music Toledo makes is incredible. Seeing him this Thursday evening may be one of my highlights of the past few months (mostly because they’ve been filled with constant work and being tired all the time). My friend and I plan to arrive into the line extremely early to ensure we can get front row. I don’t care if we have to camp out for hours; I am not trying to stare at the back of some giant’s head instead of watching Will Toledo from feet away.

            I hope he shreds his guitar. I want to see them pull out some of the most experimental and outgoing sounds I’ve ever heard, and then Toledo to whip out his Telecaster and pop a spacy solo in front of us. He probably won’t; that’s not really his type of music, but it’d still make me ecstatic. Most of all, I am anticipating just being in his presence. I’ve heard the way he talks and I’ve focused on his lyrics, and I am certain that he has such a witty and clever sense of humor. Every musician has their own unique stage presence and I think his could be extremely entertaining.